Sports Guys and Girls: explain, please!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

This is something that happens to me frequently:

Other person (usually male): Hey, Astroboy! You gonna watch the big game tonight?
Me: Huh? What game?
Other person: The GAME! You gonna watch?
Me: Uh, no… and what game?
Other person: THE GAME!! You gonna watch it?
Me: No… I don’t like to watch sports.

At this point the other person’s eyes usually stray to my crotch as if to check my gender… then they invariably shrug, and walk away to find someone else to talk to (who might be from the same planet).

OK, I am male! I am holding my testicles right now! (slight lie… I had to stop typing for a minute to hold them, but let’s continue, shall we?) But I don’t like to watch sports!

I like to PLAY sports; football (had a broken arm to attest to this. Advice from me: don’t get tackled during the winter… the ground is HARD then!), basketball (a broken pinkey from a badly-caught pass. I used to be fairly good, don’t play now due to an old astronomy injury.), volleyball (broken index finger), etc. But WATCHING other people play on TV simply has never interested me, and IMHO detracts from other, more worthy TV (News, Jeopardy, Futurama, etc.).

Now, I’m not dissing any of you for enjoying televised sports (he says, hoping to avoid a Pit-thread entitled “Astroboy is an AstroAss!”) ! Each to his/her own, I always say! I, myself, have some habits/hobbies that others probably would not understand…

But what, exactly, do you get out of watching sports on TV? Is it a bonding thing, or what??

I’m just trying to understand…

2

I definitely get more enjoyment out of watching a soccer/basketball/football game than watching a TV serial. I like the spontaneity of the whole thing and the competitive spirit is cool - even when i am not competing!!

And when I watch the Galatasaray games, that is a different thing. A life stopping event - if you know what I mean!!

3

Uh… um… the WHAT games? I feel stupid now, but I have NO idea what those are! (I said I didn’t like to watch sports… why isn’t there a “weasely-retreating-feeling-dumb” smiley?)

As for TV serials (which, I assume means soap-opera [I’m American]), I would sooner sever my corpus-callosum with a jig-saw than sit through a soap-opera!

Astrofiancee, however, holds slightly different opinions…

4

Sorry Astro…you shouldn’t feel bad about it…It is my arrogant ignorance (wow) to expect everybody in the world to know about Galatasaray.

It is the soccer team I happen to support. :slight_smile:

We won the UEFA cup and the European Super Cup last year, and we are in the Quarter Finals of the European Champions league this year, but hey…We are only famous Europe-wide…

Worl wide fame is for next yeari after we win the Intercontinental cup!!!

:slight_smile:

5

I’ve always found that watching TV sports is like watching a well-written movie or TV show–you don’t know how it’s going to turn out, so you keep watching to see how the situation is resolved. You can guess at the outcome ahead of time, then watch to see if you guessed correctly. That’s where a lot of the appeal lies for me, at least with the sports I like to watch on TV–in the making of an educated guess as to the outcome, then watching to see how well I did.

Although that sounds like I’m looking at it from a bettor’s point of view, I’m not–I don’t bet sports. Rather, to me, it’s entertainment, and if looked at in that way, isn’t much different from doing the same thing with other TV programs: “Do you think Daphne and Niles will ever get together? I think so because Niles looks like he’s ready to say something to her. Let’s watch and see what happens this week.” That’s not really different from something like, “Do you think the Broncos will win this week? I think so because Griese has improved and Anderson is having a great rookie year. Let’s watch their game on TV and see if they can win this week.”

Of course, sometimes TV sports are also a good excuse for guys to get together. For example, if I said to a buddy whom I hadn’t seen for a while, “Let’s have lunch,” he’d look at me funny. But if I said “Let’s go to the pub for a beer and a sandwich and we can also watch The Game on TV,” he’d probably agree in an instant.

6

I pretty much agree with Spoons’ assessment.

The main difference for me is the knowledge of an outcome. Yes, we all watch a TV show or a movie with interest because we don’t know what the outcome will be, but those involved with the production do. The outcome is scripted.

With televised sports, nobody knows what the outcome will be, or what might happen during the event. It’s much like the difference between listening to a CD and seeing a concert. The CD will play a certain way, but (unless you’re going to see some bubblegum boy group) you just don’t know what songs a band will break out at a show, or how they’ll be played, or even if they’ll flub a line or break a string or something. There’s an element of surprise.

