Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports • Hacker News Board

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#311

Post by eclipxe » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:10 PM UTC

toolz wrote: post #153

rinon wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are sports unhealthy? They are in fact extremely healthy, in the physical sense. Professional sports are simply an outgrowth of more "natural" sporting activities. Sports, even the professional variety, are not carefully engineered social prisons, but an evolution of natural human activities: physical activity and training combined with competition and the desire to observe others who are better than one's self.…

Professional sports are anything but healthy, as soon as competition is even remotely recognized and praised illicit drugs come onto the scene. As for a more idealistic world and my choice, I never even hinted at trying to legislate your ability to do what you want, but if you want me to clap and jump up and down and pick a favorite team because a bunch of grown people make ridiculous sums of money doing absolutely n…

I think your argument would get more consideration if you didn't come off as condescending and holier-than-thou. You should read the article, it's talking about you.

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#312

Post by Rapzid » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:10 PM UTC

chrischen wrote: post #22

I have friends who aren't into sports, but follow e-sports as if it were a physical sport. I can't get into either though. I think it has more to do than intellectuals not liking spectating sports.

I'm the same way. I love playing sports personally. I'm more into individual sports like racket, cycling, etc, though I have played soccer and such way back. But I just can't really get into spectating and never had. For me I'd much rather be doing my own thing than watching somebody else do theirs; I lose interest pretty quickly. That includes both e-sports and physical sports. I'll enjoy the odd game day BBQ and beers with the guys though.

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#313

Post by blhack » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:11 PM UTC

This is really an interesting thing to see.

I live in Phoenix, AZ. Which is where the superbowl is taking place. There are literally ads for it EVERYWHERE.

And yet I still meet people who aren't just ignorant of what is going on[1], but seemingly proud of their ignorance.

[1]Of course some people might just not know what is going on, or assume it's just another big sporting event and not really recognize that this one is especially significant.

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#314

Post by canvia » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:11 PM UTC

There are several reasons why I dislike sports.

Professional sports are expensive and inefficient forms of entertainment. What is your cost (and opportunity cost) per hour for sports? Compared to films, books, video games, or board games you are burning money/time on a completely passive experience. When was the last time you learned something about yourself or others while watching a sporting event? Do they cause you to think at all?

Sports create an "us VS them" mentality that creates division. I much prefer following space exploration in which the opponent is objective based and nature itself.

Live events are used as delivery mechanisms for the marketing of inferior products like fast food restaurants, poor quality beers, fashion brands, processed foods, etc. The mentality that "I must watch it live" is constantly reenforced, requiring consumption of marketing. The phenomenon of the sports bar further encourages consumption of unhealthy food and poor quality beer (leading to drinking and driving).

For those reasons I no longer watch any sporting events. Now I watch eSports on Twitch to get my dose of live entertainment.

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#315

Post by Ar-Curunir » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:13 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #97

ssalazar wrote: post #42

People tend to view football as a bunch of dumb lugs pushing each other around, but theres crazy amounts of raw physical strength, finesse, and smarts involved. Each play might involve linemen pushing defenders one way or another to mislead them just long enough to let the ball carrier run through. Watching a great run play unfold is truly amazing, especially at the professional level where the players are basically…

I think you might be onto something. I still find sport boring, though I recall my interest in soccer increasing when I was learning things about game strategies. Maybe simply some of us derive pleasure from the aspects that are non-obvious first time you watch a match on TV.

I would recommend Inverting the Pyramid, it is a fascinating journey through the history of footie tactics.

Also, often it's difficult to gauge what's happening in a football match from watching on TV. Going to a game allows you a clearer view of how the match is progressing.

However, after watching enough matches, you can pretty soon see patterns and tactics and styles of each team, and it gets pretty fascinating.

And then of course there's the ability of the players to dazzle individually, either via great passing or with tricks or great tackles or an outstanding save.

