What do you want from sports fans? Why do sports fans have to be “wrong” for liking them, just because you don’t? I’ve played sports my whole life, and just as an amateur painter or photographer can appreciate the amazing abilities of world-famous artists, I like to watch athletes playing on a higher level than I’ll ever reach. So many people seem to feel that sports fans lack some kind of mental capacity because they like watching people play games. An important sporting event, like a playoff game, can give fans the entire spectrum of emotions in just a few hours. If you really care about the teams that are playing, there’s nothing like the elation you’ll experience when they win, or the anticipation of the opening kickoff, first pitch, whatever. When you understand sports, and have a rooting interest, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. That’s why I enjoy watching.
I guess I’m not expressing myself very clearly, or as someone has already mentioned, I’m not asking my questions in a place likely to reach the average sports fan. I do find sports boring and annoying, but it wasn’t my intention in starting this thread to attack the fans.
Dung Beetle, several people have mentioned the sense of community that comes from being a fan of a specific team. This is probably my favorite aspect of being a sports fan. Some of my friends who have moved away from Florida have met and talked to new people on the basis of seeing them wearing UF shirts. It’s simply one way of belonging to a group and expressing pride in it. There are lots of other ways to do this, I’d imagine you have your own.
Even people who are fans of other teams than mine are often times people I’d want to talk to. If I see someone wearing a Tennessee shirt, I’m going to be inclined to talk to them about football. I didn’t know my roommates at all when I moved into this apartment, but we immeadiately had some good discussions because they are both Miami fans.
Seems to me like you’ve found plenty of average sports fans in this thread, and lots of them did a pretty good job answering your questions.
I guess to me the peculiar thing is that so many people are into watching, and not so many into playing. If watching is fun, would playing not be even more so? If there were more playing than watching, that would make sense to me.
I’ve had room mates and GFs who belonged to the “football is stupid, how can you watch it” camp. When you understand nothing about how plays are designed, why a defense chooses a particular formation, what the QB is looking for in a passing situation, etc., I’m sure it seems boring. Anticipating the play selection and watching the read & react on both sides of the ball keeps the game interesting for me. I am biased since I played for several years, but I managed to turn a few people on to the game once they knew the basics.
I do find it odd that some people dismiss sports outright and yet will have endless discussions about the motivations of sit-com characters and reality TV contestants. To each his/her own.
I like the drama. Real people with a real dilemma, and a fixed amount of time to solve it. The dilemma is to win the game, and the solutions are never contrived, no deus ex machina is there to solve the problem for the team- they overcome adversity on their own. Physical strength, endurance, emotion vs. reason- all have to be in balance to achieve the goal. Sometimes the problem seems impossible- and sometimes a player will do the seemingly impossible.
That being said, like MeanJoe (Greene 
) I grew up in the Pittsburgh region, and the '70s were very good for the Steelers. It was easy to become a fan. What has kept me loyal to one team are the constants- the organization, the other fans, the sense of camaraderie (sp?) from getting together with my friends and other Steeler fans regularly, celebrating the wins and commiserating over the losses.
I can’t define the feeling I get from anticipating the game, watching the game, watching good plays happen, and ultimately the victory- it’s a positive feeling, a sense of deep satisfaction. I used to be in a bad mood after the Steelers lost (Cliff Stoudt anyone?) but I realized that next week or next season wasn’t that far off. It’s like being too late to a party- most of the guests are gone and there’s nothing left to drink.
I don’t factor the salaries of the players or their off-field behavior into my enjoyment of the game. I’m not looking for role models- I’m too old for that stuff and the athletes are just good at their sport, not superhuman. Not even Michael Jordan. But there is something to admire, something to aspire to in a perfect performance.
If you’ve read this far, I admire you for putting up with my rambling.
Oh, and…
GO STEELERS!
Why are they mutually exclusive? Many, if not most, people who watch also play.
Well, you’ve already admitted that you don’t play an instrument. Can i assume, then, that you don’t listen to music either? Because, after all, if you like music then why not learn to play an instrument rather than just listen to other people do it?
Do you own a TV? Or have you made the decision that it’s more important to live your life than to watch someone else’s?
And what’s with all the hanging out on message boards? Why not go out and talk to real people instead?
Your logic is flawed, in that you seem to be assuming that enjoying one type of entertainment must, by definition, mean that a person excludes all other types of entertainment from their life.
Also, as some have pointed out, there’s a difference between being able to do something reasonably well, and being able to do it at the elite level. For this reason, even people who do play sports often like to watch sports as well, and they do so for the same reason that people who act in local theatre productions like to watch films, or that people who strum the guitar at home like to go and see bands.
And for people who aren’t good at things like sports or acting or musical instruments, what’s wrong with taking pleasure in the skills of others?
My thoughts are pretty much the same as previous posts.
A lot of my love for watching sports comes from the fact that it brings up memories of growing up. My dad and I rarely talk. We don’t hate each other, we’re just not very good at talking to each other.
Unless we’re watching the Chargers play. Or the Lakers. I can’t really explain how it brought us together, but it did.
