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To me there are 2 aspects of sports... the competitive and the social sides. I played sports my whole life through 40. Growing up in a working class neighbourhood, sports were one of the ways to pass time with your friends. I moved into competitive baseball (GOD it's a dull sport to play, but it passed the summer), hockey (VERY cold practicing/playing on outdoor rinks), and basketball (warm year-round, and exciting to play). Sports were a huge part of my life as I grew up.
As an adult, even while I was still playing, the social side of the sport became more and more important. I had played on many teams over the years, recombining with other players in many different configurations. You got to know them and their families and tended to socialise together. For people who have played high level competitive sports, the friendships you make there are second only to family in terms of endurance. I have friends I literally see about once a decade and it is still like we see each other every day. The intensity of the emotional experiences of playing together is such that time does not erode the memory.
The other social aspect of sports is that watching them is often a social affair, a (usually) male-bonding ritual. The only sport I watch alone is basketball. Otherwise, I like to have friends around. The game is an excuse to get together, and the particular sport is less important than the group... even being with strangers at bar enhances the experience of watching a game.
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The secret to great marksmanship is deciding what the target was AFTER you've shot.
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