Do We Need Sports Forums?

As I browse through the General Discussion forum of late its become apparent that ‘sports talk’ is high on the list of many of our viewers here but likely NOT of huge importance to others.

So my question is, should I create a “sports talk” area similar to the seasonal forums area where we had forums specifically intended to house all this sports related chatter. It would give those seeking this info a designated place to find it and for those that don’t necessarily want to see it, it would give them back their “fishing topics only” general discussion forum.

I’m going to start a poll and if there’s considerable interest one way or the other my actions will follow the results of the poll. So if you have an opinion either way… VOTE!

No dude!!! Don’t do it………..

The only time sports talk gets big is when there is rivalry (wi/mn) or playoffs……..That is it. And it is fun to have all talk about it!!!!

Keep it tight and keep it in the general discussion.

My opinion is that this is a fishing info site, where lots of people come to bs about “other stuff” for fun. Don’t split it is my opinion!!!

I’ve seen another site, where the screw ball has all sports broken down in categories, plus NASCAR, plus outdoor politics, and every other type of topic you can think of……….If that site keeps it up, pretty soon he will have underwater basket weaving and it will just be “talkingminnesota” instead of the other name……..

Good luck!

Please do make it seperate I also agree that we come here for more than fishing, but the football thing is really overpowering, in my opinion. If it has its own catagory, then those who don’t want to read it do not have to scan through all the sports topics to find something else. In case you couldn’t tell, the only sports I care about are hunting and fishing

I don’t think we should get confused by the timing of this question. All season long there’s been a thread or two that carried all of the rivalry content from week to week. Sorting through a couple threads is not a problem.

However, if you don’t ice fish, this is the SLOW season and we’re more willing to banter on other things. It’s playoff time for the biggest sport in the nation and fishing and hunting is slow. It’s bound to happen at this time of year but has not been a consistant issue all season.

Personally, I like it mixed in because it draws my curiosity …….. sometimes. But I’d never check a sports forum. It’s just extra steps and clutter IMHO. I find things I enjoy and sometimes participate in the thread by stumbling over it. To seperate it removes the spontanaity and changes it to deliberate.

I like the spontanaity of the general discussion forum. I say “let it be as it is”.

I think if a sports forum was started, then it would have it’s own home and place and not “over power” the fishing everyone would like to talk about more. Also, for those of us who don’t fish (or hunt)in the winter, it gives us something else to talk about. I really don’t care one one way or the other – just my opinion.

No, we don’t need sports forums! This is a fishing website. Don’t get me wrong. I watch sports and talk about sports just as much as anyone. I just don’t think we need to accomodate every possible topic that comes up on the website. Keep it simple, right?

yes it needs to be in its own forum i could give a rats about football and i dont really want to weed throught it, to see the hunting and fishing articles. that’s why i joined (ida)

I don’t see the need for a seperate forum and i understand why someone besides myself may. During the sports season you’ll see the posts of rivalry and when warm weathers here i see more fishing posts. It does draw someones attention when a person visits general diascussion and i would also see a seperate sports forum too when scrolling through the list of forums. If the list is loaded with football, basketball, baseball, golf and hockey, why’d the northstars have to go to houston? go timberwolves! Damned strike! then it would be different. I don’t think it makes a big diffrence because its seasonal too me. I agree with Gary in Basket weavings critical techniques and Kid too, leave it just the way it is as its not cluttered.

Hey James…..Where do we stand on getting Bill his own forum???

Anywho, my vote is NO . Too many forums that don’t get used as it is (I’m talkin to you, Nebraska!!! )

I think that the “general discussion” category should remain just that, general discussion. “SIB,KIS” comes to mind…which is an management acronym for “See It Big, Keep It Simple”.

One can skip/change the channel and/or the topic if its content is not of interest. Simple enough! Adding more forums will be adding a complexity factor that will be detrimental. I would recommend resisting the proliferation of forums rigorously. Hot button items like elections/sports rivalries etc. tend to burn hot and fast, they come and go swiftly. They also tend to invoke different emotions than the tranquility fishing promotes. These topics get a little testy at times but one needs not engage in this discourse, merely move to a subject more interesting which usually can be readily identified from the topic subject. Sports/Politics topics stimulate endorphins, which tend to rachet up interest, promoting more interaction, especially during the winter doldrums. They can only be properly catergorized on a fishing website in a general category! It appears to me that many of the most active members correspond in a variety of the topics contained in the “general” forum. Now for the change, as I tendered a nickel, keep the 3 cents!

Although I voted yes…it really doesn’t matter to me…

Personally I think all football talk should be banned.

However…if you have a golf forum…Sandtrap and I would poke fun at each other…

…excuse me….I looked at Carpgirls mugshot and had a ’70’s flash back…where’s the Valum!

…excuse me….I looked at Carpgirls mugshot and had a ’70’s flash back…where’s the Valum!

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JIMMY HENDRIX’S FLASHBACK! Kinda draws you into an endless vortex, man! PEACE!

