FIFA World Cup 2026

[LC]

1 hour ago, Castanza said:

Sports across the board are getting soft. I think it's more engrained in the generation than any specific sport. NFL, MLB, NBA, Tour de France etc. all getting soft. 

 

It's all about $$$...avoiding injuries is the #1 goal of every pro athlete today.

 

There's a reason Lebron didn't pursue football. 

 

Whenever I get annoyed about a dive or flop, I remember to thank capitalism!

[Eldad]

1 hour ago, Castanza said:

 

Messi has an old school mentality. High IQ, incredible skills, and tenacity. There is zero flop in Messi's game. He's like an NFL running back when he has the ball and will run through just about anything if he can. The game would be so much better if people had his tenacity instead of the flop tendency. 

 

Sports across the board are getting soft. I think it's more engrained in the generation than any specific sport. NFL, MLB, NBA, Tour de France etc. all getting soft. 

Agree. MLB systematically killed the old school retaliation/revenge/bench clearing brawl culture over the past 10-15 years. This had been part of baseball for 100 years prior. All the while MMA gained tons of share. 
 

“Sometimes fans want to see a fight” - Pete Rose

[whiskybravo]

11 minutes ago, LC said:

 

It's all about $$$...avoiding injuries is the #1 goal of every pro athlete today.

 

There's a reason Lebron didn't pursue football. 

 

Whenever I get annoyed about a dive or flop, I remember to thank capitalism!

I remember when I think of the over 1 billion people who have escaped extreme poverty! 

Edited 2 hours ago by whiskybravo

[whiskybravo]

4 minutes ago, Eldad said:

Agree. MLB systematically killed the old school retaliation/revenge/bench clearing brawl culture over the past 10-15 years. This had been part of baseball for 100 years prior. All the while MMA gained tons of share. 
 

“Sometimes fans want to see a fight” - Pete Rose

I enjoy hockey better without the momentum killing one on one fights 

[Gregmal]

2 minutes ago, Eldad said:

Agree. MLB systematically killed the old school retaliation/revenge/bench clearing brawl culture over the past 10-15 years. This had been part of baseball for 100 years prior. All the while MMA gained tons of share. 
 

“Sometimes fans want to see a fight” - Pete Rose

Yup I was showing my 9 year old some old Yankees Red Sox rivalry footage and he couldn’t believe how much baseball has fallen off 

 

Football guys get paid to play a physical game, yet can’t hit half the time without getting dumb flags with huge penalties. As such, the Dick Butkus, LT, James Harrison, Ray Lewis awesome factor is totally gone. 

[LC]

9 minutes ago, whiskybravo said:

I remember when I think of the over 1 billion people who have escaped extreme poverty! 

 

By playing footy? 

[whiskybravo]

31 minutes ago, LC said:

 

By playing footy? 

Whiskybravo shakes fist

[Castanza]

1 hour ago, Gregmal said:

Football guys get paid to play a physical game

 

It's all about entertainment value and brand building now. Agents want to protect their assets hence all the rule changes imo. Look how quick star players fall from the limelight these days. There is no shortage of talent to pull from these days. The idea of a franchise player is done. Players realized they have to get what they can while they can because things can change quick with a 6 month sideline injury and well advertising moves on, agents move on, teams move on. There is a long list of "what happened to <insert name>" out there. 

[cubsfan]

10 minutes ago, Castanza said:

 

It's all about entertainment value and brand building now. Agents want to protect their assets hence all the rule changes imo. Look how quick star players fall from the limelight these days. There is no shortage of talent to pull from these days. The idea of a franchise player is done. Players realized they have to get what they can while they can because things can change quick with a 6 month sideline injury and well advertising moves on, agents move on, teams move on. There is a long list of "what happened to <insert name>" out there. 

 

Not sure that's right for NFL quarterbacks. The great ones are rare, and unfortunately, need to be protected.  Today's defensive players are almost lethal.

 

So kinda depends - I like the NBA in the 80/90's with the more physical play. Maybe not as physical as the Pistons... but they were sure fun to watch.

[Gregmal]

It's a shame. Even something that was once super exciting; the dead spring between a forward and a defenseman to negate an icing call in an NHL game, ruined by stupid rules(no touch icing) that promote laziness in the name of "player safety". 

[Castanza]

15 minutes ago, cubsfan said:

 

Not sure that's right for NFL quarterbacks. The great ones are rare, and unfortunately, need to be protected.  Today's defensive players are almost lethal.

 

So kinda depends - I like the NBA in the 80/90's with the more physical play. Maybe not as physical as the Pistons... but they were sure fun to watch.

 

NFL - The game has completely changed due to rule changes. The game is far less violent today than it used to be 15-20 years ago. 

 

NBA - The game and how it's played is just completely different. It's much more dynamic today than when Jordan played in the 90s. You can see the transition of the game by watching early 2000's- 2010's. Nothing wrong with it, just a different game. But the focus on individual skill  vs team IQ has exacerbated the flopping.