Now that the NFL season is almost over...

[TheHolo.Net]

..which sport do you folks think I should make the default start up for the Sports Scores section on the Portal page?

If you are not sure what I am talking about have a look at The Portal Page (/) at the bottom left to see the sports scores section. Right now the default page that loads is NFL scores, but the season is about over and I think the default page should be changed to an active sport during the off-season.

The sports scores available are:

NFL
NHL
MLB
NHL
NBA
PGA
NCAA Football
NCAA Basketball

[CMJ]

NCAA Basketball.

My truest love in all of sports. :)

[darth_mcbain]

I don't care all that much - but given the choice I'd go for NHL...

[CMJ]

Originally posted by Darth McBain
I don't care all that much - but given the choice I'd go for NHL...

That'd be my #2 choice. ;)

[darth_mcbain]

I don't get to watch it as much as I'd like - but I'm in a Fantasy Hockey League (and unfortunately getting creamed in it), so maybe it would help if I was a little more aware of the games going on... :)

[CMJ]

I'm also doing fantasy hockey. I was atop my league 3 weeks ago...now I'm in 3rd place. :rolleyes

[Figrin D'an]

NCAA Basketball would get my vote. By the time the Tournament is over, MLB will be back in season, so then you can switch over to that.

[Ryan Pode]

Aye. NCAA Basketball is all the rage now.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I go with NCAA but wait till after the Super Bowl to make the change. The next three weeks is the big time for the NFL.

[TheHolo.Net]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
I go with NCAA but wait till after the Super Bowl to make the change. The next three weeks is the big time for the NFL.
Yeah, I wasn't planning to make any changes until after the Super Bowl.

[Ryan Pode]

Its gonna be a Pats/Packers Superbowl. Packers win, 24-17

[Jedieb]

My votes:

1. MLB (Once the season starts, this is my first choice.)
2. NHL (Grown men with sticks who live to pummel each other. VICTORY!)
3. NBA (I can get my updates from Court TV or the Portland Police Radio dispatch.)

4. NCAA Basketball (Honestly, I never get jazzed up for this. Sorry Court. :cry )
5. NCAA Football (Season's over, good BCS riddance.)
6. PGA (This is a joke right? Update; Tiger did/didn't win. 'Nuff said.)

[JMK]

NHL gets my vote.

[ReaperFett]

MLS? :)

No, better, the FA Premiership! That'll confuse most of the readers! We'd have to explain the theories of promotion and relegation :D

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
MLS? :)

No, better, the FA Premiership! That'll confuse most of the readers! We'd have to explain the theories of promotion and relegation :D


Hell yes! Lets have somethign for the rest of us non USAites!

[jjwr]

Definetly NCAA Hoops, if not then NBA.

No offense to NHL but thats about as dead of a major sport as you'll see.

[JMK]

Though the ratings don't show it, the NBA is 'deader'. I can't watch basketball anymore.

[jjwr]

The brand of ball is bad right now, just like the NHL they over-expanded and the talent base is showing it. Unlike the NHL they're still very popular and will continue to do well, though sadly that means they probably won't fix their problems.

Isn't the NHL in lots of trouble right now? I recall hearing some talk on SportsCenter earlier in the season about how the whole thing could crash after this year and come back with about half as many teams.

[CMJ]

There's a chance of the happening...yes jjwr. I hope the players and owners can figure it out. Hockey really is a great game. The best sport to watch in person for my money.

[JMK]

Hockey will be in deep trouble if they don't fix the current system. Many teams won't survive if there is a long work stoppage which would be devastating.

The they've overexpanded, but the talent is still there. But much like in basketball, the importance of playing team defense and 'within a system' is preventing the talented players from flaunting their skills.

When small market teams stopped being able to afford the Gretzkys and Lemieuxs of the world, they all had to adopt a defensive team oriented style of play which would allow everyone to compete; everyone can learn team defense, but truly gifted players come along only once in a blue moon.

So the talent is still there, it's just being stifled under the current NHL. I see a lot of the same style of play happening in the NBA.

[ReaperFett]

NHL better not go anywhere, I like watching it (Well, having it on in the background) when having late nights online. NBA bores me to tears (bounce bounce bounce SCORE bounce bounce bounce SCORE bounce bounce bounce MISS bounce bo...), NFL I see as a sport only in the way that chess is a sport, although I do end up watching it a fair bit.

[JMK]

There's a lot of rumbling of the NHL expanding into Europe which would be interesting to say the least. I have no idea how that would work and what impact it would have on the league. There's also talk of the NBA doing the same thing. I think secretly the NBA and NHL are waiting for the other to try it out and be the guinea pig.

