What is/are your favourite sports teams or athletes? (multiple sports allowed)

Tsunami · 24 May 2023, 01:03 AM

Inspired by the thread on shootouts in soccer, I thought it was a nice idea to exchange who we all root for in football/soccer. Then I thought it may be nice to expand the topic beyond just soccer.

My favourite sport is definitely football/soccer, and I'm a huge fan of both Racing Club Gent (4th division Belgium) and RWD Molenbeek (newly promoted to the top division in Belgium). Abroad, my favourite team is Rosenborg BK from Norway, which I've been rooting for since the early nineties before the team became a mass success (by the way, the days of that repeated success are over for now

)

In tennis, I used to like Martina Hingis and especially my fellow Belgian Justine Henin. While I have always prefered female tennis, I also have a soft spot for Andy Murray and in the past Goran Ivanisevic (that Wimbledon final he won and the emotions that came with it when he finally lifted that trophy are unforgettable, one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen)

Cycling is massive in Belgium, but I never really caught the hype to large extent, however I do like Remco Evenepoel. Not because he's Belgian (otherwise I'd have a very large choice of whom to support) but because of his personality. I like his sense of humour, his down-to-earth attitude, and how he finds a nice balance between being ambitious while remaining respectful towards his opponents. I quite like Tadej Pogacar too. In the past, I liked Peter Sagan, a bit of eccentric behaviour in the sport was a nice change, but he is clearly preparing for retirement from the sport.

I like hockey, but I don't really follow a team except for the Belgian national team (M and F). Must add: been to several games, and I like the sportsmanship of the crowd. No segregation of fans of both teams, because nobody acts disrespectful or violent towards fans of the other team, so everyone is mixed. I like that.

Those are the sports I really like. However, it is strange how sympathising with a specific athlete for some reason can suddenly get you watching a sport with full attention that you wouldn't watch otherwise. I rarely watch athletics, but I did stay up at night to watch Nafi Thiam's performances during the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.
And earlier this month when Luca Brecel reached the final of the snooker world cup, I watched the games on TV to the point I even got stressed when the game was reaching its conclusion... It's strange how sympathising with a person can suddenly make you interested in a sport you've paid little or no attention to before

chrisretusn · 24 May 2023, 02:16 PM

Since I moved out of the US I don't follow sports anymore. I know expats here who get up in the morning to watch American Football. I'm not big on American football. Same goes for football (soccer).

Some favorites; cricket, rugby union, AFL (Australian Football League), snooker, hockey and baseball. Most of my viewing is via YouTube. Cable here shows some of the above sports.

Based on were I live it should be basketball.

Bamb0 · 17 Nov 2025, 01:07 PM

I like Hockey the best and Basketball the least...........

JeremyNicoll · 17 Nov 2025, 06:25 PM

I have zero interest in most sports, though in my last two years at (high-)school, the school had merged with another & they brought a tradition of curling with them (mainly because their premises were close to an ice-rink).

I thought I'd try it; yes obviously it'd be cold standing on ice for an hour or two ... but - unlike being outside in a Scottish winter - it'd not be wet & windy as well & one could wear extra clothing (unlike eg for rugby).

It turned out that I was modestly good at it & so I became the "skip" of the school's second team; the skip sets the strategy for each "end", decides when to or not-to "sweep" when a stone is being played, and plays their own stones after those of their teammates, ideally to build on their successes, but often to try to reduce the scale of an impending defeat.

While I was chuffed to be good at something, I was annoyed that I had to climb into school uniform & sacrifice "my" Saturday mornings to go & play against teams from other schools.

I do occasionally watch Olympic curling.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling

Tsunami · 1 Dec 2025, 11:14 PM

I have to update my initial post

In football/soccer, I have been a supporter of KV Oostende since childhood.

At age 22 I started traveling around, living and working in several other countries. I had (still have) a strong wanderlust. I wouldn't emigrate again at this time in my life, but when I was 22, I figured that I wanted to see a bit of the world first before settling down. In each country I spent time in, I followed local football, and sometimes stuck with a team.

Once I was back in Belgium, I first lived in Brussels, then Ghent. In a way this still felt like a bit of discovering new places, and I made friends in some local football clubs that I started to follow. Meanwhile obviously I still followed my childhood team KV Oostende.

