Any Guys Who are Not Interested in Sports?

[Deusxmachina]

I used to live up near Green Bay, WI and everyone is always talking about the Packers. If you needed to get some shopping done it was always good to go during a Packer game as the malls were empty.

I'm in Green Bay, and the first game I watched in years was last week because it was in HD and I was messing with GBPVR. Wisconsin also has the Badgers for college football, and I have no idea about them, either.

Pretty much the only sports I'll watch on TV are Indy car racing, (CART/Champ Car road courses is good stuff, World Rally Championship is the best, Nascar ho-hum), bowling, and a little golf. And I won't even go out of my way to watch any of those anymore. I like drag racing and similar, but I don't care much to watch it. Haven't watched the Super Bowl in probably five years.

I was talking with the manager of a store near Green Bay who doesn't watch football either, and he had a couple famous(?) Packer guys come into his store and ask for a discount. "Why?" he said. "We thought there might be a Packer discount," they said. "Sorry, I don't watch football. Who are you again?"

People sometimes think you're a little bit of a freak, but there's also plenty of people even in football cities that either don't care about football or don't care that someone else doesn't watch it.

One benefit of not spending much time watching sports is when your significant other makes a big deal about something else you spend time on. Then you get to pull the "If you want, I could go sit at a bar for 15 hours a week drinking beer and watching football instead" card.

Using football as a general example, if you add up all the hours some people spend on watching football, watching shows that talk about football, keeping up on fantasy football, etc, it's like a full-time job. Of course I can see why a lot of people enjoy it, and I don't hate watching it, but I'm just not into it.

Now, as for why there are so many people who still watch baseball, that one I have to scratch my head on.

[bgowland]

Some of my stock replies when people ask me about sport or try to involve me in a conversation about it in the pub.

1. Dunno. I'm not in the slightest bit interested
   
2. Sport? I've never quite worked out its purpose
   
3. There you go again confusing me with someone who gives a damn
   
4. Sorry - I'm not into sports - too many interesting things in life to occupy my time
   
5. Hang on a second, I'll just take my brain out......sorry, what were saying?
   

Having recently spent 3 months working behind a bar where much of the conversation from customers was sport-related, I've used all of the above. Strange thing is, I probably know more about the customers than they do about each other - when they find out they can't talk sport to me, they often strike up a 'real' conversation.

Sport, to me, is something that a whole bunch of people (who don't have anything in common) use to give them something in common. Very much a tribal thing in the abscence of tribes in modern day society.

Read and discuss. I expect an essay on my desk first thing tomorrow morning.

Cheers,
Brian

[stustunz]

its just freakin rugby i hate thats all we ever f$*kin here about in new zealand
so yeah add me to the list of sport sucks
motorsport is ok but not watching it id rather be doing it but dont have the cash

[JonnyCam]

Sport, to me, is something that a whole bunch of people (who don't have anything in common) use to give them something in common. Very much a tribal thing in the abscence of tribes in modern day society.

Just like GBPVR!

Do you mean playing sports, or watching. I don't think I would watch as much football if I didn't play it, and couldn't stand being a couch potato who just sits there saying "I could do that" etc.

Oh, and sports are good for you (playing the, not PS2ing them!)

its just freakin rugby i hate

shhhh. Don't let Sub hear! And it is world cup year. Surprises me that while Sub is on holiday he is has not gone near France.

motorsport is ok but not watching it id rather be doing it but dont have the cash

Yeah, know the feeling - the missus really wants to do rally driving, but can't afford another (more expensive) car for her to play in. Just had to pay $1200 to get my WOF today!

[bdgbill]

I would probably watch an occasional NFL game if the announcers would shut the hell up.

This seems to have gotten worse since I was a kid. Now they have two (or more) announcers all speaking over each other. There is literally never a single second of airtime when these guys are not speaking.

They should broadcast the games in multi-channel audio and give you the option of shutting the announcers off and leaving the sounds of the game and crowd on.

[mcervi]

No interest in sport here. I've never had it be a problem at work. Usually I just tune out those conversations (although around playoff time it gets kind of overwhelming) and I can talk about cars or computers just fine.

I do find it very awkward at parties. Usually the only thing a bunch of guys who are strangers will talk about is sports. And it doesn't help that I'm quiet to begin with.

[capone]

I like to play (computer, console, etc) rather than watch.

I guess that's backhanded way of calling people who like watching sports "voyeurs"...well, whatever gets you off, I suppose

[fla]

I once rented an SUV and drove from Montreal to Boston through the ice storm of 98 to see a game. The guard at the US border couldn't believe we were driving through this to see a basketball game. The celtics lost. In this case getting there was more than half the fun...

Nuf said...