Hating the Yankees transcends normal sports. All sane people on earth hate the Yankees, and so will aliens when they get here.
This could apply to most, if not all, sports. I prefer trick-shot competitions to standard billiards.
Barry Bonds or A-Rod at bat.
One-handed catches by Frank Gore or Steve Smith.
Fade-away jumpers by Jordan, dunks by Drexler.
How-the-hell-did-he-do-that saves by Nabokov or Hašek.
These are a few of my favorite things. 
That’s a strange way of putting it. Do you mean: “I like sports because I (and some of my friends) can relate to it”?
But, that’s not why you watch sports, is it?
I guess that this is the part that some people don’t get: Why are the seemingly trivial struggles (hitting a ball with a stick, throwing a ball through a hoop) of an athlete (or team of athletes) relevant to those who are not actually playing in the game?
I often use sports analogies to make various points about life: the struggle, frustration, dedication, coaching, practice, skill, goal-setting, teamwork, and the thrill, not just of victory, but of accomplishment – to do something that seemed impossible but was actually do-able.
Sports lend themselves to these analogies because they represent a microcosm that is narrowly circumscribed in time and place: Athletic events happen during a specific season, at specific times, for specific durations (even baseball and tennis have general time constraints), at specific locations, and with a certain number of participants. And the results are directly measurable, as a myriad of statistics. And, although there are often disagreements about the interpretation and relevance of various stats, the winner is the winner, according the rules of the game.
Anyway, I enjoy the skill, the competition, and the drama of spectator sports, but I no longer follow any team. I have no emotional attachment to my “home team” and I never refer to the team as “us”. I think that sometimes it’s difficult for “non-sports” people to understand sports fanaticism, especially fans of professional team sports. But the fascination itself is related to the knowledge of the sport, the visceral response, and the cultural context.
No, I like sports because everyone CAN relate to it. Not everyone does. I suppose I mean that I recognize the universality of sport and that’s one of the reasons I like it.
Again, not exclusively, but to SOME degree, yes, it is why I watch sports. Because sport is society, only better. Because it doesn’t matter whether you’re black, white, gay, straight, whatever- if you can help the team win, you’re on the team. If you can bash the ball over the centerfield wall, or hit the 3, or put it on the fairway, you will be cheered. Granted, this isn’t absolute, as Hank Aaron and John Amaechi proved, but sport does lead the way for society. You’re more likely to be recognized and accepted for your contribution to a team, by your team, than you are to be recognized for your contribution to society, by society, if you’re of a class that is discriminated against.
This is precisely what non-sport people don’t get. It’s not JUST hitting a ball with a stick. People who are willing to go looking for fascist overtones in “300” couldn’t be bothered to find metaphor in sport. It’s myopic.
But that’s not what you said. What you said was that you “didn’t see the appeal.” This is a common refrain on the SDMB, that there isn’t any reason to like sports.
I don’t like skiing, but I can understand why people like it. I don’t like “Grey’s Anatomy” but I acknowledge there are legitimate reasons why people like watching it. I really dislike fantasy books but I can see the appeal in them.
“I do not enjoy sports” is a reasonable statement of personal preference. Saying you don’t see why other people like them is a criticism of other people’s preferences, and it’s becoming tiresome to explain it over and over again, because we have this discussion on the SDMB every damned month and because the people who say it usually really mean “People should not enjoy sports.”
While the comparison to movies or opera is interesting, it’s also problematic, and I think the lack of appeal sports has to some is rooted in some of the fundamental differences between the two.
Yes, sports have incredible potential for great drama and unexpected surprises. But most games do not provide this. There are selected moments of tension and excitement and bursts of energy, but like most of the conversations I have every day, “unscripted” sometime means boring or inert. Yes, lots of stuff is going on, but it doesn’t necessarily amount to much, or the result can be disappointing and anti-climactic (but not in a cathartic way that drama’s “unhappy” tragedies can be).
Great drama aspires to teach about the human condition, but most great sports aspire to convey human achievement (largely physical, sometimes tactical). Both noble pursuits, but not really the same thing, and I’d say the latter is more limited in its accessibility.
