Underrated sports.

[CastletonSnob]

Everyone knows about football (American and association), baseball, and basketball, but what are some sports that don't get talked about?

For me, it's college wrestling.

[Blueobelisk]

Tennis is so underappreciated. You go out there and have to physically exert yourself, and each and every single rally is exhausting and takes skill and precision.

Not only that, but it's an individual sport so for the big tennis players to be big, they had to dominate like crazy. Team sports, a star can take a break or miss a few games if they feel injured or they can rely on teammates if they have off nights. In individual sports, you go out there and you defeat your opponent or you lose, you have no one else to blame.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

I value individual sports more as well. There is no one at all to lean on out there. I wrestled in high school, so I agree with OP.... College and Olympic Wrestling are underrated sports.

[Ihnasir]

Lacrosse is fun to play and watch, and I enjoy a curling match every now and again.

[Alvito]

Judo is one of my favorites that outside of rare occasions or the Olympics you rarely get to see. I do understand that if you don't know much about it then it can look like two ppl rolling around and tugging on each other.

[RobertoCarlos]

A lot of weapon sports like Archery/fencing.

Badminton outside of asian countries.

[Crissi]

Used to do swim team, so I like watching that. (Butterfly is so tiring)

Also, volleyball (non beach variety).

[wowaccounttom]

Chess, Mahjong, and Anime ~!

[Krille]

I mean. Where i'm from Tennis/Curling is pretty underrated. Tennis is a big deal in England, but here it's not, but it should be considering we've had legends like Borg and Wilander. Curling is actually pretty fun to watch, some skiing competitions too (like the shorter faster tracks).

[unbound]

Women's Lacrosse...much more strategic game than Men's Lacrosse with a lot more possibilities of game changing moments. Very fast game as well.

[FobManX]

Volleyball. I love playing it and play it regularly in the summer on grass and sand. Even watching it is pretty fun, especially beach. I've played some beach volleyball too although its WAY harder and I'm not near as good.

[Torgent]

Disc sports (Ultimate and Disc Golf)
Volleyball

[Blueobelisk]

Also, volleyball (non beach variety).

Volleyball.

Volleyball

Sorry but your answers aren't really convincing me. Why is volleyball that good?

[Torgent]

Sorry but your answers aren't really convincing me. Why is volleyball that good?

Have you played? The question wasn't to convince you, it was just what we thought was underrated.

[aisatsana]

Olympic Weightlifting, trained in that sport from 15-17 y.o. and really made me appreciate how technical the sport is.

[Maischou]

Actually, Blueobelisk, all but the team/individual comments you made on tennis essentially counts for volleyball as well.

Every ball requires the entire team to be able to work as a unit, or everything falls apart. You have to move quickly and pass with precision. It's impossible to have a star player that carries the team because high level tactics rely heavily on misdirection and drawing away defenses. You can't do that if you opponent knows that a specific player will receive the set 9 out of 10 times. The only thing that even comes close is the libero, the specialist defensive player. Since it's assumed that he's generally better at defensive plays than the center players, you might call him a star - of the defense. Unless you can make a coordinated heavy response, it's not going to win you any matches.

A great spiker is nothing without a good set.
A great setter is nothing without a good defense.
A great defense relies on the entire team to work in unison to block off enough of the court to trivialize the opponent's attack.

Personally, though, I much prefer the social aspects and net-based rules to the tactics at work. I've never been good with individual sports or sports with close contact. Having a net between myself and a well-structured choreography of specializations and roles suits me. Rallies are short and many, generally with the upper hand to the receiving team as a factor to somewhat even out the odds.

I can't describe the rush I get when my team pulls off a complex play. As the receivers pass the ball into the setter's "sweet spot", making all four attack vectors viable (forcing the opponent to sacrifice blockers in case of center attacks), I'll leap up to the ball, making the threat of a center attack very real. As the opponents send one (or even two!) guys up to stop the looming threat, I'll shift my weight ever so slightly as the ball lands at the tip of my fingers, thrusting outwards and backwards to a right-hand spiker halfway through his run-up. Only when it is too late do the opponents realise that the center attack was a ruse, and they scramble to establish a defense against the ball now bearing down at a sharp diagonal angle into an empty spot on their court. Everyone feels awesome about that kind of play, not just the one who spiked the ball into the ground.

That's why I love the sport

[RH92]

Rugby Union and all combat sports.

[Rooflesstoofless]

Judo is one of my favorites that outside of rare occasions or the Olympics you rarely get to see. I do understand that if you don't know much about it then it can look like two ppl rolling around and tugging on each other.

I would have agreed with this years ago. Outstanding sport....but I think the USJF went overboard with rule changes to separate themselves from MMA/UFC/BJJ/whatever.

[ItachiZaku]

I've watched women's tennis for decades as well as men's box lacrosse. I've started watching women's college softball as well, since the days of Cat Osterman at Texas a little bit, but picked up more when I found Janie Takeda at Oregon.

[Blueobelisk]

Have you played? The question wasn't to convince you, it was just what we thought was underrated.

I mean. Only in gym class in high school...I just wanted to know why it was good so I could join your side and enjoy the sport more.

Actually, Blueobelisk, all but the team/individual comments you made on tennis essentially counts for volleyball as well.

[Stuff]

That's why I love the sport

That was an incredibly satisfying answer, thanks for sharing. I think I'll appreciate a good volleyball team now.