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How to talk sports
Yakkety-yak: Do talk back

You've gotta give yourself credit: You've managed to follow your favorite football teams without driving your friends and family crazy. You not only juggled college ball on Saturdays with pro football on Sundays and still made time for romantic outings with your significant other, but you successfully dodged the reputation of Homer Simpson while you were doing it.

But with Super Bowl XXXI just around the corner, your demure demeanor is fading fast. You can no longer contain your excitement about the championship, your grief for your team for not making it, or your feelings about Drew Bledsoe. You need to spill your guts to another sports nut or you'll flip.

So head for the big time: Instant access, via the Net, to outlets for your frustrations and places to hang with fellow fans.

You can moan about those damn sneaker emblems on the players' shoulders, you can pick up the latest rumor, you can do just about everything but slap your Net buddies on the backside.

Just pick your favorite way to get into the game: Web message boards, Usenet newsgroups, Web chat rooms, or Internet Relay Chat. No matter what your sport or team, you're bound to find others who share your interest.

Better still -- are you sitting down? -- more and more athletes of all stripes are holding live chat sessions. If you're able to join a live chat, you can query the players you love -- or those you love to hate -- as long as you keep the tone a little shy of, say, Bobby DeNiro in "The Fan." Chats with athletes are moderated, so a host will filter questions for the jock. For example, SportsLine USA hosts live chats with an NFL player every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. SportsLine will even letcha talk to your sports idol using Onlive! Talker, a new technology with which you actually talk. NFL.com presents its live chats with the pros at Cyberspace Showdown. Just think how you'll be able to drop a comment to your neighbor about your little talk with Steve Young.

In addition to your good buddy Steve, you'll find plenty of people who'll talk back. Different sports attract different types of chatters. For instance, college basketball fans are among the rowdiest, while baseball fans "are a pretty wise bunch," says Hank Adams, who ought to know, because he's the prez of Extreme Fans on America Online.

Wherever you go, read first, talk later. But hey, if you're a hot-shot rookie just itching to step up to the plate, try something like, "Barry Bonds? The best player in baseball? What are you, nuts?"

-- Tom Dunlap and Marieke Boer

Here's How - Click for more!
Click for more!


Here's How - Click for more!
Tom Dunlap and Marieke Boer tell how
to get it done on the Net:
How do I find people who share my interest?
How do I join conversations?
How do I talk to athletes?
Do I need to be an expert on sports to participate?

Snappy Picks

Sports talk sites
Sports Byline USA
The Fabulous Sports Babe
Deacon Jones Show
Da Sports Show
AudioNet Sports
Dick Butkus Show

Multi-sport chat
Nando Chat
ESPNET SportsZone Interact: Chatter
Extreme Fans on AOL (keyword: FANS)
SportsChat!
ON'SPORTS: Sports Chat
Junk Yard of the Net: Sports Chat
Wbs (WebChat Broadcasting System)
America's Sports Headquarters
Pathfinder
NetGuide Live Events

Single-sport chat
Fastball's Dugout Chatter
NASCAR: Racing Room Online Chat and chats with drivers
Total Baseball: Chat
NFL.com
College Football
Golf Talk
Hoops Chat!
The Unofficial NBA Chat Line

Sporty Web message boards
Sports Illustrated: Bulletin Board
Sportsline
Tiger Talk

Where nonsense tends to rule
Jamz Sportz
RSN.COM Chat-eau Relaxeau
Beano Chat


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