Most boring sport to cover

Baseball. Baseball. Baseball.

 

Field hockey is much worse than soccer. At least with (well-played) soccer, there is an intent to 90 percent of passes and an ability to move the ball accurately and quickly. In field hockey, when play isn't being whistled dead, girls just hit the ball to space and hope a teammate gets there first.

And, seriously, why the fuck can't they use the back of the stick? It makes no sense and only hinders the girls' ability to stickhandle and, you know, use some skills. If field hockey were more like ice hockey, it would much more tolerable.

Cross country also blows because you don't actually need to be there for any reason other than to get interviews. You can't watch the race, so why even bother? At least with track you can watch the action. Covering cross country can be like a glorified call-in. "So, Wally Woodsrunner, you finished third, what was the key to your race?" Lord knows he's the only one who's going to be able to tell you.

 

Cross country can be fun if you aren't lazy. I covered a meet recently where, with a little walking and neck straining, I got to watch about half of the race. Watch them run away, take a 300-yard (I know because it was down a fairway) walk to the one-mile mark, catch them about 200 yards away and watch them run by and you can see them for another 200 yards, and then go stand on a hill and watch most of the second mile, and then go by the finish line and watch the final 400 yards or so.

I know not all courses are set up like this, but it worked well. It also helped that one of the greatest rivalries in state history was being run out at the meet (it was the state meet).

 

10,000-Meter speedskating.

 

I had to cover equestrian once. I did it as a favour to my editor. After it was over, I called him and said, "You really owe me one."

 

Truck Fack.

And Vic, I wouldn't have mind "covering" some of the equestrian chicks at my school. Other than that, I imagine it would be pretty boring.

 

cars in circles

 

Here, here. Especially at certain tracks.

 

Yeah but it gets you out of the office.

Plus, if it's a race to the tape, you might be able to get some good color from the first and second place finishers about their battle on the course.

Of course, I post this as someone with fond memories of his mediocre cross country career. So there you go.

 

Problem with stamina on the course, too?

 

One of the last cross country meets I ever covered was a district meet for a team gunning for its fifth straight state championship. They dominated, of course, getting all seven runners among the top 10. The big story was a little sophomore won the race, beating two teammates that were top five at state the previous fall and medaled at the state tack meet that spring.

I asked the winner what she thought of her accomplishment, beating two runners with such solid resumes who were being recruited by DI programs.

"It was neat."

OK, was there a key moment or stretch in the race?

"I just ran."

I do not miss covering cross country.

 

Horse jumping. Yes. In Sports.

As a measly intern at a big paper, I had to cover horse-jumping. I had to dictate 500 words because I couldn't get a laptop. What killed me the most was the egalitarianism of the rich folks sipping champagne, wearing outfits that cost more than a year's salary, speaking foreign languages, and looking at me funny whenever I asked a question.

HORSE FUCKING JUMPING! I'd rather have been covering a fucking diaper derby.

They made up for with MLB and SEC assignments the next week.