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How unusual is it for men to not like sports?

I often think I'm a bit unusual for being male and not being a fan of the usual "manly" sports. There's no way I'm going to spend my precious hours watching baseball, football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, boxing, etc. Basketball seems especially ludicrous to me. After all, you have these hyper-growth guys who've practiced their lives away just to get proficient at throwing a big, brown ball through a hoop. Golf is pretty much the same, except you don't have to be tall to excel. The idea of clubbing and chasing a tiny ball around in the heat and cold is just plain craziness to my way of thinking. Most men, however, seem to like these activities. So, just how rare is my failure to have an interest in these sports? By the way, all through high school, I was so unformed that I faked my interest in the usual sports, even going so far as to join a team. I was miserable the entire season.

RobLawrence 7 July 17
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4

I play sports. I don't sit on the couch all day and watch sports which I feel is couch-potato behavior. Neither do I talk sports which I feel is worst than talking about the weather.

4

I rather watch paint dry then watch sport, any sport.

4

I got a lot of crap when I was a kid because I liked video games instead of watching sports. Like, somehow I'm the pathetic one because I prefer to PLAY a game than to watch other people play one.

I don't like participating in sports because no part of the endeavor is pleasant to me, and I have some pretty hellish sensation issues as a side effect of ADHD or a potential spectrum disorder: I get violently angry when my face is wet. Especially if I can't get it off my face. It becomes the only thing I'm aware of and it's an equivalent level of unpleasant distraction as nails on a chalkboard for minutes at a time.

I've caused myself pretty serious harm before because I couldn't get my face dry when I was already in an anxiety-elevated emotional state. So running around with a bunch of violent, aggressive (both major anxiety triggers) douche-bros screaming and yelling and hitting/smashing into each other...i'd rather swallow razorblades sideways with a lemon juice and vinegar chaser.

4

I have no interest in them.

4

I don't watch sports. Seems silly.
I participate in a few esoteric ones like sporting clays.

3

I am with you. I played on the varsity tennis and track teams in HS but hate watching any kind of sports.

3

I am a high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome person. Participation in team sports strike me as illogical. I have never liked them. Do you have the symptoms of A.S.?

3

It’s unusual, but there is nothing wrong with it.

2

I loathe sports. It pisses me off when NPR has a sports story. I consider it to be beneath them.

bingst Level 8 July 18, 2018
2

It seems unusual, yet I think it's more prevalent that we think. I just don't get the obsession with sports. The "must watch" attitude seems to be pathological for men who watch sports. The most disturbing thing about this pathology is the proof that football causes horrible changes to the brain, including, depression and suicide and still people will watch.

2

I was quite uncoordinated as a kid and never developed an interest in playing sports.

2

Not as unusual as you might think.

2

I don't like sports or cars or the things you would traditionaly see as man things im more of a brainy guy i don't think its unusual but as most people i know are not as intelectual i do sometimes feel isolated

2

If it's on TV I'll sometimes watch a bit of any sport (except golf) but not with particular interest. I've never played any competitive sports outside of the compulsory school stuff and I think the lack of interest may be related to my non-aggressive confrontation-avoiding personality (not necessarily a good thing btw). But I've enjoyed a lot of non-competitive sports over the years. Mainly climbing but a fair bit of canoeing, cycling etc. I've never enjoyed running though!

Salo Level 7 July 17, 2018

Ugh, running. Most boring activity I ever did, I think.

2

I've never been into sports either. I'll watch an occasional baseball game, but that's the only sport I even know the rules to.

Baseball is a very strategic game, more than many realize. Too bad it's so sloooow.

2

Nice thing about being in a female dominated job is that I do not have to feign interest, 3 of the 4 other men at work coach and the other one is very baseball centered through his son but they don’t try to fill time talking about sports.

PDF Level 5 July 17, 2018
2

I was never really able to culture an interest in sports.. I played lots of sports as a kid..but I quit sports after school.

I watch a little rugby when Ireland are playing..and a couple of world cup games..but don't follow sports at all really..no real interest...

2

I was born without the sports gene. Which is apparently not hereditary because my father did have it. However, he was not crazy about it like some guys are and seemed to keep sports in perspective and treated it as a game and not as a religion.

Not only did I have no interest in sports I was not very good at them. When I was a kid that was viewed as some kind of a personal deficiency. It was like, "you're a boy, you have to like sports otherwise you can't be a boy." Well, I have survived to age 61 without ever being into sports and am still very much male and heterosexual. So I guess "they" were wrong.

2

I grew up in Pittsburgh in the 70's. I was real tight with my grandfather, and I guess from his perspective men should watch sports, so naturally he turned me onto a bunch of sports. Now the thing is, back in the early 70's pittsburgh was not a city of winners. And then The Pirates won 2 world series, the penguins won a stanley cup, and the Steelers won 4 superbowls. Seing all that happen as I was growing up had a great impact on me.
I don't really watch most sports any more, but I am, and always be a Steelers fan for life.

@jorj Agreed. I think the total to date is 13 of them are in the Hall of Fame.
I actually got to go see them live a few times back then.

@jorj Donnie Shell was so brutal to recievers that they had to change the rules.
I remember watching Jack Lambert who only weighed 190 at 6'4 absolutely devastate QB's. That guy intimidated just about every one on the offence. Very fun to watch old clips of him on youyube.

1

I follow some teams, but my days of being able to spend hours on the sofa watching sports is long gone. I just feel like it's a big waste of time. I can't even remember the last time I watched a game/match.

Hermit Level 7 July 17, 2018
1

Rob, fret not. I have essentially no interest in those sports you've highlighted, except perhaps at playoff time IF, and only if, I happen to be at a friend's place when the game/event comes on; and then, it's basically just for the free beer and food, in that order.

I have played many sports, or "done" them, would probably be a better word: surfing (50+ yrs), tennis, racquetball, skiing, volleyball, and my lifesaver which I still do, mountainbiking. I have tremendously enjoyed being a lifelong participant, but as far as just watching, no thanks.

1

The worst involves animals for the reasons we all know. So I won't open that can of blood.
The next worse is driving around a track turning to the left multiple times. It is the most absurd thing white people do, except defending the sacred lawn. But that is not yet a sport.

1

My late husband did not give 2 shits about sports. Once in a great while he'd watch MMA but that's it. He also hated sweets, so no cake for birthdays. Yeah... the toll for that was he would watch every WWll thing ever created, but I was ok with that, altho found it amusing.
sigh...

Qualia Level 8 July 17, 2018

@Qualia It amuses me to tell you, your description of the LH sounds like me 🙂 My favorite "movie" is the Band Of Brothers collection.

@jujuofthesea ❤

He liked that one too! LOL

His was documentaries in particular. If there was a Hitler channel he would have been all over it. LOL

Which btw, no he was not a racist skinhead, just fixated on wars & history.

@RobLawrence Same, it's really scary. Humans en masse are "cyclical" and don't learn much from history.
But boy, if I came across a new doc with never released before color, from WWll, he was in heaven. Wish I could remember the title of the one. I wanted to buy it for him.

@Qualia And I don't like sweets either and avoid eating candies, doughnuts, cakes, fudge, etc.

@jujuofthesea OMG!!!
Well he was a chaos magick & other realms enthusiast- maybe he's channeling thru you! 😉 LOL

@Qualia ???

1

again one of these things i wasnt into as a child but since i hit 30 ive developed an interest in cricket F1 some football still hate rugby tennis

weeman Level 7 July 17, 2018
1

I have always found sports mind numbingly boring. I never went out for any and never tried to fit in.

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