Betting Passion From a Non-Sports Fan
Marc Armstrong ENI have mentioned to just about everyone I know, and will make it clear here, for any that had doubts; I have next to no interest in sports. I find the vast majority of them to be tedious, boring, and mind numbingly slow. There are a few exceptions, such as a World Cup final that involves my countries team, but since that only ever happens once in a blue moon, the rest of the time I’d honestly rather be mowing the lawn than watching sports.
But, in case you thought this was simply going to be a rant about how unmanly I was, here is the unexpected twist in the plot; I recently realized that I absolutely love sports betting. And, in fact, I discovered a rather alarming truth; with betting involved, sports stopped being boring, tedious and mind numbingly slow, and actually became rather riveting.
It turns out I’m actually a closet sports fan, and I would have been the last person to guess this.
Learning To Love Sports
I make an effort to try out every casino game I ever choose to write about, at least to some degree, in order to have a balanced perspective. As far as sports betting went, however, I made a concerted effort to avoid having to participate. This was based largely around my general distaste for sports. Since high school I avoided having to watch the school football team play, in much the same way people avoid catching black plague. I simply wasn’t interested.
But, about a month ago I finally gave in to pressure, and created an account at a sports betting website, and threw down a few bets, not really giving much thought to the process. But something amazing happened. Of the three bets I placed, two won, and a little light ignited in my head. I collected the winnings, and set about placing more bets, but this time with a certain degree of investment.
Jump to three weeks later and I’m studying the MMA fight schedules with the focus of a man possessed. That Mayweather/McGregor fight had me riveted. There I was researching fighters, studying betting tips, and realising that all it required for me to be interested in sports was reason to be invested. As it turns out; betting on sports was something I never knew I loved.
Deeper Than I Assumed
Now, I’m a person that loves his video games, which is something I’ve admitted on multiple occasions. And, as I’ve matured in my years, I’ve found that games based around deep strategy are where my heart lies. Real time strategy games, such as the Total War series for any interested, can consume me for hours. Building armies, managing settlements, and approaching enemies strategically is incredibly absorbing.
It turns out that placing sports bets is equally absorbing and strategic, and my brain just sort of made a clicking sound as I realized this. Don’t make too much of the connection between a game based around war and sports betting, but what I will say is that there are some pretty notable similarities. Yes, two sports teams going head to head is remarkably like a war between two medieval armies. Who would have thought that?
Predicting A War
In predicting the outcome of a medieval war, a person is wise to take note of the forces involved in the war, judge the strengths and weaknesses of these forces, mentally put them up against the enemy forces, and make a prediction on the possible outcomes. How strong are the line units, what is the range of the archers, what sort of armour do the troops have? It all has bearing, and is all-important to keep in mind.
When looking at a rugby game, I make similar sorts of observations and predictions. How strong are the individual players, what is their history in recent games, how accurate are the best kickers, and so on. A person can get absorbed for hours researching teams, and learning about their various strengths and weaknesses. And, when you feel you have a grasp of how the war, sorry, sports match will unfold, there is no better way to show your investment than by putting down money on an outcome.
My Successes And Failures
So I realised I love sports, and sports betting. No, I haven’t always been successful in my bets, but have realised that I can proudly call myself pretty good at it regardless. For me, the biggest indicator of how well a sports team will do is their recent performance record, and the performance record of the coach. It’s probably pretty obvious to veteran sports betters, but for me was fascinating to discover in my own time. I could go on more about it, but think everyone reading gets the point.
What’s most gratifying about learning that I had an interest in sports, however, was finally realizing I had something to talk about with the other men at the local pub.
