Favorite Niche Sport?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Really? No, never have. Maybe I'll check it out some time. Is horse racing fun to follow if you're not into gambling, or is it all about the bets? And how do you get into it?

A lot of people seem to like NCAA Lacrosse. I never quite got into lacrosse, but I know it has a passionate fan base.

I'm not a huge gambler, you don't have to be to enjoy the track. Plus, Saratoga is all about the scene. You never know what celebrities you might see, there's great food & drinks, and just strolling around is a lot of fun. I bet a couple of bucks here and there, nothing major.

When I worked there I was much more in tune as to who the big trainers/jockeys/horses were. Now I just pick up a program and try to act like I know what I'm doing. But again for me it's more about just taking in the whole scene that's fun.

[BDBohnzie]

Growing up, I was heavy into anything that was a sport. Nowadays, the biggest niches I follow are NASCAR and Soccer. Soccer wise, I follow Premier League mostly, but I keep my eye on the major European leagues and the big tourneys (Champions League, Euro Cup, CONCACAF, World Cup), as well as DC United.

I'm a big Tony Stewart fan when it comes to NASCAR. I started following NASCAR when he made the jump from open wheel to stock cars. I prefer open wheel racing overall. I used to be big into Formula 1, back in the days of Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, but before Michael Schumacher got big.

When the Tour de France is on (like now), I'll sit and watch parts of each day if I can. It's even better if the tour goes through towns I've either been to, or have family in. I casually follow College Lacrosse since I went to a school where Lacrosse was king and everything else played 2nd fiddle. I keep an eye on MMA and Boxing, but won't go out of my way to order or watch unless I know the fight card is stacked.

[Monkeydad]

I used to LOVE the Indy/CART series before the IRL started and ruined it. The races were on every weekend on ABC and I never missed one. Bobby Rahal was my favorite driver.

This was back in the Rahal/Mears/Unser Jr/Fittipaldi/Lyundyk/Mario Andretti days.

I've even taken a lap around Indy (in a tour bus) and toured the racing museum when I was 6 years old.

[Redskins_P]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

I would say Soccer for me, especially when either the US or Ecuador (my home country) play.

Hey Ruhskins, my wife is from Ecuador!

I would say soccer for me as well. I usually root for USA, Chile (my father's home country) and Ecuador thanks to my wife.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Monster Trucks. (Monster Jam)

Laugh all you want, but I'm not a redneck and if you see them in person, you'd be impressed. Great family events too, even my wife enjoys seeing them. The drivers love kids and will take a ton of time to sign stuff and talk to you and your children. It's how all sports should be. My son actually got me into the sport when he was two years old.

Took my son to another show this weekend at the Buck Motorsports Park in Lancaster. We went to the Linc (yes, Eagles stadium) in Philly last month for a BIG show that will be on SPEED Channel soon.

What's not to like about a 5-ton truck with an 1600-1800 HP big block Ford or 572 Chevy engine? They sound amazing...like a muscle car but 5 times louder.

From the Philly show:

Check out the awesome save starting after the wheelie at about 0:20.



After 1:00 gets good.




From this weekend:





These guys have some driving skills to control a 10,000-pound vehicle like this.

That is crazy I was there too! I sat near the Chicken Strips stand. My son went for the first time, he loved it but still loves baseball more.

[Monkeydad]

Serious? At the Buck? I was by the Chicken Strips stand too, in front of the second pole down on that side.

When the announcer was going through the football teams and seeing what teams the crowd liked, my son and I were the only two Skins fans making noise anywhere close to us.

Seemed like the RAVENS won that poll actually, over the two PA teams...at least in my section. I was surrounded by Ravens fans.

If you saw that kid in the black Jeremy Macklin jersey in front of the bleachers down by the trash fans who was dumping dirt on himself and his friends/brothers with a cup...I was about 4 rows up directly in front of that kid.


Great family events, right?

That Jeep that rolled over is from my town and we actually followed him up to the place on Rt 30. I was telling my son in the car "Look at that Jeep, I bet he's going to the Buck too"...then he came out and rolled over...ha.

This was our second time at the Buck...last year was his first show and that's when he became obsessed. We watch Monster Jam on SPEED together most mornings at 7 a.m.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Serious? At the Buck? I was by the Chicken Strips stand too, in front of the second pole down on that side.