Watching a sporting event always has that element of the unknown. Maybe this is the game where Michael Jordan drains 63 points. Maybe this is the game where Randy Johnson strikes out 20. Maybe this is an unbelievable comeback victory for the Jets on Monday Night Football.

You also have the freak things that happen, too. Anyone who watched would never forget the sight of Joe Thiesmann’s leg getting snapped, or Daryl Dawkins shattering the glass with a monstrous dunk, or recently, Dale Earnhardt’s crash.

You just never know what’s going to happen at a sporting event, and if you can’t go in person, you’d like to see it on TV. Besides your own personal memories, you’re guaranteed something to talk about with your buddies the next day. Often it’s also a good way for guys who’ve just met to talk. Sometimes it’s a little awkward to start a conversation, but you can usually bust out with something like, “Hey, did you see that game last night?”. Before you know it, you’re talking up a storm. Unless, of course, you just met AstroBoy14! :smiley: :stuck_out_tongue:

7

Especially if you are from Leeds…

8

The “you-never-know-what-will-happen” isn’t the best explanation, IMO. Because more often than not, you DO know what will happen, more or less. Shaq will get 24 points and 12 rebounds, Kobe Bryant will get 28 points and 5 assists, and the Lakers will win.

But you savor those occasions where you are surprised. Villanova beating unbeatable Georgetown in that NCAA basketball final. The Bills coming back against the Oilers in the NFL playoffs after being down by 20-something points.

In addition to the other explanations, there’s also something life-affirming about following particular sports and teams. Especially if you’ve grown up with it. It gives you a feeling of something you can count on.

No matter how bad they may suck, I know I can listen to a Detroit Tigers game on the radio every summer, cruising with the windows rolled down. (Sadly, it won’t be Ernie Harwell doing the game-telling much longer.)

You can develop a connection with your teams’ great players. Even though it’s not like you actually know them, it feels like a real bond. You come to admire the little things they do, and value the time that you were there when _______, or you were watching when ________. You can develop a connection with your team’s not-so-great players, too, admiring their scrappiness and tenacity.

I think this is why many people underestimated or didn’t understand the outpouring of grief that ensued when NASCAR race car driver Dale Earnhardt died at the Daytona 500 this year. His fans were among the most ardent in racing. They felt that connection to him, and they felt a real loss in their lives.

I got misty-eyed when Alan Trammell retired from the Tigers. I was in The Silverdome for several of Barry Sanders’ highlight-reel runs (including the one against the Cowboys when Detroit won their only playoff game in the past 40-plus years). The unreal noise inside that place, the sheer elation of all those long-suffering fans, united in that mutual cause … it was one of the great moments in my life. Really.

Hell, I’ll probably blubber like a baby when the Red Wings raise the then-retired Steve Yzerman’s jersey up into the rafters.

And the family-bonding aspect is undeniable, particularly among males. I think it was Kevin Costner in one of those many baseball movies that he’s done, who said, “When my Dad and I couldn’t talk about anything, we could still talk about baseball.”

Can I ever relate to that.

9

Astroboy, you attitude about sports isn’t wrong, it’s your responses.

When the other person asks, “You gonna watch the big game?”

Your response should be, “Hey, who would miss that one? Hey, who you for anyway?”

No matter what he resonds, your next line is “Hey, me too. What do you think their chances are?”

At the next lull, you say, “Yeah, but what about the coach? Do you think he’ll do anything stupid again? Do you believe last week?” (there is a slight danger in this response. Did you catch it? Wrong, every coach every week does something stupid - that’s a given. The danger is that if it is a baseball discussion you have to substitute “manager” in for “coach.”)

Next you say, “And what do you think about our injuries? Do you believe how many guys are injured?”

You see, your principles are intact and they have had a chance to spout off about their favorite team and sport and he or she thinks you are incredibly brilliant for agreeing with him or her about this specific thing. No harm done.

If, on the other hand, you go off on how being a fan accomplishes nothing but adding inches to the waistline and nodules to the vocal cords, what did you succeed in doing? Proving to another individual that you can be assertive and brusk? Well, that’s true, but what was the point?

What do fans get out of being fans? You might as well ask what do dopers get out of posting?

