Is a Perfect Game the most exciting thing in all of sports?
 

I like to consider myself knowledgeable of and a fan of all the major sports (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, EPL, MLS, Tennis ATP//WTA, NCAA football//basketball). I have teams I cheer for and support violently, and teams I can't stand and hate, same with players. And with all the different//exciting sports and all the different//exciting things that happen in them, I can't think of anything that gets me more jacked than a Perfect Game.

I don't care what I'm watching on tv, but if I hear that Pitcher 'X' is taking a Perfect Game into the 7th, I'm changing channels, even if it's a player//team I may not necessarily like.

I think a lot of it has to do with how risky it is. My favorite hockey player could have 5 goals and 8 points in two periods, but if he plays like ass in the 3rd he still has those numbers, same thing as if my QB throws for 656 yards and 8 TDs or if my favorite NBA player has a quadruple double. But if you have two outs in the 9th then miss on four pitches or make one mistake, instead of becoming immortal and part of history, you simply have an above average quality start.

Haven't no-hitters and perfect games become more prevalent in recent years?

I think they're losing their lustre a bit as a sort of a once in a generation type event.

But i get what you mean in terms of relying upon that final out.

I'd have to say that NHL overtime is probably the most exciting thing for me. Anyone can end up the hero.

I'm biased though, perhaps, but the relentless flow of the game, the horror (or relief) of hearing the PING of the post, the dread as your team is pinned in your own zone, the minutes that become periods that become hours...it's the kind of intensity that seems to age you as you watch, particularly if your team is involved.

History won't care about who carried the play. All people will remember will be the goal.

Football OT often ends up with a field goal, which while exciting, to me isn't as exciting as a touchdown. Basketball doesn't have the sudden death aspect to it. Soccer often goes to penalty kicks, which while entertaining and dramatic, aren't really part of the ebb and flow of the sport, which is why I hope they keep shootouts out of NHL playoff situations.

I don't think sports where a perfect game are a possibility are that exciting.

I love snooker and always when there is a maximum break I watch it several times, but I prefer sports where perfect games aren't possible, i.E. sports were the opposition has a direct influence...

Are you seriously suggesting that the opposing hitter doesn't influence the outcome of a pitcher's throw to the plate?

Nope. For me it will always be playoff hockey in overtime thats the most exciting thing in sports, period.

Definitely. I was working a scoreboard for an independent league baseball game that, save for a bad scoring decision to make something a hit when it clearly should've been a fielding error, would've been a no-hitter, and it was one of the most exciting (and disappointing) things to see.

I can't even imagine the tension and excitement that would come from being involved in that as a player, manager, or fan at the stadium. Only thing that would be comparable would be a Game 7 Stanley Cup overtime for a team on the verge of ending a long drought, like the Leafs or the Blues. That'd be bigger, sure, but it'd also be so much more ridiculously rare that it's in a category in and of itself.

Depends on the person. I would switch over to a perfect game because its rare, not because it's the most exciting thing.

A game 7 OT game seems much more exciting than a game where one of the teams gets 0 hits.

Well it is certainly not the hockey shootout.

Nothing in sports makes me stop and watch like the gold medal 100m dash. Once every 4 years and less than 10 seconds, but just incredible. Game 6 OT between Chicago/Philly was great, but not the same level.


http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/im...650&h=440&q=75

Exciting, maybe, maybe not, but it sure is dramatic.

The near-misses on perfect games/no-hitters may be just as, if not more, dramatic. Take Dave Stieb of the Blue Jays. He lost a no-hitter with 2 outs in the 9th inning (for the second time IIRC), then on his very next start lost a perfect game with 2 outs in the 9th inning! It seemed like the guy was just cursed to come oh-so-close and never get one, but he finally did get a no-hitter a year or two later.

Edit: checked myself on wiki.. it seems he lost two no-hitters back to back but the lost perfect game was later.

THIS. As a sports fan it doesn't matter where you are in the world; you tune in for that 10 seconds.

NHL, overtimes
Soccer, Shootouts (2006 world cup)
MMA, unexpected/last minute/comeback knockouts & submissions (first Sonnen and Silva fight)

Champions league, Euro, WC finals are the most exciting.