Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

The Godfather · Feb 22, 2011, 02:33 PM

Ok. Suppose there's a person who doesn't like watching U.S. sports because she was not raised that way, and has cut the coax in favor of Netflix. In order to avoid appearing like a moron in parties, she needs to know sports.

As a nerdy technophile, a podcast (aural or audiovisual) would be up her alley. What do you recommend?

SpaceMonkey · Feb 22, 2011, 02:47 PM

Maybe ESPN's SportsBeat.
ESPNRadio.com - Podcenter - ESPN

What kind of knowledge? I think most sports podcasts assume the audience has a general awareness of the sporting world and are about the drama surrounding the sports themselves, and not a recap of scores or anything like that. She might be better served at just looking at the front of a newspaper's sports section every day.

The Godfather · Feb 22, 2011, 02:57 PM

That's exactly what we are aiming for. In a hectic lifestyle, there's no motivation to pickup the sports section in dead-tree format, or even pixel-text. It must be in podcast form.

The drama of the sportsmen/women themselves is not required, neither fantasy sports, or english accents. Just team performances and plays of the day. Also, NFL, NBA, NBL, MLS, NASCAR and the pingpong league must be covered in one single MP3 or AAC.

No cable or satellite is available.

ort888 · Feb 22, 2011, 04:52 PM

I would tread lightly.

I'm only into one sport (hockey) and talking about it with people who have no clue is like running your nails on a chalkboard. Not so much the people who don't know anything and admit as much, but rather the droves of people who watch 2-3 games a year total and have so many "great" ideas about what the team should be doing, who is good/bad, etc...

I also find big-time bandwagoners annoying, and people who go to one game every 2 years and feel the right to gloat or complain about the team... I dunno. As a lifelong St. Louis Blues fan, I understand true futility and suffering. And I feel like people who try and get in on that action without really putting in the time to be annoying.

Big sports fans get annoyed by all sorts of little things. We're a bunch of crazy loons really.

Cold Warrior · Feb 22, 2011, 07:23 PM

A nerd who absorbs sports headlines for party talk is still going to be a nerd. Even worse, when she opens her mouth, everyone will know it. I think her approach is self-defeating.

macforray · Feb 22, 2011, 08:32 PM

How about the honest sincere approach and just say they are not into sports if asked. There are a lot of people that care little for any sport. Honesty, what a novel idea.

Phileas · Feb 22, 2011, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

In order to avoid appearing like a moron in parties, she needs to know sports.

Maybe she just needs to go to different parties.

angelmb · Feb 23, 2011, 03:06 AM

A nerd who absorbs sports headlines for party talk is still going to be a nerd. Even worse, when she opens her mouth, everyone will know it. I think her approach is self-defeating

Then if asked she could say she's not into sports but have heard about the NASCAR catching up with the rest of the world. No more carburetor but fuel-injection with the arrival of engine control systems made by the F1 powerhouse McLaren Electronics, which has been the ECUs supplier of choice for every F1 Team since 2008.

Nerdy reply for sure.

hayesk · Feb 23, 2011, 08:25 PM

Wasn't this a Big Bang Theory plot?

SSharon · Feb 23, 2011, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by hayesk

Wasn't this a Big Bang Theory plot?

Awesome show.

I'm with macforray on this one. I have no interest in sports and I don't ever hide that fact or pretend to like or follow sports just to fit in. There seems to be a large number of people, especially women, who support me.

mattyb · Feb 24, 2011, 07:01 AM

I always think that saying something like 'All pro sports players are overpaid children' gets some pretty interesting conversations going.