The communal aspects of watching sports are awesome. I remember in '94 when the Chargers made the Super Bowl. Good grief, the whole damn city was alive. At least in my neighborhood. People were just…friendlier. There was a sense of pride and unity that’s rarely present.
So maybe for some people it’s not so much the sport itself that’s interesting, but rather everything else associated with it.
Go Bolts!
I’ll take a stab at this, although I may end up repeating a few things that have already been mentioned.
I grew up playing sports. I no longer have the time to play as much as I'd like. I wish I could. I'd love to be able to have three hours to get away, play a game, forget about everything else. I don't have that luxury. I can watch at home, be with my baby girl and my wife (OK, so she leaves the room, but she is in the same house) and still be around if they need me.
I don’t buy the argument, “Why watch if you can play?” anyway. You learn by watching others. Kids learn, good and bad, by watching the pros. Amateurs learn by watching the pros. Its ludicrous to completely ignore how others play the game.
Second, you can't grow up in Indiana without watching high school and college basketball. Its a cliche, but its a way of life here for many people. The one team in any sport I consider myselp passionate about is Indiana University basketball. The most fun I ever had in college was the weekend they made the final four when I was there. There is nothing like it. The entire campus is watching the game simultaneously. It kills me watching them lose to Kentucky every year. I can't describe how happy I was when they beat Duke in 2002. It brings the community and state together.
I don't buy the argument that there is no critical value to sports beyond the outcome of the game to some fanatics and gamblers. The playing field is the great equalizer. Skin color, race, age, etc. is all inconsequential as long as you can play the game. Name another segment of the job market that is so thoroughly dominated by minorities as it is in baseball and football? How many THOUSANDS of minorities have been able to attend college and create better lives for themselves via sports scholarships? Who is more recognized around the world than Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan? How many close minded people do you think have allowed that first change in perception and attitude towards minorities to occur because of a minority that helped out "their" team? Sure, thats a selfish and poor reason to become more "open minded," but at least its a start.
Finally, I love pro football and just love watching the game. The intricacies of the game are more appealing to me than those of baseball and basketball. I would argue that, despite being just a brute force game at face value, it is the most intelectually challenging to both play and watch at the pro level because there are 11 players on each side with dozens of possible schemes and each with many possibble plays on both sides of the ball on each play. 95% of the outcome of the play is determined before the ball is snapped. The best athletes in the world won't help if you choose the wrong play, turn the wrong way or fail to do something as simple as start at the snap of the ball. I have had endless arguments about which game is the most "intellectual" or "intricate." No one ever changes there mind in those debates. I happen to prefer football. Plus I think seeing a wide receiver make a diving catch and still keep there feet in bounds is just amazing to watch. As good as any ballet, in my opinion.
Finally, I also get into Fantasy Football. This makes it more exciting and personal for you. Its like being a coach yourself and it allow that competitive element from home. I was excited last week when the Monday Night Game went into overtime and allowed me to briefly stay in my fantasy game. It was like I was personally in the sudden death game.I used to watch Nascar racing and that was about it. Why heck I dont know guess I was bored.
I haven’t watched a race in a couple years now.
I love Football though. Mostly college football. You have to back your team if you live in a college town. When a game comes to town everyone knows it. You cannot go anywhere without some event going on for the team.
Then I started a fantasy online NFL team that gets you into the spirit as well.
Its all fun. Good reason for a group of friends to get together have some fun and watch the game.
GO DUCKS!
Just give me a goodly dose of Sheep-dog Trials to get my adrenalin pumping and my heart a’thumping.
Now THAT’S sport!!
It really doesn’t even have to be an important playoff game. You should have seen the range of wmotions I went through on Monday night. Twice I had to take a quick walk around the house to calm my racing heart. What a game.
Go Big Blue!
Looks like this is one of those things I’ll never understand. But I did get some well-worded responses and I appreciate your answers.
My Dad is a truly addicted sports watcher, mostly rugby, rugby league and cricket (and jeeeeeeeez is cricket a time sapping game). For the most part I care not a jot, but on Monday it is the childs birthday. Mum and Dad have bought the child (and me, yayyyyyyy) a new computer. The plan was the child would go to sleep and the parental units would deliver the computer on Sunday night. But NOOOOOOOOOOOO HUGE problem! It appears there is a “CRITICAL” rugby league game on (ok I know it would be cool if we won) so dearest daddy wants to deliver the computer “sometime” the next day instead.
I can not fathom sport watching but it is my dads greatest passion, I swear the man would watch tiddly winks. He is in heaven during the Olympics and is salivating at the very thought of the upcoming world cup rugby. He hasn’t played sport himself since his mid 30’s (he’s 62 now) but watching it fills him with glee.
Although I sounded bitter about the “CRITICAL” game (go warriors!) I’m not . I will never ever never be able to watch more then the last 10 “CRITICAL” minutes of any game of any sport (ok so if we are playing the Aussies maybe 15) but I can appreciate how sport is important to some people. It supplies a kinship feeling, a sense of victory, a bit of excitement in the weekend (after a week of drudge).
Dad can’t understand why I enjoy watching silly reality tv…I can’t understand why watching fully grown men run after a ball is enjoyable. Those who supply tv programming understand us both though and birthday presents are fun whenever you get them.