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re: What professional sports are better today than in the 90s
Posted on 6/30/25 at 9:34 am to RoyalAir
Posted on 6/30/25 at 9:34 am to RoyalAir
We as humans always romanticize the past because sports seemed larger than life in our younger years. I think that plays a part into it.
That being said, in regards to the NHL, it’s subjective as to what we value.
No doubt NHL players were tougher back in the day if you value toughness as your main criteria. And there definitely was generational talent then. But you can’t deny the impact technology and innovation has made with the modern player. They’re faster skaters, better stick handlers and stronger shooters.
Everyone’s ideal wish is to have today’s skill with yesterday’s grit and toughness
That being said, in regards to the NHL, it’s subjective as to what we value.
No doubt NHL players were tougher back in the day if you value toughness as your main criteria. And there definitely was generational talent then. But you can’t deny the impact technology and innovation has made with the modern player. They’re faster skaters, better stick handlers and stronger shooters.
Everyone’s ideal wish is to have today’s skill with yesterday’s grit and toughness
0
Posted on 6/30/25 at 9:50 am to Schleynole
I'm a big fan of darts and follow the pros that ply their trade mainly in Europe on the PDC Tour. It has become a worldwide sport in the last 20 years with many great players from many countries around the world now participating in tournaments.
The level of play, the jump in averages and the fact the prize money is now so good a player can make a damn good living chucking darts.
I've not only followed darts, I also played league for well over 20 years, starting in 1988 and finally decided to no longer play league when I had to have rotator cuff surgery in 2013.
I'm still active in the game, just on a more relaxed level with pickup games on league night when the players come to the bars to play their matches. I'll get several warm-up games with them to try to keep the edge and not totally lose the feel for the game.
The level of play, the jump in averages and the fact the prize money is now so good a player can make a damn good living chucking darts.
I've not only followed darts, I also played league for well over 20 years, starting in 1988 and finally decided to no longer play league when I had to have rotator cuff surgery in 2013.
I'm still active in the game, just on a more relaxed level with pickup games on league night when the players come to the bars to play their matches. I'll get several warm-up games with them to try to keep the edge and not totally lose the feel for the game.
This post was edited on 7/1/25 at 3:49 pm
Posted on 6/30/25 at 9:59 am to Schleynole
quote:
UFC is then only one I can think of
What are you smoking? UFC in the 90s was 100x better than modern UFC.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 10:06 am to notsince98
It was entertaining but crazy. There was one fight where the guy wore a boxing glove on one hand in the ring. The same guy might fight 3 or 4 times in 1 night. It was awesome but it's much more a legit sport now
Posted on 6/30/25 at 10:19 am to CunningLinguist
quote:
MLB. The pitch clock has been a godsend in terms of watchability. There are still lots of issues.
Was at Cubs/Astros game yesterday, under 2 1/2 hours
Posted on 6/30/25 at 10:26 am to Schleynole
quote:
UFC is then only one I can think of
What? UFC 1-4 was awesome.
In what way is it better now?
Posted on 6/30/25 at 11:49 am to StrongOffer
quote:
Just like everyone is trying to match the Warriors style of shooting 60 3s a game, football clubs are all trying to match Barcelona’s tiki taka style of passing
Tiki taka has been dead for like 10 years
Posted on 6/30/25 at 12:01 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:It’s amazing how you can be wrong on every topic. I’m not gonna get into a semantics battle of “only Pep’s teams play tiki taka”. That style of play has influenced the whole sport. Go watch a United-Arsenal match from 2000 or a Milan derby from the same time. The game is way less direct these days due to the influence of Pep’s style.
Tiki taka has been dead for like 10 years
Posted on 6/30/25 at 12:29 pm to Schleynole
Tennis is in a lull right now, but the last 10-15 years as a whole, with the Big 3, Murray, Wawrinka, Serena, Venus, Wozniacki, Sharapova, Halep, etc. was miles better quality than tennis in the 90's.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 12:31 pm to Bench McElroy
quote:
NHL is also significantly better than the clutch and grabbing dead puck era of the ‘90s
The neutral zone trap era of hockey was abysmal. I hate the Devils and what that did to hockey. I'm surprised they let it go on so long. I miss the 80's and early 90's with Gretzky and Lemieux having 200 point seasons.