Another important difference is context. Unless you’re schooled in the histories of the teams and the behind-the-scenes situations of the individuals, most of the players are interchangeable to the casual spectator and the inherent drama of a given situation (a streak, a slump, a comeback, etc.) is lost. Most scripted drama (with the notable exceptions of soap operas & pro wrestling) usually assume you know little or nothing about the characters you encounter, so they make the effort to orient you with the conflicts and personalities.
Sitting down to watch a game cold, none of this contextualization occurs. Nothing wrong with that, but what it does mean is that to fully appreciate a dramatic situation in sports, you need to invest more time and effort beforehand. Not everyone is willing to do that, and thus the appeal of most sports is going to be more conditional and less universal.
Also, a negative experience with a dramatic presentation can usually be attributed to something or someone–an actor, director, writer, etc. That’s usually not true with sports; sure, sometimes there’s a “goat” or a player or squad that underperforms against expectations. But I’ve found that a lot of sporting events that are letdowns (or at best, unmemorable) are such because everything more or less goes the way you expect it to–the favored team wins, the good player delivers, the early lead is established and never threatened, the so-so player chokes like usual. Given this, a truly great or transcendent game often proves itself to be the exception more than the rule.
I’d speculate that more people tend to watch playoffs and championship matches because they assume the law of averages is in their favor that they’ll see a competitive game. But many of those same people can’t be bothered with the months leading up to that, because they’ll see it as not worth the time and effort. A truly phenomenal game may come out of nowhere from the most unlikely of places, and such a thing is truly special, and the elation from that may make the previous few weekends’ same-old/same-old worthwhile. But not for everyone.
Although dramatic presentation appreciation can benefit from being in a group, I also don’t think it’s nearly as important as with sports. The energy of a full stadium, the noise of the crowd, the civic pride you communally share with fellow fans who are otherwise strangers–these add to the dramatic context of a sporting situation, often critically. I love watching baseball games in person, but rarely do at home alone on TV. I think the difference between seeing a game at home and in person is far greater than the difference between watching a movie at a cinema or on a DVD, and a lot of casual viewers (or “non-fans”) have a harder time bridging that divide.
So, essentially, while the “everyone likes different things” point is a fine and valid one, I think you have to admit that there are a lot more variables at play when it comes to enjoying sporting events than other things, and the accumulation of those variables make a non-sports watcher more alienated than non-watchers of other pasttimes. This is not to say that sports are elite or rarefied (obviously not true), but they have different barriers that make them inaccessible to some in ways that are unique.
I agree with you to some degree, but the thing of which I am sick is the attitude of “inaccessible to me = objectively worthless” that plenty of non-sports fans have.
I agree. People may not usually like all music (or books or movies or staged events), but there is some they do like, so at least they can partially “relate”.
But finding something analogous to sports is harder and more fallible, so if you don’t like that, it’s definitely more alienating.
It’s not something I addressed (except in a GD thread months ago), but sports I think also lends itself easier to “fanaticism”. There are some people who tour the country following the Grateful Dead from venue to venue, but they’re usually seen as the exception for music lovers. But religiously watching 3 or 4 games a weekend, every weekend, for months at a time and making the watching of this event a serious priority is not nearly as uncommon (though still not totally representative), so when non-sports fans discuss the appeal of sports, they often concentrate on the pervasive nature of this type of fandom and it’s that semi-obssessive behavior which drives the question. I know a lot more football widows than I do film festival widows.
I think this is important. I couldn’t care less about soccer, but then it has never been a part of my experience or culture. Baseball, OTOH…
Perhaps this is partly because they have been told, in effect, that they are freaks for not being thrilled that the home team won: “Hey, c’mon, why aren’t you excited that a bunch of guys played with a ball for 2-3 hours and one side did it better than the other? Aren’t **we ** great? **We ** are the best! Isn’t life wonderful!!!” The implication is even more pronounced when it’s the national team in an international competition. Now you’re just being unpatriotic!
Uh … okay. :rolleyes:
I think that some non-sports fans would be more accepting of sports fans if the excitement was more about how well the game was played and not so much about the “us versus them” attitude that is prevalent in baseball, American football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, cricket, and field hockey. And, I realize that, with all team sports, the fans appreciate a well-played game, even if their team loses. Stange, though, that there is sometimes real animosity between rival fans.
BTW, has anybody yet mentioned betting on games as part of the appeal?
