Sports lovers all have one thing in common: a competitive spirit. Whether or not a fan is athletic, they like to watch opponents hash it out on the playing field or in the arena. Still, given how different sports can be on a fundamental level, that might be where the comparisons end. After all, fans of sports as disparate as rugby, League of Legends, and Formula One are looking for very different things.
Though each is considered a sport (or an eSport), they have little in common in terms of format and skill sets. What helps an athlete succeed in one of these sports might not pan out well in another. Sometimes, these distinctions can even bleed over into fans, as well. Someone who enjoys watching a jungler do their thing in LoL might not care about the plight of the Mercedes team or the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
But fans who do enjoy the same thing are likely to stick together—and they might realize they have a lot in common based on their taste in sports. After all, their predisposition toward a team or league might mean they’re more likely to think in a certain way, gravitate towards certain types of challenges, and even strategize like their favorite athletes.
Speaking of strategizing, we’ve got a few tips in mind for sports fans when it comes to classic games – and we’re making our choices based on the sport they prefer. Let’s dive into three examples: golf, football, and American football.
For Fans of Golf: Poker
Golf is a sport of micro-successes and micro-failures. Players are some of the most discerning athletes in the world. They zero in on tiny specifics—from their swing to the wind speed to inclines. And poker players know a thing or two about this level of attention to detail.
Even when it comes to memorizing poker hands, the average person might find their mental faculties a bit stretched. But poker pros, much like top golfers, aren’t just hoping for a good start to their game. Simultaneously, they’re reading the competition, gauging their hand’s likelihood of success, deciding what they should bet, and possibly even attempting to dupe other players with a bluff.
As in golf, poker is a game of micro-decisions—and each will have a large effect on the outcome of an event. Both are games ideal for those who like to comb through the details to find a logical path forward.
For Fans of Football: Chess
The chess board involves highly specialized positions—just like the football pitch. For a coach or their team to succeed, they need to know how to put together a balanced lineup and starting formation, and then craft a plan of attack. The same goes for chess players. They’re faced with a large playing field that needs to be managed by using the right pieces at the right time.
One of the primary differences is the element of teamwork. Unlike golf and poker, which are individual pursuits, football involves an 11-man squad. Still, much like an experienced team, a chess player knows how to make each move in perfect conjunction with what’s happening elsewhere on the board. In other words, though there’s only one chess player, they’re responsible for acting on behalf of all sixteen of their pieces.
For Fans of American Football: Monopoly
If football can be compared to chess due to its varied positions, then what makes sense for the NFL? American football includes two 11-man teams that compete offensively and defensively. In other words, there’s a lot going on. Throw in the sport’s larger-than-life production style and its insane revenue, and its ties to the Monopoly board game (or app) start to come into stronger focus.
From a gaming perspective, offensive and defensive coaches in the NFL aren’t playing a straightforward game. They’re creating a highly involved approach that stretches on for three and a half hours. Playmaking involves complex strategies that incrementally unfold as the game goes on. Monopoly, though a game that involves property and money, easily compares to the NFL in terms of the average time it takes to finish a game and the amount of incremental strategy it takes to win.
