Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Why do we like sports?

Why do we like to watch sport competitions? Even people who never engage in sport, or any physical activity for that matter, often find themselves in front of the TV, watching football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Sports fans all around the world gather around the television every day to watch their favorite teams play. Some never even miss a single competition or game. This article presents several reasons, trying to solve the mystery involved in this known phenomena of love for sports.

One of the main reasons people like to watch competitions is because they tend to identify themselves with the winners. When they watch the precise moves of Rafael Nadal or Maria Sharapova, see the winning game of the Champions League, or watch their team win the Superbowl they feel as if they themselves perform the brilliant move, and brought a victory to their team. Winners get attention from the media and the public, they are interviewed, they appear on TV. The public enjoys watching the known faces, hearing what hey have to say and seeing their winning formula. A fan, who may have never played soccer in his life, likes to see UEFA Cup, because he can identify himself with the top professionals.

Another reason is the unpredictability of sports games. You can never know how the game will end, which forces you to sit tightly and wait for the crucial moment, which designate all the twists and turns of the game. The course of sports game is always unpredictable: although you can make bets and try to guess the today's winner, but it is never certain, which makes the game interesting to watch.

Different, but also important reason for watching sports has to do with our national identity. When the British watch Liverpool and Chelsea, when Americans watch Packers and Bears, Yankees and Red Sox, they tend to identify themselves with the players and see all the failures and gains as if they were their own. Sports events nowadays are considered to be one of the most important factors which help to raise the person's national identity.

There are several reasons which may answer the question "why do we like sports?" Perhaps we never tend to think about these reasons while watching football or baseball. But they are important to think about.

You can watch your favorite sports and teams at - sportingo.com

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

MLB Midseason Predictions

Well the break has come along and the NL just defeated the AL 5-1 in the All-Star game, so its time for our mid-season predictions.

Here are my predictions for the end of the season division leaders and wildcards. (start of season prediction in italics)

AL East
New York Yankees (New York Yankees)

AL Central

Detroit Tigers (Minnesota Twins).

AL West
Texas Rangers (Texas Rangers)

AL Wild Card
Boston Red Sox (Boston Red Sox)


NL East
Philadelphia Phillies (Philadelphia Phillies)

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)

NL West
San Fransisco Giants (San Fransisco Giants)

NL Wild Card
Atlanta Braves (Milwaukee Brewers)



Predicted World Series Match- up

Yankees vs. Phillies

Sunday, July 3, 2011

MLB AllStars 2011

American League

Starters
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox
2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees
3B: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
SS: Derek Jeter, Yankees
OF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
OF: Curtis Granderson, Yankees
OF: Josh Hamilton, Rangers
DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox
C: Alex Avila, Tigers

Reserves
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Howard Kendrick, Angels
3B: Adrian Beltre, Rangers
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians
OF: Michael Cuddyer, Twins
OF: Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
OF: Matt Joyce, Rays
OF: Carlos Quentin, White Sox
DH: Michael Young, Rangers
C: Russell Martin, Yankees
C: Matt Wieters, Orioles

Pitchers
RHP: Josh Beckett, Red Sox
RHP: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
LHP: David Price, Rays
RHP: James Shields, Rays
RHP: Justin Verlander, Tigers
RHP: Jered Weaver, Angels
LHP: C.J. Wilson, Rangers
LHP: Gio Gonzalez, Athletics
RHP: Aaron Crow, Royals
RHP: Brandon League, Mariners
RHP: Chris Perez, Indians
RHP: Mariano Rivera, Yankees
RHP: Jose Valverde, Tigers

National League

Starters
1B: Prince Fielder, Brewers
2B: Rickie Weeks, Brewers
3B: Jose Reyes, Mets
SS: Placido Polanco, Phillies
OF: Lance Berkman, Cardinals
OF: Ryan Braun, Brewers
OF: Matt Kemp, Dodgers
C: Brian McCann, Braves

Reserves
1B: Gaby Sanchez, Marlins
1B: Joey Votto, Reds
2B: Brandon Phillips, Reds
3B: Chipper Jones, Braves
SS: Starlin Castro, Cubs
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
OF: Jay Bruce, Reds
OF: Matt Holliday, Cardinals
OF: Hunter Pence, Astros
OF: Justin Upton, D-backs
C: Yadier Molina, Cardinals

Pitchers
RHP: Matt Cain, Giants
RHP: Roy Halladay, Phillies
LHP: Cole Hamels, Phillies
RHP: Jair Jurrjens, Braves
LHP: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
LHP: Cliff Lee, Phillies
RHP: Tim Lincecum, Giants
RHP: Ryan Vogelsong, Giants
RHP: Heath Bell, Padres
RHP: Tyler Clippard, Nationals
RHP: Joel Hanrahan, Pirates
LHP: Jonny Venters, Braves
RHP: Brian Wilson, Giants