Best Sports To Watch in HD

There isn’t a single thing better in life than sports in high definition on big screen television.

If you’re questioning that statement, I’ll give you two things that might overtake it—food and oxygen, in that order.

Other than that, any sports addict knows the holy grail of life is sitting right in front of a monstrous-sized television with the crispest and brightest colors destroying your retinas and crystal clear sounds blowing your ear drums.

So what if we’ll all be blind and deaf before we know it? We’ll still have our memories of watching our favorite sports in crystal clear definition as if they were right in our living room.

I've been glued to my 42" 1080p TV ever since I got it out of the box. I never thought I could enjoy sports more than I already did, but a hi-def TV will give you a grander appreciation for the one thing we couldn’t live without. It's become my pride and joy after enhancing my world.

Enough of the 3D gimmick already. That malarkey has run its course and needs to be extinct. It’s not entertaining at all and should soon die out.

High definition will never die.

We are constantly searching for the sharpest images and clearest sounds imaginable. Technology will only continue to improve our experience, but it is already beyond engrossing.

Each sport offers its own unique enjoyment and excitement when watching in hi-def, but there can be only one winner in this countdown of epic proportions. Which sport reigns supreme as it is projected from the illustrious high-definition television?

Honorable Mention: Golf

My appreciation for golf in general is growing as I get older. Go figure.

Perhaps it could just be my high-definition television, which lets me see every stitch on the golfers’ threads. Even better, I get to the see each and every ridge on the pretty white ball.

Considering how the colors pop off the screen, who else really wants to see the PGA adopt the different colored balls you use when you play mini-golf? How about a nice bright yellow or sky blue?

The best part about watching golf in HD is the replays. The camera crew gets you down in the dirt and you can see every shred of grass attempting to cover the ball. Then, SMACK!, the ball is being rocketed across the course from a shiny metal club. Gotta love it.

It’s the course that makes golf worth watching. I used to prefer wide open courses without any obstacles, but that was before hi-def. Now, I want sand dunes, ponds and Mr. Larson.

Thank you, HDTV, for making golf more enjoyable. Insert smiley face.

10. Soccer

If you’re not a fan of soccer, watch it in HD because you’ll see the sport in a new light. You'll understand why it is the most popular sport in the world.

I always admired the conditioning of soccer players, but I admire them even more after being able to watch and hear their hearts pumping as they run up and down the pitch!

I never realized the field was that big until I was blessed with a humongous flat screen television that can’t even fit the entire field. You’ll also appreciate the sport more after seeing every little scrape on their knees from those “wussy” tackles.

With HD, you can actually see that the players and not the ball are out of bounds. It’s wild.

The clang from the ball hitting off the crossbar is just addicting. You want them to go back and forth taking shots. That’s how appealing it is.

The best, as you’d expect, is when a goal is scored.

If you thought the bicycle kick was impressive, you haven't experienced its true glory. To see a man upside down with his legs in perfect position will forever leave you in awe, but when you see him hovering in mid-air with a shadowy halo forming on the green grass below you'll be calling for somebody to go flying each play. 

You see the impact of the ball crashing into the net. You can hear it breeze past the arms of a diving goalie as if you were the one trying to stop it.

Then, you hear the heart of the goalie sink into their stomach and shatter. Lovely.

9. Professional Wrestling

You may not consider professional wrestling a sport, but don’t tell that to the diehard fans because they’ll lay the smack down on you.

It may be staged, but the punishment they put their bodies through deserves recognition.

The ring attire explodes off your television screen, but not more than the sound and pieces of metal and wood flying at you when they crash through steel ladders and wooden tables.

It’s impossible not to get lost in the action as WWE’s camera crew put you right in the squared circle with John Cena and CM Punk. You can see the sweat flying from their faces with every movement. The sound of each man or woman crashing to the mat is intensified so much you’d think you were sitting ringside.

