I recognize that the majority of America (and maybe most other places) likes sports. I don’t give much of a crap about sports, although occasionally I’ll watch something if it’s on, or if I’m there in person getting drunk with some friends. There are even sports that I like and will actively seek out, though they’re not the ones aired on TV for the most part (wrestling, sumo, sometimes lacrosse, occasionally soccer maybe). This inevitably leaves me out of a lot of conversations, so it’s kind of bizarre standing on the outside of this and seeing just how much social interaction revolves around which player put what object where.
The thing is, I realize that there are a crapload of people who aren’t into sports because they never played them. Though I assume that this number is smaller than those who watch sports, I at least understand why those people aren’t into it. You never played, it doesn’t matter, it makes sense. But I wonder how many are like me, a person who played all kinds of sports for 20+ years, everything from football to frisbee, and still doesn’t give a crap about watching them.
So where do you fall on the liking sports spectrum, given your background with them? The poll options are generalities, so put yourself in where you think you fit the best.
Don’t watch sports. Did not play sports besides a couple of summers as a less-than-mediocre Little League player. Loathe sports. On the boring scale, they rank at infinity doubled.
I’ve played a wide variety of sports for my entire life, competed at the national level in one sport, and competed at the international level at another sport.
Most spectator sports bore me to tears. I don’t see the point in knocking around balls or pieces of rubber, or in carrying them over chalk lines on the ground. I also have no interest in anything involving team effort.
The “sports” I do like doing are outdoor activities I can do on my own, e.g., swimming, cycling, horseback riding, hiking, camping, archery, and target shooting.
I also enjoy watching things like figure skating and gymnastics, since I have great respect for anyone with such refined skills and the amount of effort they put into mastering them. The same is true of auto racing and aerobatics (my dream is still to get a pilot’s license and fly myself).
Bowling is fun, good exercise, and also requires a lot of skill. It can be interesting to watch when the bowler is really, really good. (I once saw a guy miss a perfect game by one pin in the last frame. The tension in the room was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.)
I hear that golf is better than sex, but I would try it primarily for the fresh air and sunshine. (I hear the same thing about skydiving, but I’m not crazy enough to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.)
Fencing and martial arts are two other sports that have always interested me, mainly because they have survival value. I also used to play a fair game of chess, which is probably the best form of mental exercise ever.
I played a variety of sports as a kid, up through intramurals in college, base leagues the Air Force, and more intramurals in law school.
The only thing I’m somewhat fanatical about watching is football. I love the NFL and college, particularly the SEC. I don’t care about basketball, barely follow baseball, and only watch a little bit of soccer.
I don’t understand why it’s included on the news, never have. Maybe final tournaments or the Olympics, I could see. But high school girls basketball? Really?
Yes, I understand people like to see their kid on the local news, but it has always seemed to me it should be a separate thing from ‘news’. When they came out with an all sports network, I thought it was awesome, but sports still clutter the other channels most weekends.
Don’t misunderstand, while I don’t play I can see the interest and enjoyment of others, that’s great! I’ll watch you play baseball, etc, you have my full support. But news? Um, no.
Hubby will spend hours watching televised curling. Seriously? How is this not watching people shout at rocks? And I have curled, it’s fun! But on TV? Spectating? Baffling!
I voted “don’t watch” but that doesn’t mean I don’t see sports on TV. My husband likes to watch and if there’s a football game on while I’m knitting, I may follow what’s going on. But if I’m in control of the remote, I’d never select sports. Just doesn’t appeal.
Eons ago when I played tennis in school, I’d watch tennis on TV - that lasted maybe 2 years.
I like going to minor league baseball games, but I can’t think of any other sport I’d pay money to see.
Played organized baseball for 13 years, basketball for five, soccer and roller hockey for a year or two. Wanted to play football, but there were no teams around me that I was eligible to play for (my neighborhood had a CYO team, but I couldn’t play for them since I’m not Catholic nor did I attend Catholic school) until my junior year of high school. I figured it was a little too late to start playing by then plus my school had one of the top football teams in the area at the time and making the cut was an extreme longshot.
Growing up, I’d hoped to play baseball in college or maybe even beyond but my right shoulder, both knees, and eventually opposing batters (I played many different positions, but pitcher was the best and would decide how far I made it) had other ideas.
I’ve always been a big sports fan. When it became obvious that I wasn’t going to be able to play sports for a living, I set my sights on becoming a sportscaster. That didn’t quite work out, but I do currently have a sports-related job. I still follow all of the Philadelphia teams and watch pretty much all of their games. I don’t, however, live vicariously through them. I’m happy when the teams I like win and disappointed when they lose, but that’s where it ends. It doesn’t carry over to my personal life.
Played sports a lot growing up, and was a huge baseball watcher as well. About 10 or so years ago, I realized that I don’t really care which group of assembled mercenaries beats the other. It was a slow process, but seeing players shuffle from team to team made it all seem so pointless. I remember when the World Series champion Florida Marlins were utterly disassembled right after they won. Rooting for a team became just like rooting for the General Manager, the guy who makes the wheeling and dealing, because players are mostly just self-interested commodities who go for the best deal. I can’t blame them, but it ruins the whole “team” aspect, and I simply lost interest.
Nowadays, I still play sports occasionally (basketball, tennis, ultimate frisbee), but the only one I follow is tennis. Roger Federer remains Roger Federer; it’s not like he’s suddenly playing as Andy Murray. It’s much easier to root for or against something if they’re a consistent entity. Also, a bit contrary to the OP, I like watching a sport I play, as I can appreciate the details more and maybe learn something.
I don’t play sports because I’m a lazy bum, but I love watching them. I was up at 6:30 yesterday morning so I could watch Bayern Munich’s match live instead of on replay. I mostly watch soccer and football, some baseball. I’ll also watch hockey and NCAA basketball (I hate the NBA) if there’s nothing else going on, though I don’t really care so much for those sports. I hate golf and auto racing, but everything else is at least tolerable. With Euro 2012 and the Olympics, last summer was heaven.
This, so very much. It just isn’t news. Why not also report what happened on HIMYM?!
Anyway, the “sports” I like I don’t really enjoy in any sporting way, and you couldn’t pay me to watch other people do that. Why would I look at another person ride a horse? Or stranger still, a bicycle? That’s just weird. Like watching other people eat or read or something
I went with “I don’t play sports and I don’t watch sports”, because I don’t think of what I do as “sport”.