This seems… awfully judgmental.
It also has very little to do with the OP’s question- which is WHY sports are appealing.
I’ve explained my take. I’m sorry that your experience with sports fans has not been satisfactory, but conversely, perhaps you are a little too sensitive about being “forced” to be included.
Sports are not like drugs in those 80’s afterschool specials. Nobody is out there trying to force you into it. We like it. We hope you do too. If you don’t, so be it.
Highly idealized, weren’t they? Not only did nobody ever try to force me to use drugs, I often had to expend a lot of time and effort, searching high and low, just to find some. Probably my biggest letdown since I realized that a red towel “cape” and a paper “S” taped to my chest would not actually allow me to fly.
As to the OP, I got nothin’. Never had interest, likely never will. Four of the most dreaded words in the English language to me are “you watch the game?” Missing a gene, I suppose.
You’ve never lived in Australia or New Zealand, have you? Saying you don’t like sports here is analogous to being a Communist in the 1950s or admitting that you secretly enjoy kicking puppies and giving The Finger to litters of kittens.
I was forced into sports as a kid at school, incidentally. I’m quite happy to play cricket or kick a soccer ball around with my mates, but I gain no enjoyment whatsoever from watching other people participate in sports. And I genuinely do not see or understand the attraction, and I really an bewildered as to why the majority of the Western World seems to worship sports the way they do.
On preview, what Alwrong said.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t enjoy sports. I’m just saying they should enjoy them away from me, and not attempt to usurp regular TV and Radio broadcasts to foist them upon those of us who have no interest in seeing them. I doubt people would be happy if I decided that for TV should, for several hours a week, feature Classic War Movies, Animation, James Bond films, and Badly Dubbed Hong Kong Action Movies…
Well, the purpose of this thread was not to argue the merits, but to explain why some people do like sports. Have we done that? You don’t have to “convert,” but have we at least explained it to you?
While we’re straying into hijack realm here, I don’t know if television and radio are government-run or subsidized Down Under, but here, the TV and radio are covered with sports because that’s what people want- that’s what sells advertising time.
So we’re not usurping anything. You’d be the one doing the usurping in your hypothetical.
Team sports often are. (Even in jest, the “I hate the Yankees” has a element of truth. And, how do you “hate” a team, anyway?)
I agree. And I’ve mentioned a variety of reasons why I enjoy sports.
I was describing what I’ve seen, not what has happened to me. (Like saying that I saw someone being kicked in the face, even though it didn’t happen to me.)
And, we all love each other, right? :dubious: Seems that you view sports through rose-colored glasses. Maybe it makes the playing field look prettier …
Hey (seriously), there’s another reason for enjoying sports: The spectacle and the ceremony.
I like seeing things done well.
I don’t get a lot of “game play”, but Riise to Bellamy to net is beauty. Three up, three down with a good battery is as pretty as a grand slam in the World Series. A 17 year old boy nailing a triple Axel is poetry and a horse clearing all the fences in the Grand National is a cacaphonous symphony.
Don’t let my flowerly languge fool you. I realize that, in the scheme of things, none of this means jack shit. But, damn - watching someone do something well, when that person has trained a lifetime to reach that goal…I mean, how can you not appreciate that? Maria Callas doing Carmen, Beethoven composing his 9th, Shakespeare and his plays, Oasis stealing the ideas that led to my theme song…Yeah, you have to wade through a lot of chaff to get to the highlights, but those bright spots wouldn’t exist were it not for the vast seas of surrounding mediocrity.
And if you miss it…
Well, how can you be a part of a culture if you’re not familiar with it? Not that sport MAKES a culture but it’s part, isn’t it? An art major unfamiliar with Muhamed Ali is as much a Philistine as a sports nut unfamiliar with van Gogh
Well, spectator sports serves a real purpose in US society. It is an activity which has the systems stamp of approval for males. Both the watching and the analysis of the game occupy endless hours which would otherwise have to be filled with other thoughts and activities. What would those be?
Well, there are other TV shows, sex, cars, and movies. These diversions, however, are already heavily represented.
There was a time when people read and talked politics. I can see good reasons to discourage these activities. Too dangerous.
I have noticed that men talk sports with their bosses. This serves a useful purpose because otherwise there is nothing non-work related to talk to your boss about except the weather.