Speaking of women, don’t even get me started on the Divas. They look better than they do in WWE’s magazines. Plus, you can see every detail on each tattoo across the canvas that is Randy Orton and Punk’s body.

Who needs to go to see WWE live when they’re wrestling in your house?

8. NASCAR

“How could somebody sit there and watch cars go around in circles? How boring,” I used to say.

Then I got my HDTV and BAM! I could sit there for an entire 500-lap race and never get bored.

Boring? Yeah right! It’s exhilarating!

I’m so up close I should be working with the pit crew. My adrenaline is pumping each lap—I even bought a toy steering wheel so I can sit there and pretend I’m every driver they put in front of my face.

The details on each car and shiny chrome on the rims will captivate me for hours. I can see the ridges in the tires on each turn.

One time I actually thought I had some rubber in my teeth. Turns out it was a piece of steak from lunch. Still, that’s the feeling you get.

It’s impossible to turn away as you’re put right into the action. The sound of the cars screaming by is music to my ears. It’s mouth-watering.

I don’t see how anybody can watch NASCAR in HD and not want to jump into the cockpit and race with Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

7. Tennis

Anytime tennis is on I feel compelled to watch. It’s one of the ultimate tests of endurance. If you can sit down and watch two of the stronger competitors in the sport, male or female, it’s pure pleasure.

I used to watch tennis and wonder if a ball was in bounds.

“Did that touch the line? Great, I have to wait for the reply,” I used to say to myself.

No more!

It’s no longer a common theme in my tennis viewing. Now when I watch a match, I’ll question the line judge’s decision because I feel I’m in better positioning than they are!

I’d have trouble believing you if you told me you had difficulty seeing the right call instantly. I can finally pinpoint exactly where that yellow ball hit the white line. It’s as clear as day thanks to my crisp picture.

Thanks to the enhanced audio high-definition televisions provide, I can listen to Serena Williams grunt and scream as if she was right next to me.

Forget going to the match and risk getting a sunburn during the summer, cozy up on the couch and watch some tennis from the comfort of your living room.

Oh, but don’t forget to bring your shades because you’re still going to have to combat the sun’s glare!  

6. Action Sports

I’ve been watching the X Games and action sports for more than a decade, but this was the first year I was able to experience the remarkable and insane risks in hi-def.

I used to just say “wow” from the hellacious and death-defying stunts, but to see my favorite skaters and riders up close and personal flying through my room was simply awe-inspiring.

I felt like I was flying high with Shaun White and Bob Burnquist. I actually checked my own ankle when Travis Pastrana crashed during Moto X Best Trick. Luckily, I was okay.

I love when I watch the BMXers race around the street course that I don’t have to question how far apart they were from the rail. Nope. With an HDTV, the shadow from the separation is as clear as day.

This year, I thought I was in the course with Ryan Sheckler. I felt the impact when he landed his high-risk drop from the rooftop because I could sense the pressure on his entire body and heard the sound of the board nearly cracking in half from the force. Ah, it was amazing.

Damn it ESPN, Winter X is too far away! I need my fix!

5. MMA

What’s not to love about MMA?

We have two dudes inside a steel cage beating the living hell out of each other.

It takes me back to the good ol’ days of the ancient Olympics when some men used to fight to the very death to live like a God for the rest of their lives.

As much as I enjoy being right in the cage, it’s delightful to be staring into the action with the chain links obstructing your view. There’s just something riveting about that cage.

It always comes back to the punches and the kicks. I’ve always been a fan of technical wrestling and submission holds, but when you’re watching MMA all you want is to see somebody get knocked out by a fist to the jaw or better yet, a knee to the noggin.

I’m sorry, the best is actually a kick across the face and watching the spit fly out of the man’s mouth as he crumbles down to the mat like a sack of potatoes. Just the sound of the impact is enough to make you a fan for life.

