Awesomest moment in sports I’ve ever seen. (Other than Super Bowls 27, 28, and 30, that is.)
dark day for bchad. First we find out he’s only 6’2. Now he’s no good at sports. PR disaster for AF to say the least.
^ I’m sure the other thread influenced his choice of words in his latest post, or else he would have typed: “Despite being tall, I was never good at sports”.
Yawn…
Interesting thread. I’ve been thinking about this as well. I don’t watch sports much either; usually only for a larger event, am at the game and/or know someone playing/competing. I’d much rather actually be playing the sport than sit there for hours on end watching others do it. My old roomate would literally watch like 8hrs of college football on Saturday and then 12hrs of NFL on Sunday, then whatever games were on for the rest of the week. To each his own, but I just couldn’t grasp how doing something that long could be enjoyable for anyone and he’s certainly not alone. I guess a lot of the excitement comes from how you were brought up and whether you have a fantasy team.
On the one hand, it sometimes does get a little frustrating when you’re trying to build relationships and you are essentially the only one that knows nothing about what’s going on during March madness and such so it limits the conversation at times… ugh…
On the other hand, I feel a lot better knowing I didn’t spend 10-20hrs/wk glued to the TV or internet checking stats…
Besides TF and BWYF, i knew i shared some commonalities with you guys. Imagine my situation where i played ball my entire life, look the part, and live in fenway but have to explain that i’m not a fan nor care about the red sox.
One thing that I notice (and of course this isn’t true for all experiences) is those who played competitively usually don’t follow sports as much as those who didnt. I usually relate this to the fact that since they are competitive in nature, they would rather be competing vs watching others.
bchad, i was one of the youngest and a late bloomer in my class so i understand where you are coming from. This is probably the biggest reasons i feel the need to be the strongest now a days, but i digress. On the other hand, i was a top athelete so i cannot relate to being picked last. ever.
^Troof. I had a bball scholarship to a hacksaw college, (had it not been for that, I probably wouldn’t have gone) and just shake my head at pro basketball. Those clowns barely try, defense anybody!?
Unless it’s a social setting where sports is the biproduct, I’m not one to belly up in my living room for a long day of womens’ softball.
Good viewpoints. My additional 2c based on the responses, mostly blackswan-
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“Overrated” doesn’t mean stupid or evil, just giving it importance it doesn’t deserve.
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Music and dance are more natural than watching athletes compete. Name one animal who watches other animals play (not court or fight.) But birds sing and dance.
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Maybe watching sports in s stadium or a bar with your buddies is a form of social bonding. But that doesn’t apply to watching sports on TV by yourself.
Isil - the Russia banner is not photo-shopped? I’d stab all of them Russkies too, if I had paid for expensive tickets and had to sit under a banner that blocks my view completely.
^
Not at all photoshopped, It was a match Russia v Poland in the euros and the Russians unveiled the flag before kickoff. That is the Russian section of fans and they would’ve folded the flag after kick off.
They were rumored to be stabbed by Poles outside the stadium because that banner is incredibly provocative given the history b/w those 2 countries. Gotta love the sheer audacity of the Russians.
What about watching a movie? Name one animal watching another one act.
Well, as stated above, I do think that human sports are just a modern substitute to tribe forming behavior. With that being said, what is natural for humans and animals is probably different. The natural behavior of animals also depends on the animal. Hyenas hunting buffalo is pretty much a team sport. I mean, they have strategies and there is a boss hyena. However, some other animal… I don’t know - giraffes, do not hunt in packs.
Humans are perhaps different from animals because humans have a greater capacity for imagination and projection. People support sports teams because they can project the team onto themselves. People watch movies and support the protagonist because we can project ourselves onto the character; that’s why the movie hero must always be relatable to the audience. Or when you watch pron, they usually don’t show the guy’s face. This is so you don’t break your projection onto the guy. Non-human animals, in contrast, have less gray fuzzy area in their brains and cannot form the same associations as humans.
I think it would be nice to be a male lion, as you just sit around and your many wives bring food for you.
But they can only last about five seconds before full release.
Is that a bad thing?
Though Lion stepdads kill their stepchildren, so that’s not much fun when the divorce rate is nearly 50%.
Amen.
I never cared for the equestrian events in the Olympics until I started riding horses 13 years ago. Now I can appreciate the skill of both horse and rider.
I like watching baseball and football, both of which i played through high school; I much prefer college football to professional football, however (without all of the millionaires on the field). In the Summer Olympics I like watching volleyball, judo, badminton, and tae kwon do, all of which I’ve done at a rather high level. Basketball and ice hockey are good for a flutter, but not to watch; I was never very good at basketball, and haven’t participated in any winter sports to any appreciable degree.
I also enjoy F1. Just 'cause.
Sweep The Leg touched on it a bit, but when it comes to sports, it all boils down to one thing for me: COMPETITION
Watching the best in the world go at it while trying to claim the number 1 spot just gets my testosterone pumped up to another level. Most males are naturally competitive, and I think sports creates an avenue for us to release that competitive nature without killing each other.
Of course you can go out to the park and play sports with your buddies instead of watching it…but watching it allows you to learn from the best. I think i watch sports from a more mental standpoint than most people. I love seeing a team or person out-think the opponent and create a strategy that just crushes everyone else. The way Jordan transformed his game and dominated teams with his post game in the mid to late 90’s is pure beauty in my eyes. He mastered every facet of the game and that kind of drive can translate to anything in life, not just sports.
My favorite sports are American Football, Mixed Martial Arts, Basketball, Boxing and Golf. Though most people think of them as really physical sports(besides golf)…those who really understand those sports will know that its much much much more mental than physical. I think MMA is the truest test of both mental and physical skills combined. Every move you make has to be calculated with precision or else you’ll be knocked out or have a broken limb.
BBall and Am. Football require deep coaching strategy and accurate execution on the field/court. But the bottom line is that competition fuels us as humans and sports represent that burning desire to be the best at something.