TV

10

Hmm… that’s a good point! But I don’t really want to have the right responses… I’d rather talk about something else (girls, beer, girls, more beer). There’s lots of other stuff that myself and other men have as common interests.:smiley:

11

Yes, but sports are the catalyst to the common interests. You mentioned girls, beer, girls, and more beer. Well, sports allows you to time to talk about girls (see the pro football cheerleaders?), beer (yes, I’ll have another if you’re buying), girls (you know, the young women who bring the beer in this bar are rather nice looking), and more beer (isn’t this your round?). :smiley:

Seriously, that’s one of the things that I find–yes, sports are good, but they simply provide the catalyst to subjects that we all want to talk about. Let’s face it, my buddies and I are great friends, but “just talking” isn’t really our style. If we have some kind of TV sports to rally round, then we can talk. I’m always in awe somewhat of my wife, who can just talk with her friends; I always seem to need some kind of excuse to talk with my pals, and TV sports provides it.

12

originally posted by Astroboy14

For your body’s sake, you would be better off if you only watched :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ve only started watching sports on a regular basis in the last few years. Mostly football.

In watching, you pick up obscure statistics, upcoming players names, and get to witness firsthand (via satellite of course) some amazing displays of athleticism. It’s only natural to go into work the next day and ask someone, “Hey, did you catch the game yesterday? Did you see that catch?!”

That part is comparable to co-workers talking about Survivor or Friends, etc.

As for the actual attraction to watch, that is a totally personal thing. Some just enjoy the competition, regardless of the sport or player. Some have home town enthusiasm and like to watch their favorite team/players. And yes, some just do it so they can invite some friends over and drink beer before noon. There are a hundred different reasons for someone to want to watch a sporting event, and of course, hundreds of reasons for someone to think it’s stupid, or not see the attraction.

The OP is right though, it’s almost automatically assumed that if you are a male, you had to have caught the game and receive odd looks if you didn’t. I work in a department with 1 other male and 12 females. The girls are self admitted sports haters, and the guy is indifferent. It’s frustrating to go to work and have this urge to talk about a game, and have no one to talk to!

I tease him relentlessly about it. After reading this thread, I guess I should relax and take back my opinions of what his hobbies might be :stuck_out_tongue:

13

I really don’t care about sports. Not watching, definitely not participating, and certainly not comprehending the obsession and popularity.

Dull dull dull. I do not care a singular jot.

14

Probably true, Soul… but of the injuries listed, the one that was the most serious was the mentioned “old astronomy injury” :smiley:

15

I watch baseball. It’s not a pasttime, it’s an obsession. I’m on the baseball boards at fanhome.com, where we passionately discuss trades that will never happen!!

Christ, I will stop and watch softball games.

But any other sport leaves me scratching my head. Like boxing. Once at work, my former manager asked who I was rooting for in a fight on pay-tv. I told him I didn’t understand what people see in boxing. He said, and I quote, ‘It’s a guy thing’.

I nearly killed him.(I’m a guy).

To sum up:
Baseball good!
Other sports baaad.

So when they ask you if you’re watching the big game, just say ‘It’s not my game’.

16

I dig most sports…well okay, I confine my TV watching and live sports to:

Football - TV and Live
Hockey - TV and Live
Baseball - Live
Autoracing - TV and Live

Being a fan (short for fanatic) for some is because you have a common ground to hope for a win. I also find that most sports bridge a gap between all kinds of people. Take going to a professional football game. I love to watch the game but before, during breaks and after I love to see people of all races, all social classes, etc coming to support something when they otherwise have nothing in common.

Also, understanding the sport very much helps. If you understand the underlying parts of a sport. Say, autoracing, they have cumulative points in most racing series. There is more strategy involved than the average person sees.

For me, I was brought up around football, for some reason I always wanted to be a race car driver, hockey goes back to my high school years and baseball – well it must be seen live to appreciate it. It’s also common grounds for my father and myself. I am probably a bigger sports fan than either of my brothers.
To each their own. :slight_smile:

17

I also cannot get into pro sports. I guess its because I cannot identify with the athletes-to me they are millionaires, who have as much to do with me, as the man in the moon. I can’t really get excited about some guy who lives a life of luxury, and wants me to part with more of my hard earned money.

18

EG, what about college sports? I’ll admit to a certain amount of disenchantment with the NBA but nothing gets me as excited as college basketball, I love it both live and on tv even with the loss of talent from so many underclassmen leaving early and high school kids going pro.