It’s a real shame Chuck Liddell doesn’t fight anymore, it would have been perfect to see him knock somebody out on my HDTV. At least I still have Rampage Jackson. 

4. Baseball

You can’t beat slow motion baseball.

If you watch a slide in slow motion, you get to see the spikes from a cleat nearly impale the opposition. You get to see the dirt particles fly across the screen and ruin the pants of the slider.

If you watch a slugger connect with the ball, you can literally see the bat nearly break in half as it makes contact.

It is truly a sight for sore eyes in hi-def.

Live action is just as sweet.

Most of the time, you’re going to think you have a better angle to call strikes and balls than the home plate umpire!

Even worse, you’re going to be screaming at the top of your lungs how your favorite slugger whiffed on a potential home run. “It was right there!” you’ll scream through the television.

My favorite part about watching baseball is the sound of the bat cracking against the ball. As great as it is to see a home run smacked into Nevereverland, the cracking sound is euphoric.

If only the home run derby was every month.

3. Hockey

Very few sports can compete with the intensity of playoff hockey and even less can rival the awesomeness that is hockey in HD.

Hockey is infectious in hi-def. The best part about it is that you can actually track where the puck is. I know it sounds wild, but it’s true! You can actually see where that little black thing is at all times.

The crack of a stick hitting the puck is great, but not as great as hearing bodies slamming into the boards. Sometimes you just want to see somebody pull a Dean Portman and flip a rival through the glass just to see the sparkling particles fly across your set.

When players stop or make sharp movements on the rink you can see the ice flurries fill your screen as if there was a snowy wintery mix in your room. It’s amazing.

The uniforms are spectacular in HD, especially the epic goalie facemasks. It is easy to shun hockey, but it is impossible to neglect when watching in HD.

2. Basketball

Basketball is the most vibrant sport and its glory is personified in high-definition.

The players pop out of your TV, which has its pros and cons as you’ll need a Kleenex nearby to wipe the sweat from your screen. Don’t worry, it’s not rain pouring from your TV, but the sweat from Dwyane Wade’s forehead when he’s shooting free throws.

There really might not be a better moment than watching a rim-rattling slam dunk in HD. The impact is so Earth-shattering you might run up to your set to make sure it stands still.

Maybe that’s just because I’m a Knicks fan and had to watch Blake Griffin embarrass Timofey Mozgov over and over again. I can’t complain since it was perfection personified.

Basketball looks better in HD because the players aren’t consumed by their jerseys. Instead, the jerseys look remarkable as their colors are more vibrant than in any other sport. Combine that with the paint on the court and the fans sitting courtside.

Playoff basketball takes the cake as the fans all come dressed in the same color. Watching a sea of white, blue or red surround the hallowed hardwood provides an atmosphere unlike any other to provide a heavenly experience. 

1. Football

There isn’t a single better experience in HD than football.

The atmosphere is indescribable as the fans pour their hearts and souls into every play.

You can see as clear as a sunny spring day when a receiver drags his toe in or out of bounds. It’s crystal clear that green grass or white chalk was flickering against the receivers’ shoe.

You don't need to see a replay because you can see the right call instantly, but you want to see the replay just because it looks so awesome.

I will not apologize for being part of a nation that adores football more than any other sport. It is the most intense, brutal and strategic sport our great world has to offer.

I love when the camera crew gets me right into the face of the quarterback to the point that I can see him screaming for an audible before the snap or watching him wince in pain after Ndamukong Suh body slams him into the cold and unforgiving gridiron.

The sheer barbaric nature of the sport is phenomenal in hi-def. You can hear every bone crunching and limb contorting of the ball carrier when James Harrison annihilates them.

You can see every patch of dirt made when a cleat impales the field. You can see the dirt particles fly across the screen as Chris Johnson and Michael Vick make their spectacular cuts to juke out their defenders. 

From the fans to the field to the immense athleticism of the players to the uniforms, football provides the top experience for HD viewing.