At least hockey is much more balanced now.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:04 pm to StrongOffer
quote:
t’s amazing how you can be wrong on every topic. I’m not gonna get into a semantics battle
"You're so wrong, but we're going to pretend I didn't mis-use the word that you were correct in using"
quote:
The game is way less direct these days due to the influence of Pep’s style.
That is a much different comment than what you did earlier.
And soccer is moving much more towards the direct style every year.
Now Pep's style of having incredible control ("robotic" play) took over a great deal, but even that's dying a bit.
The biggest tactical change is the pressing, but even that's not new...although it wasn't really there in the 90s I don't think. Team soccer is also a major tactical change.
Pep's less direct/more possession style is the outlier in the EPL.
....and even Pepe has invested in more dribblers and players who can play directly.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:06 pm to pelicansfan123
quote:
Tennis is in a lull right now,
The current level of Sinner and Alcaraz is certainly not a lull
90s tennis was largely awful though.
So was pre-Tiger 90s golf
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:10 pm to SlowFlowPro
I really want to know who that outlier is in the upper left part of that chart! Not because I follow the tactical trends in the EPL; but when you have an outlier that distinct, it's interesting just by its existence.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:14 pm to Schleynole
Definitely not NFL, College Basketball, CFB....
Maybe watching Hockey (at home) Because of better TVs/technology...
But otherwise, sports has become increasingly fleeting and apparently uninteresting to casual fans with so much noise out there...
Hey, you won the Championship! Everyone moves on 5 minutes later to follow some news story or pop culture nonsense. Sports are getting swallowed whole...and sports have apparently become so boring (I guess) , they're dominated by other issues, men pretending to be girls, black lesbians hate Caitlin Clark, Big10 scandals, etc.
Maybe watching Hockey (at home) Because of better TVs/technology...
But otherwise, sports has become increasingly fleeting and apparently uninteresting to casual fans with so much noise out there...
Hey, you won the Championship! Everyone moves on 5 minutes later to follow some news story or pop culture nonsense. Sports are getting swallowed whole...and sports have apparently become so boring (I guess) , they're dominated by other issues, men pretending to be girls, black lesbians hate Caitlin Clark, Big10 scandals, etc.
This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 1:15 pm
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:18 pm to CunningLinguist
Also for baseball most teams actually play in real ballparks now vs in the 90s when a lot of teams still played in those terrible cookie cutter multi-use stadiums and there was still a lot of turf and domes and stuff like that. The game looks a lot better now that its played on actual baseball fields.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:19 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:No I literally posted "Just like everyone is trying to match the Warriors style of shooting 60 3s a game, football clubs are all trying to match Barcelona’s tiki taka style of passing the ball backwards and sideways for 80% of the game."
That is a much different comment than what you did earlier.
Like on every other board, you like to take a post out of context and argue against something they didn't say. I didn't say "everyone today is playing tiki taka". I said that Barcelona team heavily influenced how the game is played today, similar to the Warriors in the NBA. NBA teams aren't trying to run Kerr's offense. But they sure as shite are throwing up way more 3 pointers. The pace of play in the Premier League is way slower than it was 2 decades ago. Number of long balls per game from 2005 to 2025 has decreased 50%. The slower pace of play is not as fun to watch.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:20 pm to Schleynole
Would have to say the NHL is light years ahead of where it was when the league consisted of 10-12 franchises, playing in run down arenas. The game today is more enjoyable to watch, especially live, which cannot be compared at all to TV broadcasts.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:32 pm to RolltidePA
quote:
I really want to know who that outlier is in the upper left part of that chart!
Stoke on a cold rainy night
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:36 pm to Schleynole
All of them except boxing
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:40 pm to SCLibertarian
quote:
Stoke on a cold rainy night
Sadly I think they were already relegated by 2018-2019
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