What is it with peoples obsession with sports?

[Amsden]

It's a lot of fun in groups, watching them is kinda dull alone though. If There are no parties or no one to watch them with I usually just follow the score as I do something else.

[Killington]

Everyone has different activities they enjoy. My old roommate was a huge sports nut and could watch them all day. For him the thrill was just seeing people perform amazing feats of strength, skill, and coordination. One of his favorite things was ESPN's top 10 plays of the day. Sports bore me as well, but I can understand why people enjoy them. The only thing I don't get are people whose day/week is ruined when "their team" doesn't win. Or rioting. I don't understand rioting because of something that did or didn't happen in a stadium.

What I always found funny is how people who watch sports at home will yell at the tv or get up and cheer in their living rooms as if they are at the event live. A Friend of mine's dad would do this, We'd be up in my friends room and hear his dad downstairs hollering and yelling at the game on TV. You almost wanna go up and say to them "you know you're yelling a screen right? they can't hear you" It's amazing how people get so emeotional over something that doesn't matter today much less tomorrow.

[Collegeguy]

I don't know. I think a lot of people only do it to fit in but they won't admit it.

[Deleted]

I guess that if I wouldn't have a favorite team playing hockey on my town (+ all the rival teams) I couldn't care less. That's maybe what's up with you too.

[Ultimate Gohan]

Sports is meant for awesome guys like me. If you can't enjoy watching sports, man u have a serious problem !

[obdigore]

Sports is meant for awesome guys like me. If you can't enjoy watching sports, man u have a serious problem !

So people who don't like what you like apparently have serious problems?

[Anakso]

I think it's mostly about the community aspect and feeling like you're part of a team, especially when your team wins.

That's the best description I can come up with, personally I never enjoyed watching sports. I went to a live game with my dad once but felt bored through out the entire event.

[AeneasBK]

What I always found funny is how people who watch sports at home will yell at the tv or get up and cheer in their living rooms as if they are at the event live. A Friend of mine's dad would do this, We'd be up in my friends room and hear his dad downstairs hollering and yelling at the game on TV. You almost wanna go up and say to them "you know you're yelling a screen right? they can't hear you" It's amazing how people get so emeotional over something that doesn't matter today much less tomorrow.

Yeah.... have you genuinely never felt that thrill when the team / athelete you're supporting performs something lucky/skillful etc. sometimes you can release that with a cheer, its got nothing to do with being heard...

Also, whilst most people who watch sports *may* not play them themselves (arguable but lets go with it) to suggest that most people have *never* played it is probably quite far off the mark... Not sure if you're genuinely being serious in this thread or if you're just playing dumb...

[Killington]

I think it's mostly about the community aspect and feeling like you're part of a time, especially when your team wins.

That's the best description I can come up with, personally I never enjoyed watching sports. I went to a live game with my dad once but felt bored through out the entire event.

Agreed, The community aspect is about the only appeal I can really see and even that's a stretch.

[Fiddlesnarf]

Heaven forbid someone actually gets excited about something they like!
This entire thread is stupid, just because you don't like sports doesn't mean there is anything wrong with people that do. Not everyone likes the same thing, deal with it. People go to live games for the atmosphere.

I don't know. I think a lot of people only do it to fit in but they won't admit it.

Or they actually *gasp!* enjoy it? Hard to grasp that other people have different tastes than you, I know.

[Zka]

Obsession is one thing...
But when idiots beat each other over which teams they support... Wow, just wow, some people have the intellect of an earthworm. OK. Maybe I'm exaggerating and they have even less.

[Deleted]

Yeah, I've never really understood the whole "watch other people play a game" thing.

Sure, if you are active in the sport yourself I can kind of see the appeal but I'm from what you might call a hockey town, I've been to a whole bunch of games in person (my parents live close enough that they get to watch the cops ticket all the cars parked in the middle of the street on game nights) and I've tried watching various sports on TV and it's just boring.

If you're just a regular Joe, what is the appeal? As I said, I can understand the appeal if you also participate in the sport at hand but some guy with a beergut, 20 kg of extra flab and a diet that consists mainly of frozen pizza, beer and soda, why do you care? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Competing can be fun, watching other people compete is boring (well, unless you define things like war and politics as "just competition" but there are actually things at stake there while with sports generally the only things at stake are the money people bet on the game and the players' next raise).

I can also understand why someone would watch say, an off-piste skiing/snowboarding video rather than a slalom race. It's about how it looks and feels (especially if you are a skier or snowboarder yourself and you get to watch someone "live the dream", this doesn't really apply to some guy who practices with the work soccer team twice a month, a soccer field is a soccer field, the actual play doesn't change just because there are 30k spectators and the game is broadcast live in three countries. By comparison your local ski slopes can most likely not compare to some of the more exotic locations that pro snowboarders and skiers get to go to, the experience is completely different, rather than a flat overprepared slope that you can ride down in a couple of minutes you're talking actual mountains that can take hours to get down from (and days to trek up) with waist-deep powder snow).

[anabolicz]

Humans search for reasons to act dumb yell and scream in an accepted manner.
Also it is a reason to be with the buds.
It's not so much about the sport but the company, drinking and eating shitty foods^^

[conscript]

It's amazing how people get so emeotional over something that doesn't matter today much less tomorrow.

Do you get upset when you die in a video game? Does that matter? No it doesn't. Different people like different things. You think some things are important, other people place importance on different things. Personally I can not understand the appeal at all of major league gaming which some people in this thread seem to like more than sports. That is absolutely baffling to me. In the end it boils down to everyone has different tastes. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you don't think there is story or meaning to sports though you are downright ignorant of the history of the world.

[Jackmoves]

It's not about the players, it's about the team. Players come and go, the team remains. It's a psychological thing for some I guess.
The atmosphere, tension, excitment before and during a game brings you in. The familarity and connection one feels with fellow fans of the team creates a group dynamic, at it's extreme it's a cult like experience.

[Fiddlesnarf]

Obsession is one thing...
But when idiots beat each other over which teams they support... Wow, just wow, some people have the intellect of an earthworm. OK. Maybe I'm exaggerating and they have even less.

This doesn't even make sense. You're saying people fight only because of sports. Ridiculous.

watching other people compete is boring

...seriously? If you cannot understand there is entertainment in competition, I don't know what to say. I'm pretty sure more people watch the Olymics than play video games, yet you would say one is boring and one isn't. Pure ignorance.

Competing can be fun, watching other people compete is boring (well, unless you define things like war and politics as "just competition" but there are actually things at stake there while with sports generally the only things at stake are the money people bet on the game and the players' next raise).

What the hell do war and politics have to do with anything here?
Also, sports having nothing at stake? It seems you are completely ignorant to anything regarding sports and spectating.