what is the deal with sports?

[ab28]

I see so many sports postings here, and it seems like society has a huge interest in sports, calling it a "man" thing. Why is it considered a masculine thing to be interested in sports. I have never cared for them, they are extremely boring, personally. So what is the big deal. Not trying to bash anyone, just curious. I'll catch a basketball game once in awhile, aside from that, PC gaming is the only sport I'm actually interested in.

[PickensSlim]

I have no idea either. I'll occaionally go to a local minor-league baseball game, just to socialize, but it's extremely rare that I'll watch any sort of sport on TV

Slim

[I'm all 67X]

I think it is a core element of our being: competition, achievement, improving oneself, pushing oneself, striving toward a goal...that kind of thing. Sense of accomplishment, building character, beating odds, going through pain, learning to accept victory and defeat...sport is a mirror of life, in a microcosmic way.

I miss competition. It is very metaphoric too, maybe that is why Paul drew so many analogies from sport and competition- primarily foot racing.

[mbtcforJesus]

I think it is a core element of our being: competition, achievement, improving oneself, pushing oneself, striving toward a goal...that kind of thing. Sense of accomplishment, building character, beating odds, going through pain, learning to accept victory and defeat...sport is a mirror of life, in a microcosmic way.

I miss competition. It is very metaphoric too, maybe that is why Paul drew so many analogies from sport and competition- primarily foot racing.

Excellent reply. Not only those things, but when I was a kid it was fun participating in sports, great exercise, plus a great way to relieve stress.

I don't participate in sports now like I did as a kid. I watch the events on television. When you've participated in sports you can relate to how it's played on a professional level. You watch and wish you could be as good as the pros are.

The Spike TV network has a show on it called Pros vs. Joes. This show features retired professional athletes competing against usually younger average Joes with some sort of semi pro or high school or college experience. I really wish I was 25 years younger because I would love to have attempted to try out for this show.

I guess you just have to be a sports minded person and I really think you could be born this way or not. I definitely was born with an inclination towards sports. I remember being a fan of my professional sports teams when I was 7 years old. I had an older brother who was into sports and I really wanted to be like him. My 11 year old son could care less about sports. He has trouble throwing a baseball overhand. I was the polar opposite of him when I was 11. I was usually the best in my class or near the best when I was his age.

Oh well, my kid knows more about science right now at 11 then I ever knew. He watches The Science Channel on TV and other shows like Man vs. Wild, or Survivorman like I used to watch NFL Sunday football, or The Wide World of Sports way back in the late 60's and early 70's. Interest in these things seems natural to him just as interest in sports has always been natural to me. So I guess liking and being good at sports could very well be a gene thing and my genes must not have gotten into my son in this department. Most likely a talent received from the Lord. I got the sports talent. My son got the science talent. :)

[ab28]

I have always been inclined towards individual sports, I guess. I have always enjoyed physical activities, but my things were long hikes, survivalism(starting fires with flint, building shelters, snares, ect), running(can't now, discharged from severe stress fractures), urban exploration(exploring old abandoned buildings, don't do this much, don't have much of these in my city), rifle and pistol shooting. I have never really felt the need to compete with people in physical activities, I'm not exactly built like a bodybuilder. While I love physical activities, my main aspect is the sciences. I have always been curious about how things work, I was the kid who took apart the toaster when I was 6 just to see what was inside it. Chemistry may seem arcane to an outsider, but it functions under very specific rules, such as why gasoline doesn't mix with water, ect. These rules make sense once you begin to understand it. Chemistry has merely strengthened my faith, not weakened it. Take for example, you can have two molecules that have exactly the same number and types of atoms. If they are bent different ways, shaped as a mirror image, or one atom is in a different spot, they are totally different compounds. The thalidomide issue was caused by this. There were two molecules that were mirror images of each other, but one was a toxin that caused birth defects, the other was the medicine.

[Hootmon]

what is the deal with sports? No idea.

I have no use at all for so-called 'professional sports'. Even the term is an oxymoron, IMO.

That being said, I do enjoy watching some amateur events. Stuff like the Olympics.

[frodo82801]

I like the push to excellence. Competition, if done right, pushes people to their best.

But, if I have the choice of watching sports on TV or participating at some level, give me my sneakers and away I go.

With the exception of NASCAR, I've lost most of my interest in pro sports.

