Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I don't disagree but let's get it in perspective. The man has done well but in a relatively minor sport. Yes let's be proud of his Manxness but to claim as some are doing this makes us now a world super power is a bit silly. The Tour de France is not a relatively minor sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 131st (of 156 finishers). Or 2nd in the points! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hardly a minor sport. It draws more live spectators than any other sporting event. How many other sporting events are held over 23 days and cover 3500 kilometres and have almost 86 hours of "action" to watch? Considering most spectators will watch for a maximum of ten minutes each as the peloton goes past their house or village, I'm not sure it's a particularly meaningful statement to make. Leisure cycling and low level competitive riding might be hugely popular throughout the world, but professional cycling like this is a relatively niche sport. I know it requires massive amounts of commitment and fitness, but it's also dull to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Leisure cycling and low level competitive riding might be hugely popular throughout the world, but professional cycling like this is a relatively niche sport. I know it requires massive amounts of commitment and fitness, but it's also dull to watch. Tennis and golf are niche sports too then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatshaft Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hardly a minor sport. It draws more live spectators than any other sporting event. How many other sporting events are held over 23 days and cover 3500 kilometres and have almost 86 hours of "action" to watch? Considering most spectators will watch for a maximum of ten minutes each as the peloton goes past their house or village, I'm not sure it's a particularly meaningful statement to make. Leisure cycling and low level competitive riding might be hugely popular throughout the world, but professional cycling like this is a relatively niche sport. I know it requires massive amounts of commitment and fitness, but it's also dull to watch. There were estimated to be 1 million spectators on the climb of Mount Ventoux. And like most sports, if you're not interested it's dull, personally I found this year's tour one of the best ever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I agree, I kind of went off it during the Armstrong years - he's not been an inspiring rider, until this year. But this year every stage has had a story and there've been all sorts of little battles. It helps having someone to support in the sprints because they're normally dull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Sure, I'm just saying if you look at the average time a spectator spends watching the event, it's not going to be very high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Tennis and golf are niche sports too then? Tiger Woods doesn't wear lycra... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
When Skies Are Grey Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Good on him, but I think a sense of proportion is called for here. Little chance of that....Isle of Sam anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Tiger Woods doesn't wear lycra... So? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Tiger Woods doesn't wear lycra... So? Cycling is missing someone like him + the lycra bunch hasn't done itself any favours with the whole doping affair. I guess the fact that the only really mainstream event is the tdf also doesn't help. Golf + Tennis have more than one well known big event in their calendar and are pretty much global. I can tell you that from a betting point of view, positively no-one cares about cycling - none, nada, niente. Golf, Tennis, NBA, etc, however, are huge. As ans said - most people watch for a few minutes and then switch off because it's dull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I can tell you that from a betting point of view, positively no-one cares about cycling - none, nada, niente. Golf, Tennis, NBA, etc, however, are huge. As ans said - most people watch for a few minutes and then switch off because it's dull. What has betting got to do with anything. Whether people bet on a sport is less to do with whether it is a popular sport or wether it presents a reasonable opportunity to gamble. If you took away betting then I would suggest that both horse and greyhound racing would barely register and have few participents or spectators but as it is thety do. In my opinion that shows that betting actually has little corelation to how enjoyable a sport is in its purest form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Take Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Or you could join those other people wetting their knickers on the other thread, about Mr C's victories.Good on him, but I think a sense of proportion is called for here. Because writing on an anonymous internet forum is going WAAAAAAAAYYYYY over the top in praising him. Are you actually stupid or just doing a fantastic impression of it? Personally, I love the tour de France and have watched it since I was a kid. I can't recall ever finding it boring. As with cricket, the commentators make all the difference. As long as they are knowledgeable about the sport and its participants and have a rapport with each other then they can easily provide enough entertainment when there's a lack of breakaways / sprints / falls, etc. Long live Phil Liggett. As for the beeb getting it wrong, they've given excellent coverage for net viewers on their live stream and have never failed to point out Cavendish's Manxness. I suspect that the news at 10 piece was put together by someone not from the team that covered the tour on a daily basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Cycling is missing someone like him + the lycra bunch hasn't done itself any favours with the whole doping affair. I guess the fact that the only really mainstream event is the tdf also doesn't help. Golf + Tennis have more than one well known big event in their calendar and are pretty much global. I don't get what you're trying to say about Tiger Woods and lycra, can you elaborate? There's three grand tours, the TDF is the most popular sure but it's not the only well known big event. I can tell you that from a betting point of view, positively no-one cares about cycling - none, nada, niente. Golf, Tennis, NBA, etc, however, are huge. As ans said - most people watch for a few minutes and then switch off because it's dull. Might be true from a betting point of view, but like above, I don't think betting is really any indication of popularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Cycling is missing someone like him + the lycra bunch hasn't done itself any favours with the whole doping affair. I guess the fact that the only really mainstream event is the tdf also doesn't help. Golf + Tennis have more than one well known big event in their calendar and are pretty much global. I don't get what you're trying to say about Tiger Woods and lycra, can you elaborate? There's three grand tours, the TDF is the most popular sure but it's not the only well known big event. I can tell you that from a betting point of view, positively no-one cares about cycling - none, nada, niente. Golf, Tennis, NBA, etc, however, are huge. As ans said - most people watch for a few minutes and then switch off because it's dull. Might be true from a betting point of view, but like above, I don't think betting is really any indication of popularity. Ok, maybe I was just trying to say that Golf is a bit more stylish...and betting has a lot to do with popularity - the more popular a sport, the bigger the betting market. The fewer people follow or care about a sport, the less money you will see for it on the markets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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