Then I came at a point that I decided following 3 teams was a bit too much. Following 1 club from close range (attending all games) is enough, especially since I still like to visit random games too in order to photograph the stadiums.

I stuck with my first love, my childhood love, KV Oostende. Sadly enough, a year ago the club went bankrupt, and a new project was started thanks to a cooperation with nearby Diksmuide. I embraced the new project: it was a new entity, but the team plays in the stadium I have spent so many years attending games, in the stadium where I know so many people, ... I decided to embrace the new project and have not missed a single game ever since.

The other clubs I have attended many games of during the years of moving around, I still wish them well but follow them only from a distance. I don't attend games anymore, as I made the decision that I'd only follow 1 club and I stuck with my first love.

I do still attend random games across the country (and occasionally abroad) in order to have every stadium on picture. So when the new Oostende club is not playing, I go to a random club just for the sake of photographing the stadium.

I have also attended quite some games of one of the two Oostende basketball clubs, although I seem to slightly prefer the smallest of both clubs, which is called Basket@Sea. Their hall is a unique one, very authentic and beautiful. The word "sea" being part of the club name appeals to me as well.

I also sometimes go to local handball games, I like that sport quite a lot too.

But my main focus is and remains football/soccer. I often attend futsal games too (that's indoor soccer), but I see that as just a different form of football/soccer.

Tsunami · 1 Dec 2025, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremyNicoll

I have zero interest in most sports, though in my last two years at (high-)school, the school had merged with another & they brought a tradition of curling with them (mainly because their premises were close to an ice-rink).

I thought I'd try it; yes obviously it'd be cold standing on ice for an hour or two ... but - unlike being outside in a Scottish winter - it'd not be wet & windy as well & one could wear extra clothing (unlike eg for rugby).

It turned out that I was modestly good at it & so I became the "skip" of the school's second team; the skip sets the strategy for each "end", decides when to or not-to "sweep" when a stone is being played, and plays their own stones after those of their teammates, ideally to build on their successes, but often to try to reduce the scale of an impending defeat.

While I was chuffed to be good at something, I was annoyed that I had to climb into school uniform & sacrifice "my" Saturday mornings to go & play against teams from other schools.

I do occasionally watch Olympic curling.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling

Curling is actually on the rise in many countries. Even here in Belgium, where we do not have a tradition with sports that are considered "winter sports", the number of people practising curling is growing a lot.

It may look simple, but it is definitely a sport requiring skills. The speed in which you slide the stone and the place and pace of sweeping can actually change the direction and speed of the stone, so it's a sport that requires a lot of skills. Anyone who never saw the sport before and thinks it is easy should think twice. It's not an easy sport at all!

24 May 2023, 01:03 AM	#1
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,618	What is/are your favourite sports teams or athletes? (multiple sports allowed) Inspired by the thread on shootouts in soccer, I thought it was a nice idea to exchange who we all root for in football/soccer. Then I thought it may be nice to expand the topic beyond just soccer. My favourite sport is definitely football/soccer, and I'm a huge fan of both Racing Club Gent (4th division Belgium) and RWD Molenbeek (newly promoted to the top division in Belgium). Abroad, my favourite team is Rosenborg BK from Norway, which I've been rooting for since the early nineties before the team became a mass success (by the way, the days of that repeated success are over for now ) In tennis, I used to like Martina Hingis and especially my fellow Belgian Justine Henin. While I have always prefered female tennis, I also have a soft spot for Andy Murray and in the past Goran Ivanisevic (that Wimbledon final he won and the emotions that came with it when he finally lifted that trophy are unforgettable, one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen) Cycling is massive in Belgium, but I never really caught the hype to large extent, however I do like Remco Evenepoel. Not because he's Belgian (otherwise I'd have a very large choice of whom to support) but because of his personality. I like his sense of humour, his down-to-earth attitude, and how he finds a nice balance between being ambitious while remaining respectful towards his opponents. I quite like Tadej Pogacar too. In the past, I liked Peter Sagan, a bit of eccentric behaviour in the sport was a nice change, but he is clearly preparing for retirement from the sport. I like hockey, but I don't really follow a team except for the Belgian national team (M and F). Must add: been to several games, and I like the sportsmanship of the crowd. No segregation of fans of both teams, because nobody acts disrespectful or violent towards fans of the other team, so everyone is mixed. I like that. Those are the sports I really like. However, it is strange how sympathising with a specific athlete for some reason can suddenly get you watching a sport with full attention that you wouldn't watch otherwise. I rarely watch athletics, but I did stay up at night to watch Nafi Thiam's performances during the Olympic Games in Rio 2016. And earlier this month when Luca Brecel reached the final of the snooker world cup, I watched the games on TV to the point I even got stressed when the game was reaching its conclusion... It's strange how sympathising with a person can suddenly make you interested in a sport you've paid little or no attention to before

