Weekend Fun: Non-traditional sports rule

May 25th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

I’m not sure if non-traditional is the appropriate word there, but it’s close enough: this is a weekend peppered with the sorts of sporting events that don’t typically register high on the average sports fan’s calender.

First, there’s the UFC fight this weekend. Strangely enough, UFC — and MMA in general — seems to be getting more attention than ever, as that New York Times story wondrously explains. I’m not exactly sure why this is; UFC has been around, and popular, for years. Perhaps it’s just because I’m from the Quad-Cities, home of UFC legend Pat Militich, but the UFC is really nothing new to us. I feel a bit like a snobby indie kid from Minneapolis turning on The Hold Steady or something, but it’s true. We’ve been down on the UFC since, like, 2002, and now IFC is well established in the area. (Go Silverbacks.) Come, join us.

And second, there’s the Indy 500. Where I currently reside, this is a huge deal, but in other areas of the country, I get the impression that very few people care. I almost get the impression that more people care about the UFC fight than about the race, but that sort of makes sense. While brutal hand-to-hand combat appeals to the monster in us all, Indy racing only seems to appeal to people from Indianapolis. NASCAR fans don’t seem too enthused, and the average sports viewer probably doesn’t see the difference between NASCAR and Indy Car. Sorry, but we’re ignorant. That’s how we roll in America.

So, for one weekend, the NBA Playoffs will take a back seat. But unless you’re digging on the Liddell fight Saturday, or live anywhere else in the country, I’m betting you’re only feeling half of this weekend. I know I am.