# Who is both an atheist and a non-sports watcher? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856 "2006-10-17T23:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/1 "2006-10-17T23:52:35Z")
I was flipping channels past a sports program when I realized, “Hey, I gave up watching sports at about the same time as I gave up God and religion.” Although there are many reasons for my being an atheist, both sports and spirituality have a tinge of “followership” that I find distasteful. I was religious and a sports fan when I was a kid. But at around age 16 I stopped both. I remain athletic, and can appreciate athleticism in others, but I don’t relate to being a “fan” of a particular team anymore. And this begs the question of whether or not this was a coincidence. Did the same mechanism that made me forsake God also make me forsake the Mets? So I’m just wondering if this correlation is present in others. If so, please chime in. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/2 "2006-10-17T23:53:34Z")
I’ve never been religious, really, and I’ve never liked watching sports either. I don’t know if that confirms or refutes your hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/3 "2006-10-17T23:54:04Z")
I’ve pretty much always been an atheist, and I’ve never had any interest in pro sports. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/4 "2006-10-17T23:54:28Z")
Huh… I thought I was the weird one out. I’m an atheist, and I hate watching sports on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/5 "2006-10-18T00:10:52Z")
I’m an atheist. I used to watch the Yankees when I was a kid, but hardly watch anything any more - lack of time more than distaste. ---
**Author:** ![Webner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/0ea827/32.png) [@Webner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Webner)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/6 "2006-10-18T00:24:09Z")
I have always been an atheist, and have always found watching sports extremely boring. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/7 "2006-10-18T00:28:48Z")
I’m atheist and pretty bored by most sports - except for my college’s basketball team. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/8 "2006-10-18T00:34:02Z")
bingo ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/9 "2006-10-18T00:34:26Z")
I’ve always been an atheist and I’ve always hated sports - watching or playing. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/10 "2006-10-18T00:39:12Z")
Ignostic (“I don’t know and I don’t care!”) and non-sports-watcher. (I _am_ pagan, but that’s more of a cultural and artistic attitude than a religious belief though.) I think the OP may have something here with respect to ‘followership’. I’d also draw a distinction between sports-watchers who play the game and want to learn and improve their technique and sports-watchers who don’t and just want to be part of the crowd, though. There’s something seductive about subsuming yourself in the herd and letting it guide you. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/11 "2006-10-18T00:43:50Z")
Me Sinjin ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/12 "2006-10-18T00:45:05Z")
Yo. I have more important things to spend my time on. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/13 "2006-10-18T00:46:15Z")
Oooh. I found some friends! Put me down as someone who is blissfully anaware of the activities of Gods _and_ Cowboys on sundays. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/14 "2006-10-18T00:47:34Z")
Atheist, and never cared for sports. If I had to guess why, I’d postulate it’s because my Dad didn’t watch sports either, so it was never on in the house when I was a kid. Dad was an atheist too, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/15 "2006-10-18T00:51:44Z")
I am an atheist and I dislike watching sports. My boyfriend is an atheist and is a rabid hockey fan. My father is agnostic and only watches the Super Bowl, much for the same reasons Lewis Black says he watches the Super Bowl. My mother is agnostic and hates sports. My sister is an atheist and LOVES wrestling. Like, if I say one bad thing about wrestling or darts she gets spitting angry and disowns me for the day. One of my friends is what was described as “ignostic” above, and has ended friendships over the New York Yankees. Another of my friends is a devout Lutheran and detests professional sports. I, personally, don’t see much of a connection, but that’s just because of who I hang out with, I think. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/16 "2006-10-18T00:51:57Z")
I’ve always been an atheist and I’ve never liked watching sports. I don’t really like playing team sports either (One on one games are fine). When I was a kid I attempted to play baseball and football. I was pretty good at baseball and almost always nailed homeruns at bat (I’ve got home movies of me knocking ball after ball out of the field), but I hated the game. I kept playing for a year because my friends were there and I signed up to be on “the team”. But day-yam… what a stupid BORING game. Football was worse. I hated that. I’ve got better things to do with my time than chase a ball around a field. I REALLY don’t feel the need to watch others chase a ball around a field on my television. That said,. I might watch watch Rollerball if that were a real sport. ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/17 "2006-10-18T01:04:46Z")
I’m more or less an atheist. I was baptised as a Catholic, and grew up semi-believing, but rejected it as soon as I started thinking for myself. Then my parents told me that they never really believed in that stuff themselves and only had me baptised as an insurance policy. I’m also a non-sports watcher. I _loooove_ watching them non-sports! But yeah, I’ve never had any interest in sports whatsoever. I guess this means I’m a criminal. Apparently, New Zealand law says that we must be absolutely obsessed with rugby and never talk about anything else. OK, maybe it’s not that harsh…I think we’re also allowed to talk about cricket every now and then. Oh, we can also discuss ‘rugby league’, which is apparently a vastly different game from rugby in every possible way :dubious:. But none of those topics interest me at all, so I’m continually on the run from the law. So in New Zealand, people seem to fall into three categories: theists who are obsessed with sports; atheists who are obsessed with sports; and **Mbossa**. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/18 "2006-10-18T01:35:28Z")
I’ve also always been atheist and have never been interested in sports. I don’t see where one has to do with the other, though. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/19 "2006-10-18T01:40:07Z")
Another atheist non-sports-fan here, but I think the connection is rather tenuous. (I have things I’m obsessively fannish about, it’s just that sports isn’t one of them.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Swan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Swan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Swan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856/20 "2006-10-18T01:59:32Z")
This is the dope. You just described 85% of the membership. I suspect you are drawing from a sample that will not be particularly representative of the population. Just the nature of the board. Personally, my interest in sports was bumped up to a new level at almost the exact time I realized I was probably an atheist. I can name at least 5 other atheists who are enormous sports fans. I’m still scratching my head as to why fellowship would ever be thought of as a bad thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-both-an-atheist-and-a-non-sports-watcher/376856.md?page=2)