Sports, whether you are actively participating or vicariously experiencing it, is a good-natured hobby; it allows for wholesome enjoyment for those that love the thrill of a competitive venture being thrust into their life. It can soothe some and help instill life lessons in others. Of course, there can be those that take the hobby and transmogrify it into an unpleasant and overbearing devotion, but I would think in most instances, devotion to the game allows for people to feel closer to friends, family, and strangers alike, so long as they share the common bond of a sport/professional team.
I don't deal well with hypotheticals, but if say, all professional sports(which I would assume could include the likes of sport equivalents, such as bass-fishing, rallycar racing, & volleyball) were to just crumble and vanish with the state of the economy, for instance, it'd be a heavy loss to a good fraction of the population worldwide that derive at least some measure of happiness, goodwill, and personal identification from the spectation and involvement in organized sporting activities. Crushed.
But, with all hobbies, if we lose interest in one, (or, we are forced by some mitigating factor to abandon our pastime for the betterment of ourselves and those around us) we can easily choose a new one to occupy our time to tinker. It is all how we perceive the task and whether or not to accept it.
exampli gratia: Some choose to be involved in book clubs because it involves a particular fondness of reading with those that are comfortable sharing their insights with a group of friends; it is a good hobby, I'm sure, but I would much rather decide to read on my whim and fancy in solititude and without distractions, such as taking footnotes to share, or over-analzying the name of 'Ishmael' (maybe it just means his name is cool, not symbolic).
Or what about those that partake in the consumption of alcoholic drinks at a get-together? I'm sure they find the activity relaxing every so often, but I don't rightly drink or smoke by my own volition. Should I just excuse myself? It's their hobby, in some form, to pleasantly chat and drink with neighbors. Just as you wouldn't like someone else shoving statistics down your throat, I do my best to avoid finding an olive with a toothpick down mine.
-----Added 11/10/2008 at 09 : 28 : 19-----
I can identify with this accurate insight on the matter:
Quote:
Originally Posted by northstar
I think its human nature to come up with games that test physical or mental acumen through competition.
I find sports to be a leisurely and social activity. Also I highly doubt that even if you dedicated all your time to it, that you could be a professional athlete. These men are supremely talented and there are hundreds of thousands of kids trying to grow up to be pro athletes.
Sports is an outlet, it gives people a team to root for and an identity to associate with. One can never be wrong for rooting for his team. With sports, we can pretend to be sure and bullshit with no real consequences. I can say, this guy sucks bla bla bla with full confidence even though I might be wrong. In politics, I can tell you that this policy will work but in reality it might not. Hell for example, I argued for the invasion of Iraq at the time but I was wrong.
As far as people who don't like sports, there's plenty of them and there's nothing wrong with that. Some of my friends do, some of them don't.
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...and expand on it a bit...
To put it simply:
It is all how you approach and tactfully consider the certain interests others pursue to gain an extent of joy, solace, sociability, overall health, well-being, determination, knowledge, et al. in which they use it for purposes of livening up their existence.
I can respect you not for partaking in the interests that certain sports-spectators share, it's not your bag, cup o' tea, that's quite alright; opining a dissenting remark of those who do, a la "Walking Sports Database Scorns Walking Sci-Fi Database", seems discourteous, and the whole of the declamation seeks to alienate others in the same manner as the people who have subjected you to a tantamount unfamiliarity on the subject of the wide world of sports.
We all have different interests and hobbies, if we share one, that's great! Let's talk it over some and compare thoughts; if we don't, no big deal, maybe I'll turn you onto one of my pleasurable pursuits, maybe I'll find a reason to pursue one of yours. Or we can meander around topics and current events, until we stall in the conversation, and I eventually start yammering about the nebulations and discolorations of the sky.