[WVBORN56]

I live in a University town and love to go to Division I football and basketball games. I have season tickets to both. I grew up playing and watching with my father. I have the added enjoyment of going with my family. My wife loves it as much as I do. It is both exciting and social events for us. Since our small state has no professional team we also take some state and regional pride in our team winning. I am highly competitive by nature and that has served me well in business and also sports fullfills that need as well.

Your question could be taken to be mildly insulting? Surely you can appreciate that God made us all a little different. You may like going to opera or an art museum or wine festival. I would not like any of that but can certainly appreciate that many would thoroughly enjoy that experience. We all have different interest.

Certainly all our activities should be submitted to the Lordship of Christ. It is easy for many things to become idols including the sports god.

Our church childrens Pastor has zero interest in sports. He is an artsy guy. It would be silly of me to ask him why he likes art like there is something wrong with him for being that way. Maybe you could expand a little on why you are aking.

Our business recently competed in the United Way corporate cup. Grown men were vying for all they were worth to win a $2.00 plastic trophy. The events were ping pong, running, bowling, 3-point shoot-out, softball and vollleyball. The event was not as important as winning. It certainly is all about pride and winning whatever the event for the participant and the fan.

[ANewCreature]

I'm all 67x and mbtcforChrist have included a lot of what I would say in their answers. I think it's also an excuse for men to have something to get loud and excited and cheer like crazy abut, or to talk about and complain about, too, at times. Cheering for a team, complaining about a call, etc., allows us to let off steam without actually hurting someone we love dearly with our words, or getting ourselves fired for slugging our boss. Sure, we're supposed to always have the mind of Christ, but unfortunately, we're flesh.

I would argue that in addition to being fun to play when we were kids, those of us who loved sports loved the intricacies of it. Calculating batting average, keeping track of other stats, all the way up to maturing and figuring out what trades would work best for our teams, it helped my mind develop a lot because of those things. Don't know how many others were like that, maybe that was more just me.

Personally, I don't like pro sports anymore, thugh I listen about it occasinally and will watch a Packers game at my friends' houses, but I just don't like it as much. But, I love to see kids having fun. (You should see me cheering in AWANA at game time! (Hmm, no excited cheerleading smiley that I saw.) Of course, the boys and girls all like to cheer on the game lines, more so if someone else is really excited. So, that's just kids playing around, not really men following sports.

I would also add that sports teach humility and patience. That is because I am int he Cleveland area. Other cities may not understand the depths to which this is used by the Lord to teach people int his area. :lol2

[mbtcforJesus]

I'm all 67x and mbtcforChrist have included a lot of what I would say in their answers. I think it's also an excuse for men to have something to get loud and excited and cheer like crazy abut, or to talk about and complain about, too, at times. Cheering for a team, complaining about a call, etc., allows us to let off steam without actually hurting someone we love dearly with our words, or getting ourselves fired for slugging our boss. Sure, we're supposed to always have the mind of Christ, but unfortunately, we're flesh.

I would argue that in addition to being fun to play when we were kids, those of us who loved sports loved the intricacies of it. Calculating batting average, keeping track of other stats, all the way up to maturing and figuring out what trades would work best for our teams, it helped my mind develop a lot because of those things. Don't know how many others were like that, maybe that was more just me.

Personally, I don't like pro sports anymore, thugh I listen about it occasinally and will watch a Packers game at my friends' houses, but I just don't like it as much. But, I love to see kids having fun. (You should see me cheering in AWANA at game time! (Hmm, no excited cheerleading smiley that I saw.) Of course, the boys and girls all like to cheer on the game lines, more so if someone else is really excited. So, that's just kids playing around, not really men following sports.

I would also add that sports teach humility and patience. That is because I am int he Cleveland area. Other cities may not understand the depths to which this is used by the Lord to teach people int his area. :lol2

ANewCreature, I would calculate the batting averages too. I would pretend I was on a baseball team and devised a game using a pair of dice I used to call 'dice baseball'. I would play this at night after playing sports all day long, or on rainy days when I couldn't go outside and play. I would take a pair of dice and roll them. A 2 would be a walk. 3 would be a HR, 4 an out, so on a so forth. Then I would keep track of me on my favorite baseball team as well as the other players on the team. I thought I was the only person who did something like this! :) I would also make trades involving the favorite team I played on. Wow, sounds like you and I could have been best friends back then. :) Nice to read your story. I'm convinced liking and being good in sports is a God-given talent. Some folks have it and others don't. Sometimes I am sad that I can't share this experience with my son who has no interest at all in sports. He has God-given talent in the science realm something I never received. :)