My ex in laws sit glued to their TV for Wimbledon fortnight. Two of my neighbours have to garden for short periods because watching becomes just too intense.
Good luck to Murray whenever he plays, but personally I'm glad to be working 8 till 6 today, and painting/dog walking all day tomorrow. I shall avoid at all costs.
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I can sympathise, SWMBO loves it, we had centre court tickets to the Australian Open and she was overjoyed, I concentrated on the technology tour, free booze and people watching, still dragged on interminably for me if I'm honest. Luckily the Wimbledon coverage is modest in Aus unless you subscribe to Murdoch's empire (which I don't).
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I certainly wouldn't watch it all but yesterday afternoon's 2 men's semi-finals were as good tennis as one will ever see. It has developed into a test almost more of stamina than skill and getting a bit more like squash, in the matter of sustained fitness. Respect to anyone who can chase and hit a ball round a tennis court for 4+ hours!
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The evidence in this country suggests the exact opposite, I think. For most of the year, tennis hardly gets a mention, then a big chunk of the country goes mad for two weeks of Wimbledon. That's not 'love it or hate it', more 'find it easy enough to follow and diverting enough to dip into once a year, without ever becoming a true enthusiast'.
Frustratingly, that's enough to get tennis protected status on free-to-air TV, while cricket - always of more consistent sporting interest in this country - is allowed to be gobbled up by Sky. So, while recreational tennis clubs are enjoying their annual boost in interest - not that I begrudge it to them because all sporting participation is good - cricket clubs are dying in their bowling boots because there's no coverage to make people think 'that looks like fun'.
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>> Frustratingly, that's enough to get tennis protected status on free-to-air TV, while cricket - always
>> of more consistent sporting interest in this country - is allowed to be gobbled up
>> by Sky. So, while recreational tennis clubs are enjoying their annual boost in interest -
>> not that I begrudge it to them because all sporting participation is good - cricket
>> clubs are dying in their bowling boots because there's no coverage to make people think
>> 'that looks like fun'.
>>
For cricket also read rugby.
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I wouldn't say I hate tennis, I just don't find it interesting. I can find some interest in most competitive sports but not tennis. I can manage half an eye on the score for a couple of minutes but that's about it.
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I'm not good at sustained spectating at any sport to be honest. I think I prefer to "do" rather than watch. I don't mind kicking a ball around with some friends or my son but I'd never feel tempted to go to a football match. I've been a mildly competitive skier but Ski Sunday puts me to sleep. I played rugby at local club level in my younger days to an ok standard but even international matches fail to hold my complete attention. I like driving but watching motor racing I can take or leave. I'm a keen and regular swimmer but only watched a couple of the Olympic races because they happened to be on when I was in the room.
In short, I'd much rather go and take part in an event or activity, albeit at a strictly amateur level than watch others other than with passing interest in their techniques which I might at least try to emulate in my much much lower skill level way.
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cricket clubs are dying in their bowling boots because there's no coverage to make people think 'that looks like fun'.
Is it league wide or just certain clubs? Which is your local league by the way?
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Mrs RR is glued to Wimbledon even though she doesn't understand the scoring and keeps asking me to explain things. I have no interest in the game at all, which leads to some tension when my replies start with, "Oh for God's sake...".
TV tennis is boring because the cameras are in the wrong place, making the game seem slow. I once watched two reasonable standard club players on a court and from beside the net you could see how fast the ball was moving and how much skill and fitness was really involved. If they had the cameras in that position I might watch.
Some decent totty in the women's matches though.
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 10:56
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I still feel watching any sport is a bit like watching people drinking or a stripper. Mildly diverting for a while but eventually you realise you'd rather be actively participating with the players, or at least players of your own standard, rather than just observing !
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>> I still feel watching any sport is a bit like watching people drinking or a
>> stripper. Mildly diverting for a while but eventually you realise you'd rather be actively participating
>> with the players, or at least players of your own standard, rather than just observing
>> !
>>
I suppose it depends how interesting you find the skills on show, to use them yourself or for the watchability of the skill itself? Or how hopeless one's skill at a sport is!
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>> Mrs RR is glued to Wimbledon
Seems to be a theme on here, perhaps it's more of a woman's game for watching on tv?
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Pleased to say that I saw no tennis yesterday, despite the TV being on all day.
Mrs. R. Shouts and screams as if she was there. Thank goodness for earphones and stuff to watch on the laptop, especially when the Murray is playing.
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>> >> Mrs RR is glued to Wimbledon
>>
>> Seems to be a theme on here, perhaps it's more of a woman's game for
>> watching on tv?
>>
The vast majority of people I know and have known who watch tennis are indeed female, it's rare to find a man who looks forward to Wimbledon. I think it's a sexual thing, the sight of two fit young men grunting, groaning and sweating as they vie for dominance brings out the primal instinct in the female species, it lets them fantasise about the battle actually being over them and being swept away in the arms of the winner for a torrid life of animalistic pleasure, one they dare not otherwise articulate for fear of being branded as harlots.
