While I am not a sports fan, I get the sports thing, because I am a video game fan. From the super-competitive world of first-person-shooter1, to nationally celebrated real-time strategy titles2, to the lightening-quick rounds fighting games3, the difference between the competition on the sportsfield and the electronic vistas is mighty slim. It seems to bring out the same behaviors in competitors and in fans. Since videogaming as a sport is still in it's infancy, there still aren't the crazy excesses of the established sports world - but there still are great moments.
For example, in 2004 a Japense player Daigo Umehara (known as 'the Beast') was fighting against American Justin Wong (aka 'Wongo') in the Evolution Championship Series, a competition for fighting game players. Wong had Umehara against the ropes in the final moments of their match; to the degree that one more hit would have won the match. To finish the round, Wong attempted to use a series of moves to take out Umehara called a combo. Essentially, this is a series of rapid & sequential hits. If Umehara had attempted to block the hits, he would have lost. Instead of dodging the manuever, his only other option, the Beast performed a series of extremely rapid blocks requiring split-second timing - considered virtually impossible due to the necessary inhuman precision. The move was so unexpected, Wong left himself open to counter-attack which Umehara quickly took advantage of and won the match.
Here's a video-link of the tournament:
You can hear the crowd go nuts as Umehara pulls the manuver and wins.
It's not hard to imagine a similar moment in an physical sport producing a similar reaction.
This is why I get the obsession with sports. When you care enough to learn about the drama, the incredible moments, and the passion involved, these battles are far more interesting.
1. For example, Call of Duty, Halo, the Battlefield series.
2. Here I'm referring to the fact that there are nationally televised tournaments for the RTS game Starcraft in South Korea. There, the game is essentially a national sport.
3. Games like Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat
