What is/are your favourite sports teams or athletes? (multiple sports allowed)

Tsunami · 24 May 2023, 01:03 AM

Inspired by the thread on shootouts in soccer, I thought it was a nice idea to exchange who we all root for in football/soccer. Then I thought it may be nice to expand the topic beyond just soccer.

My favourite sport is definitely football/soccer, and I'm a huge fan of both Racing Club Gent (4th division Belgium) and RWD Molenbeek (newly promoted to the top division in Belgium). Abroad, my favourite team is Rosenborg BK from Norway, which I've been rooting for since the early nineties before the team became a mass success (by the way, the days of that repeated success are over for now

)

In tennis, I used to like Martina Hingis and especially my fellow Belgian Justine Henin. While I have always prefered female tennis, I also have a soft spot for Andy Murray and in the past Goran Ivanisevic (that Wimbledon final he won and the emotions that came with it when he finally lifted that trophy are unforgettable, one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen)

Cycling is massive in Belgium, but I never really caught the hype to large extent, however I do like Remco Evenepoel. Not because he's Belgian (otherwise I'd have a very large choice of whom to support) but because of his personality. I like his sense of humour, his down-to-earth attitude, and how he finds a nice balance between being ambitious while remaining respectful towards his opponents. I quite like Tadej Pogacar too. In the past, I liked Peter Sagan, a bit of eccentric behaviour in the sport was a nice change, but he is clearly preparing for retirement from the sport.

I like hockey, but I don't really follow a team except for the Belgian national team (M and F). Must add: been to several games, and I like the sportsmanship of the crowd. No segregation of fans of both teams, because nobody acts disrespectful or violent towards fans of the other team, so everyone is mixed. I like that.

Those are the sports I really like. However, it is strange how sympathising with a specific athlete for some reason can suddenly get you watching a sport with full attention that you wouldn't watch otherwise. I rarely watch athletics, but I did stay up at night to watch Nafi Thiam's performances during the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.
And earlier this month when Luca Brecel reached the final of the snooker world cup, I watched the games on TV to the point I even got stressed when the game was reaching its conclusion... It's strange how sympathising with a person can suddenly make you interested in a sport you've paid little or no attention to before

chrisretusn · 24 May 2023, 02:16 PM

Since I moved out of the US I don't follow sports anymore. I know expats here who get up in the morning to watch American Football. I'm not big on American football. Same goes for football (soccer).

Some favorites; cricket, rugby union, AFL (Australian Football League), snooker, hockey and baseball. Most of my viewing is via YouTube. Cable here shows some of the above sports.

Based on were I live it should be basketball.

24 May 2023, 01:03 AM	#1
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,341	What is/are your favourite sports teams or athletes? (multiple sports allowed) Inspired by the thread on shootouts in soccer, I thought it was a nice idea to exchange who we all root for in football/soccer. Then I thought it may be nice to expand the topic beyond just soccer. My favourite sport is definitely football/soccer, and I'm a huge fan of both Racing Club Gent (4th division Belgium) and RWD Molenbeek (newly promoted to the top division in Belgium). Abroad, my favourite team is Rosenborg BK from Norway, which I've been rooting for since the early nineties before the team became a mass success (by the way, the days of that repeated success are over for now ) In tennis, I used to like Martina Hingis and especially my fellow Belgian Justine Henin. While I have always prefered female tennis, I also have a soft spot for Andy Murray and in the past Goran Ivanisevic (that Wimbledon final he won and the emotions that came with it when he finally lifted that trophy are unforgettable, one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen) Cycling is massive in Belgium, but I never really caught the hype to large extent, however I do like Remco Evenepoel. Not because he's Belgian (otherwise I'd have a very large choice of whom to support) but because of his personality. I like his sense of humour, his down-to-earth attitude, and how he finds a nice balance between being ambitious while remaining respectful towards his opponents. I quite like Tadej Pogacar too. In the past, I liked Peter Sagan, a bit of eccentric behaviour in the sport was a nice change, but he is clearly preparing for retirement from the sport. I like hockey, but I don't really follow a team except for the Belgian national team (M and F). Must add: been to several games, and I like the sportsmanship of the crowd. No segregation of fans of both teams, because nobody acts disrespectful or violent towards fans of the other team, so everyone is mixed. I like that. Those are the sports I really like. However, it is strange how sympathising with a specific athlete for some reason can suddenly get you watching a sport with full attention that you wouldn't watch otherwise. I rarely watch athletics, but I did stay up at night to watch Nafi Thiam's performances during the Olympic Games in Rio 2016. And earlier this month when Luca Brecel reached the final of the snooker world cup, I watched the games on TV to the point I even got stressed when the game was reaching its conclusion... It's strange how sympathising with a person can suddenly make you interested in a sport you've paid little or no attention to before

24 May 2023, 02:16 PM	#2
chrisretusn Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Philippines Posts: 846	Since I moved out of the US I don't follow sports anymore. I know expats here who get up in the morning to watch American Football. I'm not big on American football. Same goes for football (soccer). Some favorites; cricket, rugby union, AFL (Australian Football League), snooker, hockey and baseball. Most of my viewing is via YouTube. Cable here shows some of the above sports. Based on were I live it should be basketball.