Watching sports, I just don't get it.

I went to Penn State and I almost got lynched when I told somebody I had never been to a football game. They seemed personally insulted. "What kind of a PSU student are you?" I then stabbed this person in the head three times. I'm writing this from jail.

I do watch my kids play sports, though. This year my 4 and 5 year old boys played Tee-Ball and it was awesome. I watched every second of every game. I done the same with my daughter. Kids are so funny and cute when they're that age. One of the best times of my life. My oldest son is a natural. All three coaches said that he was the most incredible ball player they ever seen and seemed excited about his future as a ball player. My other son played in the dirt in the outfield and kept running the wrong way. lol I'm so proud of them. I'll take those kind of sports over professional ones any day of the week.

Everyone needs time to unwind and have fun on pointless things.

I hate when people act like every waking second of their life is productive, and they only think about the greater good of humanity. it's bull#.

I spend a huge amount of time thinking about the important problems, most "normal" people get annoyed at me cause I won't shut up about them, but there is nothing wrong with getting together with friends, having some drinks and watching sports for a few hours on the weekend.

TV shows , Music, Movies, Sports, books, they are all pointless in the grand scheme of things, but they also help us unwind. I'd hate to live in a society that looks down on pointless freetime.

I enjoy football. I won't lie, but I really only enjoy the teams I follow, and one of those I only follow because I like one of the players who happens to be alum from my alma which is the one team I really follow ... right? I watched him have a phenomenal senior season right in front of me, so I've watched him go on to have a really good NFL career, and I'm glad for him; he's a good kid and he's earned it.

But if I hadn't played some intramural flag ball in college for my scholarship house and then picked up NCAA Football on my Playstation, neither my husband nor I would have ever gained a real appreciation or understanding for all that actually goes on in a football game which really is something like a chess match ... with tackles!

And there is something really cathartic about being able to go into the stands and scream your head off like you can't anywhere else in polite society. It just plain feels good to do it. And yeah, when the QB goes up under center and then starts looking agitated and staring around at the stands and sort of squirming and finally calls time out ... you do feel like your voice helped force that call. So you do feel like part of the game, or when you are into overtime against Texas A&M and every time they win the overtime toss they deliberately pick to NOT drive toward your endzone ... you feel like your voice helped make that happen (still wind night so no weather).

So, yes, you feel like you can sometimes play a teeny, tiny part, and it's all in good fun. I don't quite understand the folks who get all depressed although I do shut off my sports radio for a week after loss. I go back to regular news.

a reply to: Shepard64

Hmm... Really interesting seeing that a lot of posters who played sports don't like watching them, I'm the exact opposite! Wasn't good at basketball, which I really really wanted to be. Im kind of a clumsy person, physically uncoordinated (unless I'm sitting behind a drumset) and never really excelled at sports while younger.

In high school, I tried most of them, but got bored with (american) football since the coaches just put me on as a lineman. Oh, just uh... hit the guy in front of me? That's it? Every time? Ok... I'll finish the season and thats about it.

The only thing I stuck with and enjoyed athletically was track and field (shot put), and weightlifting in the offseasons. Which was boring as snot to watch others at track meets, so I can understand where you're coming from.

Nowadays, the only sport I keep up with is the NBA. Living in OKC at the time, and seeing firsthand the positive changes to the city that came with having a good pro team was mind-blowing. Around here, College sports might as well be a religion, some fans go absolutely insane over it. OU/OSU rivalries have probably ruined marriages.

The sense of community and excitement during the 2012 playoffs run to the Finals is something I'll never forget. The only way I can describe it is electric. I'd heard a bit of the small talk the 2 seasons before, mainly during playoffs, and thought "Whats the big deal? Eh, pretty cool I guess. Whatever."

About halfway through the regular season of 2011-2012 I'd go to bars to watch the games on TV that year, since I had no cable and a bunch of hippie room mates at the time that couldn't care less. Every shot taken or foul called was life or death during playoffs.

And since playoff games were pretty much every other day, I'd try to watch the game on the night after, to see who would be the next contender in the bracket, but just didn't really care if the Bulls or Celtics won. It felt empty. Not "my" team. Something to pass the time until the next "real" game I suppose.

And that, folks, is the story of how I became an NBA Junkie. Wake me up in October.

a reply to: Psynic

Haha. Man, I'll never forget the first time I was live-streaming an NBA game, apparently from Canadian televison, and saw a commercial for the Curling championships. (Hope I'm phrasing that right) They tried as hard as they could to make it look exciting, but.... Come on.

It took a few times of seeing that same advert, and some research, to find out that yes, curling is real, and quite serious business.

ETA: Wow, things sure have changed in F1 since I last payed attention about 5 years ago.

a reply to: CloudsTasteMetallic

I agree with you on track and field. I ran track and field clear through college. I did hurdles, high jump and multi-events. Races are really exciting when you are in them or when they're a leaner, but the rest of the time, you only care when you know someone in them.

Never could get into watching sports especially when i could be fishing, hunting, camping, or all three.
Maybe i never could wrap my head around the herd mentality, athlete worship, and the fact that these people get paid millions to play a darn game.

originally posted by: mahatche

I hate when people act like every waking second of their life is productive, and they only think about the greater good of humanity. it's bull#.

YES!
That really bugs me too.
Smugness is next to holiness..