Well, I guess you start a political discussion centered around declining real wages and the whole question of downsizing and outsourcing. No, best leave it at “Hey, how about them (insert your favorite team here)”
Finally, spectator sports, especially US football, encourage a martial attitude in males. This is a very useful quality for a nation which is constantly at war.
Yeah, that’s right, you’re better than us because you don’t like sports and don’t have a penis. :rolleyes:
Nope. Not to me. ‘Struggle’? Meh. You run, you hit stuff (or people, or both), you catch stuff. You try to stop the other guys from doing the same. Over and over again. It’s boring and I’ve yet to see anyone explain how it’s not.
Why do people like movies and such? Well, things which make me think interest me. So whether or not the people playing the parts are real, the characters they portray have personalities that may or may not be interesting or engaging for a number of reasons and the situations they end up in and what they do about them are all commentaries on humans and human behaviour. And plots can be interesting or funny. They can be about causes you care about or issues that matter to you. They can teach you other points of view; other perspectives.
I don’t watch films that are heavily based on fights, explosions, etc. because to me they’re the same as sports - a lot of mess and noise and not much interesting about it all. Nor do I bother with horror films - fear isn’t a pleasing emotion to me.
‘Reality’ shows, whether they are scripted or actually ‘real’, also involve people and their reactions to events and so also engage the brain to some extent. Game shows, OTOH, are pretty much the same thing all the time - people win, are happy or lose, are sad. I guess something like Jeopardy can be more engaging, but not enough so for me.
Music is pleasing to the ear; dance is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Few sports are either (and, actually, I don’t at all enjoy sports commentary or the shrieking and shouting of sports crowds).
So that both film and sport constitute ‘entertainment’ hardly makes them analogous. They are entertaining for very different reasons and the type of entertainment that is exclusively about physical effort bores me to bits. And no, the schemes that coaches invent to get their players to win doesn’t count as ‘plot’ - to me at least.
ETA - on reflection, it seems to me that sports may appeal to a very basic human instinct; dividing groups into ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ and having the ‘good guys’ ‘beat’ the ‘bad guys’. Again, not really a sentiment that appeals to me because I’m not fond of the ‘white hat’ - ‘black hat’ bifurcation of people overall.
I understand why other people like to play and/or watch sports, but I just don’t like either myself. I don’t think they’re stupid or that sports fans are somehow beneath me. Sometimes I wonder if it really does have anything to do with it being taken for granted that I’d like sports (or cars, racing, hunting, girls, etc) as a kid. True my parents never forced me to play sports, but my father did drive me to games and races (until one time when I brought books along and spent the entire time reading them, never looking up once. He was utterly humiliated and never took me again. Of course PE teachers have a tendency to try to shove sports down their students throughts and assume that there’s something wrong with guys who don’t like them.
With all due respect, this is bullshit. It’s been explained in tremendous detail, and if you’re still saying “Nope, it hasn’t been explained” you’re not being entirely honest in your response.
You’ve clearly already decided that people shouldn’t like sports and that any argument to the contrary is not valid. We’ve explained why some people like sports in exhaustive detail, and this isn’t the first thread where we’ve had this tiresome back-and-forth of some people saying “Sports and sports fans are stupid and there’s no reason to like sports” followed by sports fans, with amazing patience, carefully explaining why they find sports appealing, followed by the snobs responding with “Nyah nyah nyah, I’m not going to actually try to understand your point of view, sports are stupid and there’s no reason anyone should like them.”
If you still don’t like watching sports that’s fine. But it’s been clearly and very well explained why SOME people like it, and you should understand it if you can, in fact, understand written English. Since you do seem to comprehend English, you should perhaps ask yourself if you’re even asking the question honestly, or just being judgmental and elitist.
Watching sports makes me think.
See, now, I hate reality shows. I find them tedious and intellectually dismal. But I understand why you like them, because I can honestly read your description of why you like them and conclude that there is a reason why some people like them. I can think to myself, “I do not like these programs, but here Quiddity Glomfuster has explained elements of those things that some people find enjoyable. Obviously, there is considerable appeal in those programs. It’s not for me, but now I know what others enjoy about them.” Perhaps you should consider doing that vis-a-vis sports.