Do you like or hate watching sport?

[zeroninja]

I mostly can't stand it: would rather play sports than ever watch them, cause even if i suck, it's ten times the experience watching someone else do it on tv will ever be. Not to mention, things i like electronically mostly relate to those i just can't do in real life, like throw fireballs as a mage or fly or travel through time.

That said, I do occasionally watch some things like the last game of the Superbowl. I find it mildly interesting and everyone else is enthralled so it seems I never escape hearing about it all the time anyways. So, I voted for sometimes.

 

[Clintos]

I enjoy MMA.

 

[EricD]

I love golf and racing. I compete in the former & fantasize about the latter.

 

[Gayda Collins]

I might watch a sport briefly if someone else has it on TV. Even then, my stint is pretty brief, as I get impatient. There are so many other ways to spend my time. I am a cyclist, so I enjoy (though don't really follow) the Tour de France, but I can enjoy watching it for a while. Otherwise, I like ice hockey and horse racing. However, I don't like them well enough to turn the TV on to watch them.

 

[abby normal]

there are few things I loathe more than sports in general. I don't even like the way they sound, they have an irritatingly "busy" sound that enervates me and puts me in a bad mood.

 

[Datura]

I used to watch figure skating, but always thought of it more as a performing art. Generally I just have no interest in sports. It isn't that I hate watching them, just that I have absolutely no desire to do so.

One aspect of sports that has always baffled me is the manner in which people identify strongly with their home team. The mere fact that they are based in the same geographical area as the viewer induces a strong feeling of kinship. To me this has always seemed arbitrary because the audience members have no direct involvement in the outcome of the game. Proximity doesn't change this. Despite this fact fans still act as though they somehow share in the victory of "their" team.

 

[Mr Allen]

I watch wrestling (and no, I am not a gay), Olympic Taekwondo, Snooker/Pool, Darts and 10 Pin Bowling.

 

[stefanos108]

I got thinking this from another thread, and wondered if it's common.

I don't mind playing sport (I don't love it though), but I can't see any point in watching it and I never have.

I used to watch motor racing, but I think that was because of the bikes and the cars and the noise they make, and I've got into foot ball matches but only if I care about the outcome, EG national team in the world cup finals, or the few times I've bet on sports.

When I have watched it I notice that my mimicking skills don't work, and the things I say to other spectators obvious stand out as quite weird.

My wife & I like college football, but only when our two fave teams are involved. Also watch a little pro golf, through which we often take naps.

 

[Full Steam]

One aspect of sports that has always baffled me is the manner in which people identify strongly with their home team. The mere fact that they are based in the same geographical area as the viewer induces a strong feeling of kinship. To me this has always seemed arbitrary because the audience members have no direct involvement in the outcome of the game. Proximity doesn't change this. Despite this fact fans still act as though they somehow share in the victory of "their" team.

That's always confused me too.

Especially when people choose non-local teams to support - how do they make that choice and why?

I watched american football for a short time when I came on TV in the UK, and I decided to "support" Miami Dolphin because I liked the idea of Miami (Miami Vice!) and I liked dolphins, but this always felt fake.



That may be part of why I dislike spectator sports - I was utterly confused about who it's normal to support, and why.

 

[the_tortoise]

I usually find it boring. I'd rather play sports than watch others play them. If it's someone I know and care about then it's different because I will be happy for them if they do well and sympathetic if they don't....and I suppose if I was watching someone play a sport with the intention of learning some very specific thing from them it would be interesting, but beyond that I have no interest in watching other people play sports.

 

[Lord Riot]

I love sport. It's a massive, massive part of my life and who I am.

It can ruin my whole weekend when Man City lose, I'm in a bad mood for ages.

I love watching the rugby, especially 6 Nations, I'll plan my whole weekend around it. I love the sportsmanship of rugby, the respect in it and the hard yet (usually!) fair play.

I still love to play as well, plus I'm in the gym almost every day. Two of my best memories are sport related; winning a football trophy with a team I captained, and rowing in head races in a men's 4.

