I personally don’t think I can be called a sports snob. Like many this summer I saw France beat Croatia in Moscow, to close out what had been a very entertaining World Cup. But amongst the almost daily barrage of “the beautiful game” (I make it sound like a bad thing!) I also made sure I was able to squeeze in Wimbledon,  the Tour de France and see England complete a whitewash against a very poor Australian side in the ODI series. I’m enjoyed keeping up to date with the World Series of Red Sox and LA Dodger and been to see Grimsby Town, Notts County and Bury in this year’s League 2 campaign for no real reason other than why not?

What I’m trying to say is…if its a sport and I have the time and ability to watch it – I will watch it! Whether it be the world championship or a lower league game. This is because sports are real life drama….the story lines it can throw up would put a M. Night Shyamalan’s plot twist to shame. Furthermore, the main protagonists are not acting. This is no reality TV. A player makes an error to lose the match for their team? They can’t re-film it. That look of dejection on Modric’s face at the final whistle was real. That cry of relief when Geraint Thomas knew he couldn’t lose the yellow jersey was real. These human beings spend hours honing their craft for personal glory and for some reason, I and many others around the world get a kick out of experiencing it with them.

So what makes me a sports dork?

The above should give a clear enough picture of what a big part sports has in my life, but I also love stats and facts. Were talking factual nuggets that when you tell them to your mates at the pub they don’t react in interest, they return with a “why do you know that?!” look and turn to the safety of the other conversation taking place at the other end of the table. This is a common experience for a Sports Dork.

But it doesn’t stop there…..not only do I want to see who wins the match or race and the stats behind it, but I need to know and learn the strategies so I can understand and enjoy the sport at a deeper level. In baseball, why does the defensive team shift to the left for certain batters? How and why does sweeping the ice effect a curling stone? Some sports are easier than others to gain this understanding. Whether it be down to the general complexity of the sport and/or the amount of experience I have with it. I’ve watched countless hours of Football both on TV and in person but compared to Baseball that drops to one live game and a handful on the box due to living in the UK. This makes up the third and final point to the Sports dork triangle.

I’m not embarrassed one bit by my dorkness and can imagine there are many more like me (you reading this may be one). But I have come to realise that absorbing all this information both factual and strategic needed an output. Hence, why I have started this page. Hopefully over time, when I am able to, I can present to you my thoughts and musings on a variety of sports and issues which I as a Sports Dork not only find interesting but are truly passionate about.

Here’s to many more rambles.

For other sport dorks how love stats, I suggest you follow the Opta page on twitter appropriate to the sport that interests you the most. e.g. OptaJoe is generally British Football https://twitter.com/OptaJoe