So the recent storm that's been brewing around all the NFL stuff with the player protests, politicization and boycotts has got me thinking... Bear in mind that this is not a discussion thread for the NFL drama. But when I started to think about it, putting all the crap aside, I realized that I don't have a distaste for sports, it's just that I don't really get anything out of the mainstream sports. The big leagues and the sponsored stuff.

If you like American Football or MLB or whatever, there's nothing wrong with that. But for those of you who are largely bored by American Football or Soccer or whatever, what do you think are some underrated sports that are more interesting than the popular ones?

I am a huge fan of Olympic/team handball. Not that silly weak one but the real one that's like a cross between basketball and football. Learned to play in gym class in high school and it was so much fun. It's a shame that you can rarely see it though.

Ultimate Frisbee seems to be about the same but with a frisbee.

Ski Jumping, and of course its upgraded form, Ski Flying. It's actually quite popular in some countries, but overall it's not very famous outside of the 4 Hills Tournament happening these days.

Still, we're talking about men and women going down a ramp that is 290-300 feet long with nothing more than a helmet, glasses and a pair of skis, reaching nearly 60 mph before taking flight and landing at a distance of up to 490 feet after gliding for 5-7 seconds in the air. Ski Flying is a lot more extreme and dangerous: the ramp is 360+ feet long, the speed before taking flight can go up to 65 mph and they can land at distances surpassing 820 feet after gliding for more than 10 seconds.

It requires a lot more guts than soccer, yet it's seen as a boring sport compared to +20 guys pursuing a ball and kicking it back and forth. However, the good thing is that ski jumpers aren't as hermetic as other sports stars, given how you can easily go to see them at their hotel or all around the hill just like any other normal man or woman without any restraints.

And well, basically any other individual sport that requires skill over muscles. Darts is a good example, it's a lot harder to play good enough to be professional compared to soccer, yet in my country they see it as a "thing you do in the bar".

EX Palen : That sounds totally insane. It's the first I've ever heard of it, too. I definitely have to look that up.

And I agree on the darts thing, too. I always thought it looked easy but every time I've ever tried throwing darts, I was terrible lol

m0ssb3rg935 :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GT9U_jkK28

That's one of the rounds I witnessed live in March, in the biggest ski flying hill in the world. Just so you understand metric units better, 100 km/h are 62 mph and 1 meter is 1,09 yards or 3,28 feet.

You nailed it: it's insane. The regular competition on the large hills isn't as breathtaking as in the very few flying hills these guys are allowed to jump in every season, but even if we have just a handful of these the show makes up for it.

I always considered NHL to be underrated compared to the MLB, NBA and NFL. The sports you are talking about though are not really televised on basic cable so not many people really know about it or pay attention to it unless they are a diehard sports fan and are subscribed to the proper channels. There is also skateboarding, BMX biking, rollerblading and my favorite skiboarding. If you do not know what skiboarding is look it up it is so fun and I miss doing it! I remember being the only person on the slopes with a skiboard and people would look at me like a freckin alien because they never seen them before!

I've always wondered how Cricket works, and Rugby just fascinates me whenever I actually watch it. So, probably Cricket and Rugby, at least in America.