YouGov Poll shows Golf is the Most Boring Sport To Watch

https://yougov.co.uk/news/2018/01/10/what-most-boring-sport/

https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/k1ni77r4m7/InternalResults_171130_BoringSports_w.pdf




Thoughts?


(Edit: changed title to reflect this meant to watch, playing will probably be pretty different)

Load o' cobblers. When was the last time there was a 50,000 sell out to see the parallel bars, for instance.

Kwini I assume this is based on TV viewing.

That says it all then.

Not sure that it says very much TBH. Although, golf is pretty boring to watch almost all of the time. Still, I'd rate swimming as 'dull as dishwater' to watch, and yet it appears a lot of people enjoy it. Each to their own.

I suspect some 'boring' sports might not be that easy to understand, although rugby get's quite a high 'excitement' rating it seems.

Actually, this is a pants survey...

Each to their own as you say Navy, I don’t really give 2 hoots if a cross section of the public don’t rate it as exciting, that’s probably from a perspective of non understanding. I guess Golf would probably have the biggest differential in terms of perceived excitement/boredom levels between those who play and those who don’t.

JAS wrote:Each to their own as you say Navy, I don’t really give 2 hoots if a cross section of the public don’t rate it as exciting, that’s probably from a perspective of non understanding. I guess Golf would probably have the biggest differential in terms of perceived excitement/boredom levels between those who play and those who don’t.

Yeah, quite possibly. I might be a bit weird - I've played it for ages, but find it a bore on the box almost all of the time. I'm interested in some of the technicalities, but it's basically hard to make very much of it 'exciting'. Crap coverage and analysis doesn't help either.

Much prefer playing.

Got to be honest as well, most tournaments are 4 days long and there’s a big difference between watching journeymen journeying half a dozen holes in on a Thursday morning and the big guns slugging it out down the stretch on a Sunday afternoon.

It all depends on what sports you're into, and who they asked.

Every sport is more boring to watch than it is to play, for instance outside of American centric sports, cricket is probably the most boring sport to me, whilst some aspects of Rugby are incredibly boring.

Instead of people moaning about which sports are boring to watch, they should probably get off their fat arses and actually do some sport.

Let's also bear in mind that YouGov do things like rating how right wing fans of Ant and Dec are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA3WOdZ9Jbs

I get why people find it dull, for the most part you can't see the ball moving, unless it's part of the short game or they use a tracer. I rarely watch these days to be honest. Will still switch on for a big event though.
I'd personally far rather watch athletics, or indeed swimming, but equally get why people would maybe find that dull as well.
Re watching the parallel bars, I took my kids to a gymnastic event at the O2, rammed, it had sold out all over the country, gymnastics is massive these days in the U.K. and will get even bigger. About 15 of my class go to a gym class (not all girls either), none play golf. It's not a sport that does itself any favours in regard to having a future.

Diggers wrote:I get why people find it dull, for the most part you can't see the ball moving, unless it's part of the short game or they use a tracer. I rarely watch these days to be honest. Will still switch on for a big event though.
I'd personally far rather watch athletics, or indeed swimming, but equally get why people would maybe find that dull as well.
Re watching the parallel bars, I took my kids to a gymnastic event at the O2, rammed, it had sold out all over the country, gymnastics is massive these days in the U.K. and will get even bigger. About 15 of my class go to a gym class (not all girls either), none play golf. It's not a sport that does itself any favours in regard to having a future.

That's what you get with a bit of sustained Olympic success I guess, although it's more exciting watching mad gymnasts tumbling etc...

Golf is a sport for people who are into watching how things unfold more than specific moments IMO, like motor racing. Mostly single moments aren't very exciting but you tune in to see if someone who finds their form on the weekend can chase down a 3 shot lead. I probably wouldn't call golf 'exciting' to watch. But I'd happily devote a lazy Sunday to a major, and so would a lot of my friends.

Personally for me cricket is the most boring from the list. But who cares really if other people find their favourite sport exciting? Golf has plenty of interest to sustain itself.

