Maximus Decimus

So let me get this straight, if you can punt the ball out on the full behind the posts you get a point? Seems like madness.

I've just this week got multi-room. It's purely coincidental that it comes days after trying to watch the NFL with my near-80 year old Irish inlaws in the room...

Even though it's not professional, it has probably gone through a process of where the sport has become more professional in its outlook. Some sports this has benefitted from a spectacle POV, and some it hasn't. I often say RL is one that has lost out a bit IMO. It sounds like GAA has as well.

It's a good watch as a novelty, but I soon think it would wear off. It's like GAA but you can basically shoot from half the pitch away.

I'm sure it is, but when you see it 30/40 times a game it soon loses its allure. Funnily enough, it's a similar criticism I would have had for basketball. As RL fans, we often use the line of not wanting a game to be like basketball. However, having been to a few games I kind of get it now and the game can ebb and flow quite well. The actual getting of a basket isn't that impressive, it's often more about creating the opportunity to shoot.

Yeh I get that, and I suppose they are quite alike in that respect. As I'm familiar with boxers, certain matchups are exciting for a variety of reasons. If I knew the relative form of different cricket teams, I'm sure the test series would be similar. For me, to truly enjoy a sporting event, I need to believe that there is meaning behind it. The fans need to care and the players need to care. I'm really put off if I think that there isn't that much on the line. With sports like darts, tennis, snooker etc, I just can't get interested by anything but the big tournaments. Cricket tests seem a bit like this as an outsider. As I said I enjoy the ashes, because there is something truly riding on it - bragging rights. When I'm talking about NFL, I often use cricket as an example of getting used to a sport that has plenty of stoppages and not being bothered by it.

Bear Down!

Some sports have a fundamental feature that I find too frustrating to watch properly. Union, even without the pro-RL baggage, has penalty kicks. I can't get my head around a sport that relies on infringements for so many of its points. GAA is like this for me. I find the constant kicking for 1 point unappealing, it doesn't seem like an incredible skill. AFL is similar, they kick it over everybody's head from far away and the crowd goes wild. I'm sure both are very difficult, but they just aren't aesthetically pleasing as a main form of scoring.

I'm the current lone NFL advocate, but that is a very recent thing. No doubt at different times I would pick Darts or Boxing. Darts is another fairly recent rediscovery, but boxing is one relatively constant feature. I wouldn't call myself a diehard but there's few sports that can get me hyped like a big fight. I probably buy 3/4 a year. I like American Football as a sport but I also enjoy the over the top American nature of it. I get the problem with stoppages, but you can get used to it. I've always passively followed the Premier League (and love the big tournaments) but just don't really enjoy football as a spectator sport a lot of the time. I also find it a deeply unsatisfying sport from a competitive point of view. I'm really surprised to hear so many people talk about cricket as one of their main sports. I quite enjoy the Ashes, but I would honestly hear them talking about different test series on the news and wonder who really cares about that. The whole test series structure just seems a bit like glorified friendlies to me.

Vikings, Packers, Dolphins, Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Texans, Lions, Buccs, Chargers, Bills, Bears, Chiefs, Broncos, 49ers, Steelers

I suppose that's always going to be the case with sports where most people aren't avid fans, especially if they aren't fans of the teams specifically. As a sports fan, I can't understand why you would go in the first place if you aren't interested in seeing a possible TD. When I went in Chicago, people were in and out a lot. There were 2 guys in front of us who got up after the first touchdown and never came back. And of course, they nearly all left before witnessing the end of their first home win in over a year!

Broncos, Jaguars, Lions, Bills, Colts, Falcons, Packers, Bengals, Eagles, Rams, Commanders, 49ers, Steelers, Buccs, Chargers

Here's me thinking I had a decent week with 10/14. I should have known to never pick the Jets!

Just finished the Jets-Bills game. You just knew that when the second FG hit the post that they weren't going to win. Entertaining first half, but way too many flags in the second.

When I went to the NFL in Chicago we got talking to this older couple at the airport and they couldn't believe that we knew about the NFL but also things like college football etc. I was really impressed with my one experience and would definitely do it again. I suppose I was too into the game to notice too much about the rest of the crowd. That said, I was sat next to about 6 young French lads across 2 rows who all came out carrying a set of 4 beers. They lasted the first quarter so they got another 4. Safe to say they were hammered and one was even being given ice to stop him puking up. It was the most British acting I'd ever seen our French cousins.

Very pleased with the Bears performance yesterday. After a slow first quarter, they dominated and easily won a game that they were slight underdogs for. I have a mate who went both the last two weeks and he said while there were probably more Bears fans than Vikings fan last week, it felt like less of a home game.

What with the GF being on, I missed the most controversial moment that being the Ben Whittaker draw. From what I've seen, he was struggling against a fighter he was expected to beat and then they both went head first over the ropes, where Whittaker was injured and had to retire. The fight went to the scorecards and it was scored a draw which most see as fortunate for Whittaker. Not only that but he's being accused of faking being hurt and effectively quitting.

They were pushing this at the game last Sunday without explaining much about who either side were. Just looked it up and De la Salle won 31-9.

I think it's that old thing about what judges prefer, the cleaner shots or the aggression. I was rooting for Bivol, and think he did really well but there was always an inevitable feeling that Beterbiev was going to come strong. I actually put a bet on after round 2 for Beterbiev because the odds had Bivol as the favourite, but I thought he was going to find it hard to keep up. I'm OK with the result but it could've gone either way. While the cleaner shots came from Bivol there were also longer periods where he did very little but cover up. On the DAZN coverage, they had it very close and the last time I remember seeing it thought Beterbiev would win if he could get the last 2 rounds. The main reason I was surprised, was because betting wise they seemed to think Bivol had got it. I only stuck a tenner on Beterbiev and the whole fight they were offering me about £9 to cash out. By the time of the decision it was like £4.50. The whole aggression vs clear shots seems to be about the fighter and pre-fight expectations a lot of the time IMO. The classic example of this is Mayweather. When he fought, it didn't seem to matter that the other guy was more aggressive because Mayweather did the better work.

I'm not even joking, my 10 year old came in as I was watching that and asked whether it was WWE.

Until the decision.... don't agree with that.

Safe to say it was worth it. What a fight!

A real shock and very disappointing. I only got the PPV because I saw that fight and the last one was a classic. Hard to argue with his power, but I didn't like the way he caught him after he'd been turned round. Hopefully, the big fight lives up to the hype. Either way, it hasn't cost me anything because I made a deal that if I won my GF bet I'd get the PPV!

Apologies if you haven't heard it and now will, but whoever is doing that incessant tap-dripping drum beat needs a kick in the balls. If anyone at the game is near, I'll pay your legal fees if you do any damage.

I'd love to see Hull KR do it, but my head says a comfortable Wigan win. It's just about the occasion and how often Wigan have been there. KR we're lucky to get through Wire last week while Wigan breezed through. Hoping for a good game and something to shout about.