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…excuse me….I looked at Carpgirls mugshot and had a ’70’s flash back…where’s the Valum!

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JIMMY HENDRIX’S FLASHBACK! Kinda draws you into an endless vortex, man! PEACE!

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You guys….
Your just so funny

Any woman that loves to fish is A-OK in my book. They are hard to come by so we better appreciate her.
Thanks, Bill

Sorry James….you know I always take a thread and turn it at right angles…Back to SPORTS TALK!

I see three football threads in a list of 20 threads.

I don’t think that with the playoffs on, a rivalry that splits right down the geographic region of IDA membership, and the antics of certain players making big-time sports news every weekend, that 15% is out of hand. If there were a separate sports talk forum, I wouldn’t use it.

Thanks for the opinions guys. They are appreciated either way. I’ve been getting some PM’s from members upset that we are getting off topic too often with the sports talk. So the poll is out there to guage the opinions of the membership. 3 posts out of 20 may be insignificant to some, a big deal to others. As with descisions of this type, I don’t care what happens either way. My goal is to make the majority of the membership happy the majority of the time, knowing I can’t make everyone happy all the time.

I feel if we have a sports fourm and it becomes popular we may corrupt content of what I.D.A. is built on and be getting input by non-hunters and non-angler and of course it is o.k, sometimes,BUT I do not want to make comments on issiues and hear response that is not comeing from a sportsman or someone that don’t care at all and is just looking to cause a rivaly.

I voted “Yes”, but as I read the rational of some people…mainly “the kid”, I would change my vote to no. During the “main” fishing season (May-Oct)….people aren’t talking about sports nearly as much as they are now. Maybe the NBA playoffs…..if the T-wolves ever make it there! But I think it is mainly a timing thing and it will go away after the Vikings win the superbowl . Till then, I say if ya don’t like it, don’t view it. Personally, I am sick and tired of all the Randy Moss talk, so I quit reading it. I think the guy is awesome and did a funny (and classless) act. Move on. We could devote a whole website to “Why Professional athlete Joe Blow is not a good role model for my kid”. Nobody asked him (Moss) to be a role model and he doesn’t want to be one…..Period! OK OK…now i’m getting in on all the BS. There’s my couple cents worth. Don’t add a forum and wait for the football talk to go away.

I don’t really think it is needed. Afterall, just read what you have printed on the forums page under General Discussion…..”This is the “catch-all” and all topics are welcome”.

Maybe right now over the last week or so, and for the next 2-3 weeks, it will be pretty lively with football trash talking, but thats the way it is between boarder rivals. Heaven forbid anyone ever ask which state the best fishermen come from??

Why don’t you run a test. Create a golf forum, and if it gets rolling pretty good, then you could try doing the same for other sports. But you can’t make it a pro-sports forum because then everyone from Wisconsin is going to want a pro basketball, baseball, and hockey team too!

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Create a golf forum, and if it gets rolling pretty good,

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Would that work? Create a golf forum…then when it gets going real good…DELETE it…will the golfers go away with it?

One can only hope!

JLD…I gotsta

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Heaven forbid anyone ever ask which state the best fishermen come from??

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The A: is simple….We (WI) have Nick Johnson and the Best Bass Team in the midwest (not me)

Don’t do it unless you want to make this an all-sports board. I know that most of the posts the last few days have been NFL related rather than fishing related. If these people want to talk NFL or any other non-outdoor sport, then there are dozens of sites like ESPN that have discussion boards already set up for such discussions.

I have my favorite teams as most people do but this is a fishing (and sometimes hunting) site. If I want to trash the Vikings from now on I will do it on another board.

Eyehunter

Personally, I don’t have a problem with someone posting about any sports team. Half the fun about the Pack/Vikings posts are throwing some banter back and forth. Yes, in a month or so, football posts will go away, and probably start again next fall. I don’t understand what the big deal is. There are posts in this “general” forum from concrete work to car problems. Can’t we talk some sports too? I know some people on this board and it’s fun to tease each other, even when it’s about sports. If I am not interested in a thread, I don’t read it.

Sandbar

Go Purple!

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JLD…I gotsta

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Heaven forbid anyone ever ask which state the best fishermen come from??

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The A: is simple….We (WI) have Nick Johnson and the Best Bass Team in the midwest (not me)

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Hey Slop,

We’ve got Scott Glorvigen, he won the first RCL Championship, AND the last PWT Championship!!

I’m just LMAO right now….

I thought it was good

Hey, we got ME!!

I voted against a Sports Forum. There really never any “discussion” going on. Mostly it seems like it is “Favre is overrated” or “Moss is a baby”. Mostly it’s good natured but it gets a little intense by mostly Viking fans suffering from “Lombardi Trophy” envy.

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Any woman that loves to fish is A-OK in my book. They are hard to come by so we better appreciate her.
Thanks, Bill

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No Mr. Cadwell, THANK YOU