I find some of the sports included / not included a bit peculiar. What is Athletics? What is Gymnastics? What is cycling? Why both Rugby League and Union? Why American Football but not Baseball (which is boring as hell if it's on TV)?

I also understand why Golf is seen as boring. You have to be into it and you don't just turn on the TV for 10 minutes and get entertained.

pedro wrote:I find some of the sports included / not included a bit peculiar. What is Athletics? What is Gymnastics? What is cycling? Why both Rugby League and Union? Why American Football but not Baseball (which is boring as hell if it's on TV)?

I also understand why Golf is seen as boring. You have to be into it and you don't just turn on the TV for 10 minutes and get entertained.

I think your questions with very obvious answers (except Baseball which surely has been excluded because it isn't shown here) are more peculiar than the list.

Scottrf wrote:Golf is a sport for people who are into watching how things unfold more than specific moments IMO, like motor racing. Mostly single moments aren't very exciting but you tune in to see if someone who finds their form on the weekend can chase down a 3 shot lead. I probably wouldn't call golf 'exciting' to watch. But I'd happily devote a lazy Sunday to a major, and so would a lot of my friends....

Good post. Pretty much sums up my feels as well I think.

Scottrf wrote:

pedro wrote:I find some of the sports included / not included a bit peculiar. What is Athletics? What is Gymnastics? What is cycling? Why both Rugby League and Union? Why American Football but not Baseball (which is boring as hell if it's on TV)?

I also understand why Golf is seen as boring. You have to be into it and you don't just turn on the TV for 10 minutes and get entertained.

I think your questions with very obvious answers (except Baseball which surely has been excluded because it isn't shown here) are more peculiar than the list.

Really? Athletics comprise of at least 10 very different disciplines. I find the 100 m very different from javelin, high jump or steeplechase. Maybe you don't. The same about gymnastics. I also find the Alpe d'Huez stage of the TdF different to omnium track racing. Maybe you don't. To non Rugby insiders RL and RU is same same so why bother with both questions? Please read between the lines next time.

pedro wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

pedro wrote:I find some of the sports included / not included a bit peculiar. What is Athletics? What is Gymnastics? What is cycling? Why both Rugby League and Union? Why American Football but not Baseball (which is boring as hell if it's on TV)?

I also understand why Golf is seen as boring. You have to be into it and you don't just turn on the TV for 10 minutes and get entertained.

I think your questions with very obvious answers (except Baseball which surely has been excluded because it isn't shown here) are more peculiar than the list.

Really? Athletics comprise of at least 10 very different disciplines. I find the 100 m very different from javelin, high jump or steeplechase. Maybe you don't. The same about gymnastics. I also find the Alpe d'Huez stage of the TdF different to omnium track racing. Maybe you don't. To non Rugby insiders RL and RU is same same so why bother with both questions? Please read between the lines next time.

If you watch an athletics meet you watch all events. Same with gymnastics. It's funny you're happy to treat different events separately if they are ones you understand but not the rugby codes. Says more about your interests than the poll.

Obviously they have to group some together to stop the poll being laborious. How many people really would only tune in to watch rings but find parallel bars boring? I get your point but it's not a realistic expectation of the poll.

Familiarity certainly is conducive to interest for me ... I truly enjoy watching baseball on TV and listening to it on the radio.

For another point of view, here's a teetotaling Homer Simpson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMcfzTTKTaQ

I love listening to test cricket on the radio, I find it very soothing. Probably not so much in the past few months.
I remember sitting with my mum when I was a kid (she loves all sports, my dad is only interested if it involves an engine) listening to boxing on the radio, loved that as well, can't see me doing that now though.

Diggers, I think you once said you'd been to Bislett Games in Oslo didn't you?
That's one event I'd like to see.

I'm surprised F1 wasn't further up, that's incredibly dull, much worse than golf.

No, sadly not. Been to a lot of athletics but all in the UK, Commonwealth, Worlds, Olympics and Diamond League. Would love to do Oslo though, we might go to Brussels next year.
Off to the world indoors in Birmingham in a few months, looking forward to that, different type of atmosphere.