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Comment by ptmcc | Hacker News Reader

It's a huge social event with a shared interest, there's energy and excitement in the shared experience, and the emotional rollercoaster that games often can be. It does seem to speak to something tribal within us humans.

I'm not even a "sports guy" but going to games of most sports is often a lot of fun because it's about more than just the game.

When I was a know-it-all teen/young adult I had some of that "sportsball is dumb and for idiots" mentality but as I got older I grew out of that and appreciate the simple fun of it all. Plus it's easy small talk fodder.

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I'm a basketball fan, and think that going to a game live is one of the most exciting sports events there is, not comparing to seeing it on TV. My partner and stepdaughter agree too, though they are certainly not basketball fans as such.

Many years ago, I got tickets to a wrestling event (WWE, I believe) at a corporate box. We went (coworkers and I) only interested in drinking in the box, but found ourselves getting very into it. Being there definitely has that energy and experience.

I feel basketball, baseball and soccer are much more enjoyable from a social perspective than football, especially for a comparable price. Maybe at $300 football is enjoyable, but the stadiums are massive, and the cost means you’re much less likely to bring your own friends - so I guess you have to make new ones.

College football is a bit different though (probably with exceptions to stadiums over 65k)

I personally think baseball, with the slow pace, is actually the best in social terms.

> I personally think baseball, with the slow pace, is actually the best in social terms.

It's largely considered the most boring to go to because it's slow. In fact, it was recently so slow and uneventful, that added rule changes just to speed things up for fans...

I guess there's a case to be made it leaves more time to be "social" and talk to your friends at the game, but it's going to be hard to get them to go in the first place...

I like baseball well enough, and would not have minded the pace, but I don't want to got to nine-inning games that take three and a half hours to play.

I'll see your baseball and raise you test cricket. It is international level cricket; the visiting side coming to the host country for several months and playing a series of matches at different locations. There are normally up to 5 matches in a test series, and each match takes place over 5 days.

Quite fascinating to watch, and ranges from very mellow to nail-biting tension.

I’m still a “sports ball” person at 36 I guess.

I just don’t remotely understand or feel any connection whatsoever to anything watching any sports in person or on TV.

Which is fine, I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just what it is.

I wonder if it’s an evolutionary adaptation having to do with battles. I can see getting into this kind of frenzy state definitely being helpful for survival.

Rather save my frenzy for important stuff like tabs vs spaces

Regular frenzy, or reckless rage?

Why not both?

Sagan likened football in particular to hunting, in the prehistoric sense.

I dislike the NFL and American football for this reason. It's too large (as in, too many people at the stadium) and the number of games too few to be able to afford to regularly go to games. Its a sport designed for TV and it shows. Even the culture of being at the games is emblematic of this, in that there isn't really much of one.

I will also theorize that this is a major contributing factor to the not insignificant number of people that prefer college football to the NFL, even in cases where they are not alumni of the local college.

> Plus it's easy small talk fodder.

"Did you see that ludicrous display last night?"

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yN2H3--1aw

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