Remember to Be a Fan

Is it possible for a sport to be boring when the athletes are moving at speeds of 200 mph? Many F1 fans felt that way after last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Both Red Bull drivers dominated the race, finishing well ahead of the rest of the field, and the street-race style of Baku City Circuit doesn’t always provide opportunity for action. I was unable to watch the race live on Sunday and have only seen a few highlights, but a tweet from one of my favorite F1 media folk stood out as I looked through the coverage:

People can enjoy what they enjoy but my heart breaks when people find a pretty normal F1 race so boring that it's all anyone is saying online and even on TV. It was on the less action packed end yes. Street races tend to be. It taints my enjoyment of my favourite thing

— Spanners 👨‍🔧 (@SpannersReady) April 30, 2023

For those unfamiliar with Spanners: he’s an English F1 podcaster with strong knowledge of the sport. His wit and passion for F1 always makes me eager to hear his opinion on basically anything racing related. A “boring” race to many people is captivating to Spanners because he got to watch two hours of the best drivers in the world executing in a competition setting. There was no controversy or drama, but there was still plenty of racing to enjoy.

I often wonder whether other golf fans feel the same way I do about somewhat-pedestrian events. Even when there isn’t a 72nd hole birdie or a brutal collapse, I usually feel as though the time I spent watching a tournament was worth it. Maybe I learned something about a player that will do something big in the future. At a bare minimum, I got to spend time watching the best golfers in the world play my favorite sport. Sure, I’ll often have quibbles about PGA and LPGA Tour courses, but mediocre courses won’t often entirely ruin my fan experience.

Many people, myself included, can nitpick a professional tournament and lose sight of the reason we sat down to watch in the first place. Of course we would love it if every tournament ended like the memorable 2011 Masters, but the reality is that most tournaments aren’t going to be incredibly exciting. Someone may very well run away with a title and a final round may lack any sort of buzz. That’s okay. We’re still going to tune in because we love golf and can relate to the game in a unique way. Sometimes, we need to remember to be a fan.