Sport is also brilliant for bonding with my dad and friends and making new friends. If a guy isn't into at least one of football, rugby, rowing, running, gym or cricket I struggle to chat to them.

 

[MrSpock]

I follow F1 quite closely and will spend several days at a time watching snooker... but then I drive quite well and have spent a lot of time playing snooker, fortunate to have learned in a pool hall with some outstanding players in it who were willing to teach for the love of the game.

I will watch a bit of world cup, I lived in England for nearly six years as a child and have an appreciation for football, still I don't watch much. Any other team sport I watch is because friends have it on and I want to spend time with them. I had football (soccer) skills above nearly all other kids when I moved back to Canada at ten years of age, but didn't get to play much when I joined a league team because I didn't play well with others, not a team player.

Large crowds of people chanting together scares me. Not that I need to run away, but it seems to say something about the mob mentality and I can't help but relate that to patriotism. It may be a minority of sports fans, but to even consider that anyone might think that being a fan of a particular group of people is even half a reason to hurt people who are fans of another group is scary. Heil Blue Jays! Ugh.

Last year I watched several games of baseball, not on TV but I went to local league games. I did actually enjoy it too, but only because I really, really like one of the players.

 

[Ricardo L]

There are few things that I hate more than watching sports.

 

[LittleLemon]

I like to watch my son's soccer games, but that's it for me. I don't even care for the Superbowl. It puzzles me to hear or see interactions of people degrading their friends' teams or players. It also puzzles me to see how much football revolves around people's lives--at least in America.

 

[EricD]

I both play and watch sports. I'm a champion golfer, so I'll often watch golf to improve my technique.

 

[Questella]

Competitive team sports? No interest, can't do it, dont care?

Pole dancers (championships, competitions, etc) = awesome (it is classified as a sport) but that inspires me so that's why I love it

Anything with balls flying around, (golf, tennis, basketball, etc etc) no I run away, these things put me into total shutdown mode when they tried to make me participate in gym class for a grade (another class I barely got through but I was bound and determinedo to not have to repeat it so I skated with like a C. Followed basic rules on wardrobe, jewelry but would not participate in anything team, tried to do the solo stuff like jogging (could only walk back when) and calisthenics, it was only after taking up pole though was I ever able to do a pull up so yeah and yay and I need to get back to working on that... :/

 

[Roderick0616]

Most sports I generally won't watch. However, as I find Novak Djokovic titillating I will watch tennis from time to time. I also find Serena Williams very inspiring so if she's playing and I have nothing else to do I will watch her, but its not anything on a regular basis.

I wouldn't say, just because I don't do it that it is a waste of time for everyone, as I am sure people think a few of my peculiarities are wasteful and I wouldn't want to pass judgement on people like that. I would say that it would be a waste of my time to watch basketball or football as I would get no monetary benefit from it. Much of my "dislike" of basketball and football has to do with its pacing. So fast, I can hardly understand what is going on. Sad to think I used to play basketball in school. lol.

 

[8398]

Because my step father has football noise on constantly, I have a bad impression on it. He will leave the T.V on even if he leaves the house or goes upstairs, and it's not uncommon for it to be going on two T.Vs at once. And I have to listen to adds. I don't have a motive to watch any sports or T.V, but fighting sports sound the most interesting.

 

[DCA]

I do not watch sports at all. NOT at ALL. I find it all very boring & pointless. I'm the odd one out in the family, as everyone are huge sports fans. We used to joke that if fleas had a professional sports team, my grandfather would be the one watching. I tried to get into it when I was in my late teens/early 20s at college (I went to Penn State, a big football school in the US), just couldn't do it or get into it, faked enthusiasm a little to fit in with the rest of the crowds. This does alienate me a little from my peers at my age...guys not into sports is extremely rare, & doesn't help when a lot of the small talk is around what the latest local team is doing.

 

[Aeolienne]

Not that it is a sport, but love table tennis and playing pool.

Since when were table tennis and pool not classified as sports?

I watch the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon and the Tour de France if/when I remember they're on. Also acquired an interest for the TT after visiting the Isle of Man last year - mainly for the scenery of course.