Sports on TV and in films are electrifying, exciting, and even manage to grip the audience’s attention without letting up. But that tends to be because they give the audience all the action and excitement that isn’t present in a life rendition of the sport. The issue with some sports is that they are long, drawn-out contests that don’t allow for a lot of quick and exciting action at every turn. In football, soccer, and basketball the action is constant. Even baseball has it’s quick and decisive moments that leave the spectators breathless. But other sports just tend to lack the constant and explosive action that some people would like to see, unless they’re integrated into a few crucial minutes of a film.
Here are several sports that are far more exciting on film than they are in real life.
5. Boxing
A lot of us liked Rocky, and Raging Bull, and The Fighter, and so on and so forth. Boxing films are classic because they show the hard-hitting moments that make matches go down in history as some of the greatest bouts ever. But the truth of a boxing match is that there is a lot more time spent by the competitors in the clinch, dancing around each other, and trying to work past each other’s defenses. A fight like Apollo vs. Rocky wouldn’t likely be allowed to go the full distance if the other competitor was being brutalized in that manner.
4. Cycling
Uphill, downhill, cross country, fast, slow, and moderate pace, cycling is kind of boring when it’s not being dramatized. The competitors are often bunched up and it’s hard to really see who you’re rooting for at times. The entire sport seems to revolve around who’s got more determination and heart, but the best moments usually come near the end, and they’re still pretty tame.
3. NASCAR
Oh I might get crucified for this one but I’ll say it anyway. NASCAR is about a bunch of guys in super-fast cars flying around a track at ungodly speeds in an effort to be the fastest. It appeals to a lot of different fans but sitting there waiting for the cars to go by so you can cheer for those few seconds seems kind of, well, silly.
2. Track & Field
It’s a sport made for those that have reached the peak of their physical conditioning, but it’s not exactly a spectator sport. Instead it’s something to be proud of if you have a relative or a friend that’s competing. Otherwise you can easily admire them but cheering for a random runner, thrower, or jumper seems kind of pointless.
1. Pool/Billiards
Some of the shots are impressive really, but unless its in a movie there’s no excitement or fanfare allowed unless it’s the end of the game. Even then it’s about as tame as a golf game in terms of how much noise that seems to be allowed. Plus, it’s a whole lot more fun to play pool than to watch it.
Sharpen your knives and cut away all you diehard fans. Those who love NASCAR let me have it, but I’ll stand by my words. On film a lot of these sports are a lot more glamorized than they appear in real life. And I’ve been a Track & Field athlete, so I do know how boring it can be to wait your turn to compete.
Follow Us