The Longest Day, the Longest Tour. It’s not just cricket which has changed so dramatically in the last couple of years, it’s the whole world. The long-term depth of that change will only be recognised in the years to come. In the micro-world of cricket, the Covid pandemic obliterated many of the conventions the game had been trying to hang on to for years.
Hope you have a ball Manners...... would change seats with you in a heartbeat....... but all things being even it is a pity sport has sort of been relegated to mostly online viewing as for me actually going to a match used to be 'the thing to do' with a few mates and make a day of it. For now our TV's will have to carry the day (even though I don't have a TV and havn't for 15 years). Have fun Manners and keep us up to speed.
I too find my interest diminishing at a rather alarming speed when it comes to following international rugby and cricket and to some extent tennis. I am not sure if it is a case of too much and players are over exposed or we have just become bored with a lot of same old / same old - pretty sad state of affairs anyway
Not sure if I am the only one that feels this way, but truly, from the bottom of my heart, I am sad to report that I have lost interest in most sports, as it means nothing if we win, or loose, or draw, or the game is cancelled or rained out...
This is due to saturation, sport is 365 days, the off season is short, a couple weeks, for the 1st time in a long time, I never watched any IPL, normally a staple, but now, mostly as the results and the scores were pathetic...
I felt that the 1st test Eng v New Zealand should not be recorded as a test, it was not a test, it was a farce, and the sad part is, I am the only one that sees this as a farce, it was boring, all over, it was over so fast that fans had a refund.. Cricket Tests are 450 overs/90 per day, 5 days, it should not last total all in 200 overs, 3 days...
Is there something wrong with my views? Talksport, let's talk about sport, have folks that see things like I do, I am used to be called negative, party pooper, a lot of negative terms, and that is ok, that is healthy and to be honest, I am never going to change..
I want 5 days, last hour drama, 2 innings in 2 days, and 3 days to finish a 1 innings game is stupid, and no one should be proud of that, it is silly and counter-productive, the game suffers, maybe not at elite level, but lower down, it makes growing the game harder...
One of the benefits of long tours is "President's" games, those warm up games in far away places, for those fans not able to afford time/costs to travel to watch a full test, they get to watch hero's playing locally, Kimberly, Bloem, Ladysmith, Upington, etc...
Same with rugby, I am no longer watching, the only games I watch is 6 nations, as it is once a year, for 6 weeks, and it is over, and it means something.. We have so much rugby, it is impossible to follow, who is playing who...
One of the biggest problems is journalism, mostly there is none, not the real behind the scenes laugh and fun, and getting results is nigh impossible, no one keeps a reliable accurate table, if there is, it is confusing, and often outdated, or just not formatted correctly...
I have no idea who is who in broadcasting, where or who is doing what, where to find.. I understand "rights" and such, it is a business, fair enough, but when it comes to national broadcasters that have no adverts, say TestMatchSpecial, why am I locked out?? That only makes access and enjoying the game less enjoyable...
Rant over... I miss the old days of touring, of hearing stories of SA in India, of intrigue and scandal, of players getting up to mischief, of being silly, of having fun.. I guess post 'Rona, this is something we as the old generation will tell stories that the kids will never have experience of.. LIke life before social media... Are we dinosaurs of a long lost generation??
Hope you have a ball Manners...... would change seats with you in a heartbeat....... but all things being even it is a pity sport has sort of been relegated to mostly online viewing as for me actually going to a match used to be 'the thing to do' with a few mates and make a day of it. For now our TV's will have to carry the day (even though I don't have a TV and havn't for 15 years). Have fun Manners and keep us up to speed.
I too find my interest diminishing at a rather alarming speed when it comes to following international rugby and cricket and to some extent tennis. I am not sure if it is a case of too much and players are over exposed or we have just become bored with a lot of same old / same old - pretty sad state of affairs anyway
Will you be on TMS for the South Africa series? You used to be a regular but don't seem to have been on there for a while?
Not sure if I am the only one that feels this way, but truly, from the bottom of my heart, I am sad to report that I have lost interest in most sports, as it means nothing if we win, or loose, or draw, or the game is cancelled or rained out...
This is due to saturation, sport is 365 days, the off season is short, a couple weeks, for the 1st time in a long time, I never watched any IPL, normally a staple, but now, mostly as the results and the scores were pathetic...
I felt that the 1st test Eng v New Zealand should not be recorded as a test, it was not a test, it was a farce, and the sad part is, I am the only one that sees this as a farce, it was boring, all over, it was over so fast that fans had a refund.. Cricket Tests are 450 overs/90 per day, 5 days, it should not last total all in 200 overs, 3 days...
Is there something wrong with my views? Talksport, let's talk about sport, have folks that see things like I do, I am used to be called negative, party pooper, a lot of negative terms, and that is ok, that is healthy and to be honest, I am never going to change..
I want 5 days, last hour drama, 2 innings in 2 days, and 3 days to finish a 1 innings game is stupid, and no one should be proud of that, it is silly and counter-productive, the game suffers, maybe not at elite level, but lower down, it makes growing the game harder...
One of the benefits of long tours is "President's" games, those warm up games in far away places, for those fans not able to afford time/costs to travel to watch a full test, they get to watch hero's playing locally, Kimberly, Bloem, Ladysmith, Upington, etc...
Same with rugby, I am no longer watching, the only games I watch is 6 nations, as it is once a year, for 6 weeks, and it is over, and it means something.. We have so much rugby, it is impossible to follow, who is playing who...
One of the biggest problems is journalism, mostly there is none, not the real behind the scenes laugh and fun, and getting results is nigh impossible, no one keeps a reliable accurate table, if there is, it is confusing, and often outdated, or just not formatted correctly...
I have no idea who is who in broadcasting, where or who is doing what, where to find.. I understand "rights" and such, it is a business, fair enough, but when it comes to national broadcasters that have no adverts, say TestMatchSpecial, why am I locked out?? That only makes access and enjoying the game less enjoyable...
Rant over... I miss the old days of touring, of hearing stories of SA in India, of intrigue and scandal, of players getting up to mischief, of being silly, of having fun.. I guess post 'Rona, this is something we as the old generation will tell stories that the kids will never have experience of.. LIke life before social media... Are we dinosaurs of a long lost generation??