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 12:12
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Wimbledon is an event. Its not about the tennis as sport, its about the players, the place, the atmosphere, the drama. You need to be there really to appreciate it.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 12:37
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Helps if you find the sport interesting as well I suppose.
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Well as I have said in other threads this week both SWMBO and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Wimbledon last Saturday and I would recommend it.......
What a great week of sport.... excellent semi final Djokovic and Del Potro .
Got through a couple of bottles of chilled white wine whilst watching the Murray match last night with SWMBO and the wife of my friend who was installing my new computer yesterday.
Then today the Lions massacred the Aussies.... who could ask for anything more.
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Today The British Lions beat Australia - convincingly!
Today Chris Froome won the Tour de France stage - convincingly! He now wears the Yellow Jersey.
If Andy Murray were to lose at Wimbledon tomorrow, this would be the perfect sporting weekend.
Please?
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"Today The British Lions beat Australia - convincingly!
Today Chris Froome won the Tour de France stage - convincingly"
Lions were fantastic.
Froome was unbelievable - how the heck did he go up that last climb like that??? Incredible.
Sunniest day of year and I have spent most of the day in front of computer!!!
Didn't watch tennis!!
Did get a fair bit of gardening done this evening though - sweet corn planted out, and leeks and broccoli. Climbing French beans doing well and strawberries - what a crop this year (the slugs and blackbirds tell me!!)
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I think it's a sexual thing, the sight of two fit young men grunting, groaning and sweating...
Something in that, RR, I have no doubt. A friend at work yesterday declared herself pro-Djokovic when I reported the score in his semi-final. She plays the game herself, so I wondered whether it might have something to do with the swerve of his topspin forehand or the delicacy of his dropshot. Her explanation: "He looks good with his top off."
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I don't generally follow tennis but drag myself in from the garden to watch the later stages of Wimbledon especially if e.g. there's a Brit or a delightful female involved (no names mentioned). Every so often, I have to leave the room for a breather because IMHO, singles tennis is far more brutal than boxing!
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Crikey, Hay - I'd never thought of watching telly as a contact sport! What does your sitting room look like after one of these sessions?
}:---)
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"I'd never thought of watching telly as a contact sport!"
No, no, Will, 'watching telly' isn't brutal - it's the tennis that's brutal - the power, the sweat, the grunting, the fatigue, the fitness and the psychology....... and it goes on and on. I have no doubt that Serena would make mincemeat of me! Mind you, I don't think I'd last a round with Sabine, either ;-)
Last edited by: Haywain on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 22:25
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>> No, no, Will, 'watching telly' isn't brutal - it's the tennis that's brutal - the>> power, the sweat, the grunting, the fatigue, the fitness and the psychology....... and it goes>> on and on.
If you think tennis is 'brutal', then what about the riders in the Tour de France?
One member of the Sky team, Geraint Thomas has now ridden for eight days with a fracture of the pelvis. He has now spent 33 hours 45 minutes in the saddle in total. In today's stage he was racing for 5 hours 34 minutes - and he wasn't last!
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"If you think tennis is 'brutal', then what about the riders in the Tour de France?"
The point about singles tennis is that it is one-on-one though - they don't operate as part of a team.
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The only sport I can now watch on TV for an entire 'game' is boxing. I can watch the edited highlights of virtually anything, even soccer, being an ex season ticket holder of Bradford Park Ave, Hudds Town & Leeds Utd (many many moons ago). Spose its because my late father was a boxing fan, and at my gym there are a number of ex Army boxers with whom I exercise. Even the small. skinny, and dare I say older one's, I wouldn't mess with.
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"one-on-one though - they don't operate as part of a team"
I take your point, but Froome going up that mountain today was one-on-one. One man against a mountain. His next team mate was 51 seconds behind him and the opposition 1min 45 ish.
And if you are on a rugby field and faced with some huge guy running at you at full pace and you have to try to stop him it feels pretty one-on-one.
I know, and the other one often put a few bruises on this one (and on a few occasions managed to break a bone or two).
And cricket is also a team sport - but it's pretty one on one when you are batting and facing a quicky. I know, and the other one often put a few bruises on this one (and on a few occasions managed to break a bone or two).
Tennis is probably brutal mentally, but not many break bones, or as is horribly common in rugby, break necks and end up paralysed for life.
Have a look at this
www.matthampsonfoundation.org/
;-)
or
;-(
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>> And cricket is also a team sport - but it's pretty one on one when
>> you are batting and facing a quicky.
>>
>>
One could say so much about that comment.
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Wait for it....................................... :-)
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Tennis. A marmite sport - idle_chatterer