When the announcer was going through the football teams and seeing what teams the crowd liked, my son and I were the only two Skins fans making noise anywhere close to us.

Seemed like the RAVENS won that poll actually, over the two PA teams...at least in my section. I was surrounded by Ravens fans.

If you saw that kid in the black Jeremy Macklin jersey in front of the bleachers down by the trash fans who was dumping dirt on himself and his friends/brothers with a cup...I was about 4 rows up directly in front of that kid.


Great family events, right?

That Jeep that rolled over is from my town and we actually followed him up to the place on Rt 30. I was telling my son in the car "Look at that Jeep, I bet he's going to the Buck too"...then he came out and rolled over...ha.

This was our second time at the Buck...last year was his first show and that's when he became obsessed. We watch Monster Jam on SPEED together most mornings at 7 a.m.

We were pretty high up almost to the railing. I think I saw that kid. I think it is a good family place. I hear little swearing and no alcohol allowed. I love the tuff trucks better then Monster Trucks. You should go for a Mud Bog as well; that is probably my favorite event there.

When they were doing the football team thing, which they do every night, we were in the bathroom and i was getting the cinder block stool for my son.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Monster Trucks. (Monster Jam)

Laugh all you want, but I'm not a redneck and if you see them in person, you'd be impressed. Great family events too, even my wife enjoys seeing them. The drivers love kids and will take a ton of time to sign stuff and talk to you and your children. It's how all sports should be. My son actually got me into the sport when he was two years old.

Took my son to another show this weekend at the Buck Motorsports Park in Lancaster. We went to the Linc (yes, Eagles stadium) in Philly last month for a BIG show that will be on SPEED Channel soon.

What's not to like about a 5-ton truck with an 1600-1800 HP big block Ford or 572 Chevy engine? They sound amazing...like a muscle car but 5 times louder.

From the Philly show:

Check out the awesome save starting after the wheelie at about 0:20.



After 1:00 gets good.




From this weekend:





These guys have some driving skills to control a 10,000-pound vehicle like this.

Monster trucks are very cool to watch. Grave Diggers shop is about 40min. from my office and you pass it on the way to Nags Head. I've stopped once but if your a big fan your kid would enjoy going. Years back a lady I work with went down to Va Beach to check out the monster trucks doing a show on the beach. Grave Digger was also giving out rides and she went for a ride and while doing a donut they flipped over.

[SmootSmack]

I have a new favorite sport

Video: Sepak takraw is a visually fascinating sport...that wed all suck at - StumbleUpon

[tryfuhl]

geeeeeez smoot, seems tough

idk about niche sports

I generally enjoy the curling during the winter olympics

[jamf]

Horse Racing.
Del Mar racing begins tomorrow.

I love Santa Anita race track but Del Mar is the best place to enjoy the races!

[itvnetop]

Interestingly enough, I dig niche sports featuring women. I'm all over the College Softball World Series, mostly for the dominant pitchers. There's so much involved with softball pitching- the movement, spin, etc... the distance is so much shorter than a baseball mound, so it's an interesting battle with the hitters.

In Los Angeles, female Roller Derby is ridiculously popular. It's nothing like that 70s tv stuff you used to watch... it's mostly 9-5 women (often looking like Suicide Girls) who actually hit each other fairly hard on a banked track.

And I know it may sound corny, but the Lingerie Football League is legit. These gals wear less pads than their male counterparts (obviously), but the players are super athletic... you can just tell by their body types. I'd say most of them are former D-1 athletes in other sports. And their tackling is no joke. I actually ordered the half time Lingerie Bowl over that horrid BEP concert.

[jamf]

i've been wanting to check out a roller derby!

[jdlea]

I'd say my favorite niche sport is easily soccer. I started getting into it in 2006 (World Cup) and I've been hooked ever since. I primarily follow EPL, Serie A, and MLS. I try to watch as much La Liga as possible, but usually being on ESPN3 and not Fox Soccer makes that harder. I just really love the game, I'm may even be starting to like it more than the NFL...maybe not, but I DO like it a lot.

Also, I'm slowly getting into lacrosse. I can never see me really loving it, but the Chesapeake Bayhawks basically play across the street from my house (Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis), so I'll probably start attending some games from time to time.

[SmootSmack]

Not to derail the thread but why is it harder on ESPN3? You can PM me if you prefer. I'm just curious.