24 May 2023, 02:16 PM	#2
chrisretusn Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Philippines Posts: 960	Since I moved out of the US I don't follow sports anymore. I know expats here who get up in the morning to watch American Football. I'm not big on American football. Same goes for football (soccer). Some favorites; cricket, rugby union, AFL (Australian Football League), snooker, hockey and baseball. Most of my viewing is via YouTube. Cable here shows some of the above sports. Based on were I live it should be basketball.

17 Nov 2025, 01:07 PM	#3
Bamb0 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,376	I like Hockey the best and Basketball the least...........

17 Nov 2025, 06:25 PM	#4
JeremyNicoll Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Scotland Posts: 860	I have zero interest in most sports, though in my last two years at (high-)school, the school had merged with another & they brought a tradition of curling with them (mainly because their premises were close to an ice-rink). I thought I'd try it; yes obviously it'd be cold standing on ice for an hour or two ... but - unlike being outside in a Scottish winter - it'd not be wet & windy as well & one could wear extra clothing (unlike eg for rugby). It turned out that I was modestly good at it & so I became the "skip" of the school's second team; the skip sets the strategy for each "end", decides when to or not-to "sweep" when a stone is being played, and plays their own stones after those of their teammates, ideally to build on their successes, but often to try to reduce the scale of an impending defeat. While I was chuffed to be good at something, I was annoyed that I had to climb into school uniform & sacrifice "my" Saturday mornings to go & play against teams from other schools. I do occasionally watch Olympic curling. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling

1 Dec 2025, 11:14 PM	#5
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,618	I have to update my initial post In football/soccer, I have been a supporter of KV Oostende since childhood. At age 22 I started traveling around, living and working in several other countries. I had (still have) a strong wanderlust. I wouldn't emigrate again at this time in my life, but when I was 22, I figured that I wanted to see a bit of the world first before settling down. In each country I spent time in, I followed local football, and sometimes stuck with a team. Once I was back in Belgium, I first lived in Brussels, then Ghent. In a way this still felt like a bit of discovering new places, and I made friends in some local football clubs that I started to follow. Meanwhile obviously I still followed my childhood team KV Oostende. Then I came at a point that I decided following 3 teams was a bit too much. Following 1 club from close range (attending all games) is enough, especially since I still like to visit random games too in order to photograph the stadiums. I stuck with my first love, my childhood love, KV Oostende. Sadly enough, a year ago the club went bankrupt, and a new project was started thanks to a cooperation with nearby Diksmuide. I embraced the new project: it was a new entity, but the team plays in the stadium I have spent so many years attending games, in the stadium where I know so many people, ... I decided to embrace the new project and have not missed a single game ever since. The other clubs I have attended many games of during the years of moving around, I still wish them well but follow them only from a distance. I don't attend games anymore, as I made the decision that I'd only follow 1 club and I stuck with my first love. I do still attend random games across the country (and occasionally abroad) in order to have every stadium on picture. So when the new Oostende club is not playing, I go to a random club just for the sake of photographing the stadium. I have also attended quite some games of one of the two Oostende basketball clubs, although I seem to slightly prefer the smallest of both clubs, which is called Basket@Sea. Their hall is a unique one, very authentic and beautiful. The word "sea" being part of the club name appeals to me as well. I also sometimes go to local handball games, I like that sport quite a lot too. But my main focus is and remains football/soccer. I often attend futsal games too (that's indoor soccer), but I see that as just a different form of football/soccer.