[CMJ]

Because of finances...I just don't see it happening for either league.

[ReaperFett]

They tried with NFL. Insert toilet flushing noise here.

[CMJ]

They *sorta* tried it with American football...but not really. It's not like they had an NFL team over in Europe. They set up the "World League".

[ReaperFett]

I thought it was a European league? I remember London sucked, and Glasgow had a famous Rugby player :)

[Ryan Pode]

NFL Europe = NFL's minor league. Teams sign players and send them over there to develop their skills a bit.

[JMK]

They're looking at Europe as a way to save their respective leagues. They first have to get their houses in order and then they can talk about it more seriously.

[ReaperFett]

Wont catch on. Those who would want to see Ice Hockey already go to see it in Britain, which is one of the main European markets (Basically, you want the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy happy).

[TheHolo.Net]

Current Vote Count:

NCAA BB - 5
NHL - 2
MLB - 1

[JediBoricua]

I'll be the first NBA vote then.

It's the only sport I really follow when there's no football or baseball around.

[Ishan Shade]

NCAA BB.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The NFL Europe has been succesful, the World League was a bust (still not as big of a bust as the XFL). The European teams actually drawed fans unlike the teams in the US, so that is why the NFL bought them up, and it works like Ryan said a minor league system. And it that sense it is good revenue for the NFL as the players are paid less than the league mininium and most of the teams still draw pretty well.

About the NBA and NHL expanding what are they nuts??? Expanding again would further dilute the talent which would make the game even worse. I have to say only the NFL has been smart about expansion, they have done it slow and only bring teams in when they have to and they said after they brought Houston in they weren't going to bring any more teams in for a long long time.

[TheHolo.Net]

Originally posted by Marcus Elessar
Hell yes! Lets have somethign for the rest of us non USAites!
And yes, I did see your post, but I believe the particular sports features that we have available through the portal do not include MLS, though I will research it some and find out for certain.

EDIT: After some quick research it does look like tere are at least 3 other sports to choose from.

Soccer (currently empty with no games on the schedule)
Tennis (currently links to another page)
Autoracing (currently lists the Miami 400 results)

[Morgan Evanar]

NCAA bball.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think the MLS season begins about the same time as MLB so that is probably out.

[JMK]

Speaking of the NBA being unwatchable, did anyone catch wednesday's game between Lebron and the Cavs in Toronto vs the Raptors? Final score: 75-69 Raptors. or Detroit's 85-66 defeat of Houston? People pay for this? :x

[JMK]

Yes, I have been keeping an eye of pro hoops. The Golden State Warriors are my new favorite team.

They scored TWO (2) points yesterday in the ENTIRE 4th quarter!
That is absolutely laughable! Not to mention pathetic. Especially given that they had blown a 16 point lead to the Raptors of all teams and lost it in OT. What a team! :lol

[Charley]

NCAA Basketball, then NCAA Football when the season starts up.

College sports are always better than Pro.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Actually it would go from NCAA Basketball, then to MLB (how can you not go with Baseball the American Pastime) and still the NFL I love that more than college football sorry.

[JMK]

I'm resigned to the fact that the NHL won't be put up, so I'll go with MLB once the season starts and again back to the NFL when MLB ends.
I'm with Carr. Even though I'm not in the U.S., baseball is the game of life, it's got to be there! ;)

[Charley]

I don't watch pro sports unless there's something amazing happening. It doesn't interest me, and I don't think the players play with as much heart.

NCAA Basketball, Football, and Baseball are ALL better than their pro counterparts.

[Jedi Master Carr]

College baseball sucks. I can't stand alluminium bats it is just not baseball. Baseball should be played with wood bats end of discussion.

[JMK]

There's pros and cons to both pro and college sports, but college baseball doesn't even rank with Major League baseball. I get arguments for basketball and football, but baseball hasn't a chance in hell in competing with the pros, even if the pros are all jacked on steroids.

[Ryan Pode]

I don't think I've seen a college baseball game played.

[CMJ]

College Football and Basketball own.

Pro Baseball and Hockey own.
**************

Thanks for reading...;)

[Ryan Pode]

Originally posted by CMJ
Pro Baseball and Hockey own.

Compared to the nearly unknown college sports. But NFL rules all.

[Jedi Master Carr]

What also hurts College Baseball is the best baseball players a lot of times skip college and go the minors, their is a just a huge gap in talent between the two.