After you read this post, you will come to the conclusion that I am a rare specimen.
Like all young children I too played a lot of sports during my school days but was not good enough in any to get selected for any school team. I was also reasonably good at field and track events but again not good enough to get into the school team.
After I grew up I played club cricket and also hard court tennis but other than occasional good performances was not good enough to get noticed. I also played golf with a reasonably good handicap till my hips gave way and since then have restricted my sports activities to be an occasional spectator. I am not very interested or passionate about any sport and so do not get worked up like many of friends do with cricket or football. It is enough that I read about great tournaments every morning in my newspapers.
I however have relatives and family who are passionate followers of games and they keep sending me WhatsApp messages on all kinds of information about sports to which I do not respond at all.
So, sports hardly plays any significant role in my life now. I can’t therefore understand how others can work their blood pressures up following cricket and football!
I have suggested this topic for this week’s 2 on 1 blog where Shackman and I write on the same topic. Please do go over to Shackman’s blog to see what he has to say on this topic.
After college and football, sports were my primary form of relaxation. I did see the irony in wearing myself out to relax. I only wish I could have played hockey – unfortunately youth hockey in the SF Bay Area was almost nonexistent when we moved there and it was 10-15 years later that it blossomed.
Once my working life started, my relaxation was books which continues to be even today. Sports has always been at a very low level in my list of priorities.
I’m not a sports fan either, except for following the Michigan Wolverines football team because of Torben and Kaitlin. They drive the 5+ hours each way to Ann Arbor every time there is a home game. (Torben’s folks live there, so they also visit the family.)
Luckily Ranjan and Manjiree are not sports fanatics and so I am spared that. Ranjan was a good tennis player but would not spend time on training and stayed at club level participation.
the men in my life (from my dad to my husband and brother) have all been more the outdoorsman type.
back packers and hikers and such. give them the wilderness and a canoe and they were happy. as even the marine is now. he would rather kayak any day.
they liked sports okay but I never saw the devotion to it that so many men have.
the marine played hockey and baseball when younger. but doubt he watches it now.
and I live in a university town that FILLS with people on game days. but I like it! it’s very festive!
Such activities are just beginning to interest our young people as now they can afford it. In my youth, we could not afford such extravagances.
I have absolutely no interest in sport. I find the current feverish interest in the World Cup quite mystifying. When I was at school, I was required to play football and rugby but I tried my best to avoid any contact with the ball and hoped it would all be over as soon as possible.
As one of my regular readers would say, whatever floats your boat!
I played tennis and of course ran but I have no interest in spectator sports. I find the screaming rabid hockey fans here faintly ridiculous but I read somewhere that spectator sports were invented to stop men from raping and pillaging.
XO
WWW
Yes, I suppose that it helps in letting off steam but post match hooliganism has been on the upswing in the recent past too.
I should know lots especially rugby, soccer, netball, swimming, etc…but I don’t. That’s really bad of me, New Zealand has such a stunning record in many sports and a lot of the headlines are about these matters…
People often mention “did you see…?” and I think I must look that up on-line, but somehow it fades quickly from my mind AND I don’t look it up at ALL!!!
Criket and Rugby come readily to mind about NZ. It is not unusual however that one is not very involved in sports like I am not now.
So relieved that you and others are not rabid sports fans! When fans are cheering with tears streaming down their faces, and battling each other for better seats, (and spending a small fortune for them.) I just mutter, “Guys, it’s just A GAME!” So many other things to be concerned about…
It is just big business STLF! From college competitions on business takes over and gambling and advertising bankrolls the entire business.
You are rare indeed: this makes you even more likable.
Can you see me blushing Kaitlin? Thank you.