NOPE!
The other night, I declined my friend's invitation to watch a Seahawks game on television. My friend teasingly sent me a text afterward, "How can you not be excited about the Seahawks this year?!?" The truth is, I've never been excited about football. I'm not really excited about watching competitive sports in general. I'll go to sporting events if I have to for some reason, but I would never come up with the idea to do that kind of activity on my own. I'm proud of the fact that I never attended a single football game during my whole time in college. While I was getting my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I think the only sporting events I attended were two college volleyball games.
Since my friend sent me that text, I've been thinking about why I am not interested in sports. I think that the biggest factor is that I didn't watch sports on the television as a kid. My mom discouraged us from watching almost any kind of broadcast television; we usually were only allowed to watch children's shows and old films on VHS tapes. Our television's antenna sometimes was intentionally disconnected so we couldn't get reception for the television, anyway. And, when we were allowed to watch television, we were only allowed to watch the PBS channel. Hence, no sports.
I also wasn't taken to sporting events as a child, due to my dad's busy schedule and my mom's disinterest. My mom also discouraged my dad from talking about the outcome of college basketball and football games on Sundays (usually the day after the game took place), because she didn't feel like it was appropriate conversation to hold on the Sabbath. So, despite my dad's own interest in BYU basketball and football, I didn't really have exposure from him either. None of my siblings have a keen interest in competitive sporting events either, and I assume that it due to our collective upbringing.
I did participate in sports myself: I played volleyball, basketball, and softball regularly as a tween and teenager. And I really enjoyed participating in those games. I like exercising, and I do have a competitive streak when I play. But I never liked watching other people play very much. And now, as a mother with limited time, I would much rather read a book, watch an interesting film, or even exercise myself, than watch a sports game. I have no shame or regret in declining an invitation to watch a sporting event!
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4 comments:
Ha! I'm glad you declined the invitation. I do think it's funny that so many people are now the biggest Seahawks fans since they've started winning. Also, I love that you live two blocks from their practice facility :)
But I definitely agree about the impact of your childhood. My dad loved watching sports, so that became something we would do together (and still do now) and bond over. Also, I was never very good at sports, but some of my best friends were. So I grew up going to their soccer and basketball games and cheering them on. And now, it's one of my favorite activities to do with John (since his childhood was filled with sports like mine). But if the Denver Broncos meet the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, I'll be rooting for the Broncos and will probably get run out of town.
I definitely developed the same lack of interest from growing up in our household. I think you're probably right about the reasons too - Mom's strict ban on non-PBS programming and Dad's busy schedule. Although since BYU basketball games are now broadcast on PBS in Utah, I think C & L might end up becoming BYU sports team watchers with Dad's encouragement.
There are times I've actually found it quite inconvenient to not have any interest in watching or discussing sports. Often, at least among males, talking about sports is the only common topic that some people find worth discussing. I've sometimes had to feign disappointment at a recent sports team loss just to prevent a simple conversation from collapsing.
I'm glad there are other people that feel similarly about watching sports.
We are the sames! Like you, I do occasionally like playing sports for physical activity, but I can't find the often abrasive competition aspect at all intriguing. In fact, it tends to disenchant me and mostly seems like a lot of wasted energy. I feel the same way about playing board games with people who are intensively competitive. I don't remember mom or dad ever encouraging competition, or even "healthy competition," do you?
I have to admit, my disinterest/pretended interest in sports makes it hard to relate to sports junkies and vice versa. Feelings associated with games are probably something I need to be more sympathetic too... Disinterest has saved me from the emotional investment however. I can't say I regret be spared from feeling dejected or upset due to game scores or plays. It seems to be a useful apathy so far!
I liked this post! I guess it's another peculiarity, but I'm glad there are other people that feel similarly about watching sports too.
I'm impressed you never went to a football game. Football is the worst. I somehow got dragged to a game while I was an undergrad at BYU. It was one of the most miserable experiences I had in college. I really dislike football to begin with, and it was just made worse by having to spend the entire second half hiding by the concession stands to avoid the sun (which takes pleasure in punishing anyone with the cocktail of Scandinavian and British Isles blood that runs through my body).
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