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#316

Post by WalterBright » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:15 PM UTC

toby wrote: post #259

kulak wrote: post #243

To my ears, this "cultivated disinterest" label comes off as something of a cheap stereotype. Simply put, not everyone who lacks interest in professional sports nurtures a "cultivated distinterest" in the subject, nor are we driven by some need to display this disinterest as some kind of marker of class rank or intellectual superiority. We simply lack interest in the subject, period. And when pressed on the subject,…

I think what he's referring to is people who are proud of their ignorance, which it doesn't sound like you are doing. You've certainly encountered people who believe saying things like "Oh, I don't even know who Kim Kardashian is" or "I haven't read a book since college" is bragging.

Or my favorite "say that in English".

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#317

Post by pjwal » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:16 PM UTC

SapphireSun wrote: post #296

remarkEon wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I love sports, but every time I watch or support them I feel like I'm destroying civil society and undermining democracy and helping to destroy the last vestiges of effective public education. Hyperbole. In a lot of ways, sports can bring a city or group together in ways that other events can't. I feel like this is where I have to make the usual acknowledgement that yes of course the NFL is run by a bunch of morons…

It's the coming together / tribalism part that unnerves me. There's no rational reason for people to get so excited about it, so it rubs me the wrong way the same way most political rallies do. Small scale sports don't have quite the same effect on me, but large heavily marketed ones do as there is a pressure to conform (i.e. care, participate, hold certain opinions that positively reflect on the enterprise).

"tribalism part that unnerves me... it rubs me the wrong way the same way most political rallies do"

Jr, ear muffs! "U! C! L! A! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Yeah...I'm not quite getting how this invokes visions of Nuremberg, may I politely suggest a bit of therapy perhaps?

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#318

Post by spydum » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:16 PM UTC

chez17 wrote: post #115

solson wrote: post #20

When you show overt contempt for sports you are showing contempt for most everybody and that is problem with your social skills. It's called being a snob. The disdain for working class culture among academics was part of the reason I choose not to pursue a formal higher education. I suspect this overt snootiness keeps many gifted working class kids from participating in higher education. I grew up working class and w…

So I'm not allowed to dislike sports? It makes me a snob?

You are allowed to dislike sports, even hate sports.

What you shouldn't do is brag about your ignorance or dislike/hate of it as a way of projecting your status.

I don't follow baseball or most sports, but folks might ask me about so-and-so team, and my response is often "Oh, I don't really follow X, but ".

As the article points out, for most folks just exhibiting how much you dont care to follow sports ends the conversation, and makes you seem somewhat snobbish and like you don't want to engage on any topic. However, expressing it in a more open way, where you then volley back an alternative topic keeps the conversation alive.

Heck, even if you dont follow or don't care about the topic, the other person apparently does -- so try not to be too dismissive or indifferent..

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#319

Post by aaron-lebo » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:16 PM UTC

rational-future wrote: post #308

aaron-lebo wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say that as though modern politics isn't a bunch of people mindlessly rooting for their favorite team.

No, it's not. What you describe is the political theater - another form of circus. All decisions are made behind closed doors by very smart people.

The owners and general managers who run sports franchises aren't just as adept?

What is the difference?

Re: Cultivated Disinterest in Professional Sports

#320

Post by jliptzin » Fri, Jan 30, 2015, 11:17 PM UTC

kulak wrote: post #243

To my ears, this "cultivated disinterest" label comes off as something of a cheap stereotype. Simply put, not everyone who lacks interest in professional sports nurtures a "cultivated distinterest" in the subject, nor are we driven by some need to display this disinterest as some kind of marker of class rank or intellectual superiority. We simply lack interest in the subject, period. And when pressed on the subject,…

You hit the nail on the head. I've lived with football fans most of my life and have been exposed to it plenty of times. Even when I try to pay attention to it, I find it so boring that I zone out and begin thinking about other things without even realizing it. I have no problem with people who enjoy football and professional sports in general, but it's just not something I have an interest in.