What Bothers You About Professional Sports?

Like most of you reading, I love sports. For most of us, sports are a major part of everyday life whether it be playing them, watching them, or discussing them. However, as much as I love most sports, there are plenty of things that bother me about certain sports.

Soccer is not as popular in the United States as in other countries, but it is still a very popular and exciting sport that I enjoy watching. I will admit that soccer can be boring, but it can also be very exciting, the thing that bothers me most about soccer though is the clock. The concept of a running clock and then the referee adding on time at the end bothers me. I think it's stupid because the players do not know where they stand. Towards the end of the game, players have to keep playing, but the game can randomly end at any point if the referee feels like blowing his whistle. Why can't the scorekeeper just stop the clock when goals are scored, fouls are called, and balls go out of bounds? This would make soccer work like every other timed sport and everyone would know when the end of the game was coming.

The NBA is one of the most exciting sports out there, but the two things that bother me about it are the referees and the lottery. I won't vent about the officiating because everyone has their complaints and it seems like most people on here have already written blogs about how bad the referees are. The lottery bothers me because it does not necessarily help out the worst team. The point of early draft picks is to help a struggling team get better quicker. While the worst teams have the best odds, they don't always get the best picks, such as the Bulls getting lucky and being able to snag Derrick Rose last year. I think the NBA draft should be similar to the NFL one and just give the bad teams the early selections.

I understand that there is golf etiquette and that because it is a more formal "country-club" sport that the fans are supposed to behave themselves. However, I feel that the fans should be able to cheer and yell like fans of every other major sport. As a kid, Tiger Wood's father would make noise by banging trash can lids together as Tiger putted to ensure that Tiger was focusing. This is how golf should be. I don't like that the players are so protected and that everyone is expected to be quiet. They are professional athletes and should be able to hit the ball under pressure. I can't imagine this working in any other sport. Can anyone else see Kobe walking up to the free throw line and not shooting until the crowd got silent so he could shoot without distraction?

This is not the fault of the sports themselves, but more the fault of the individuals involved. The media outlets are required to cover the stories that happen, but I get tired of seeing the constant negative press. We are constantly hearing about athletes getting in trouble and it would be a nice change of pace to see an athlete doing something good every now and then. But, then again, arrests and other things like that are more compelling and will boost the ratings more than a player who is helping out in his local community.

This post was basically to vent. Feel free to put any complaints about sports or anything on here. What annoys you about professional sports today?