I'm VERY picky and specific in the hobbies of prospective dates. If they can't join me in body surfing the waves, hiking, climbing cliffs, ballroom dancing and riding horses, then what's the point of dating them? I can do these things fine by myself, but just wanted a companion/side-kick.

<--- Grog hate sports.

Wow. I think I love you. you've the most comprehensive, and insightful I've ever seen. thank you for the hope

I could easily put in my profile that I'd prefer a woman who is not into sports.

Is it really any different to wanting a sub?

Shared recreational activities are a bonding experience for couples.

That's why I want a man who shares my healthy lifestyle and also loves hiking.

I suspect this comes down to the amount of time sports and gaming usually take up, so if I were into sports (which I'm not, at all) I'd probably be absent from the relationship most weekends unless my significant other were also a sports fan and we could share that time together watching the (very boring) games. The same with video games: if I were totally into gaming (I can take it or leave it), I'd more likely want to spend time with someone who shared that interest because it means we'd be able to spend more time together. (Actually, I wouldn't be that interested in shared interests, because I like my alone time; but I'm pretending here that I'm a normal person who doesn't spend most of his time avoiding human interaction.)

I think those are questions that keep the lonely, alone. And if you find that one, hopefully the BO isn't in competition.

I have multiple varied interests and would be bored to tears discussing one subject all the time. I wonder how many replys I would get if I listed "Must be an astronomy enthusiast" or "I'm really interested in 1/35 scale WWII military models and dioramas and would prefer my partner to be also". Yup, I'd be single for life.

Shared interests are REALLY important.

I often see this on Dating profiles. Very specific Details about a potential partner.
I can't help interpret some of them this way (shown in Parenthesis).

1. Love to Travel and looking for same (I am looking for a sugar daddy who likes to travel)
2. I have three dogs that I adore (You better be thrilled when I get home and jump around and wag your tail and play fetch).
3. Must be a man of God (NEXT!)
4. Then there is my favorite laundry list of items from specific income, height, weight, workout regimen, do's, don't's, etc. (Either Untold Baggage, Extremely Picky or wants you to bring your resume of qualification and 3 references)

I think it’s good. I’d rather see a person know exactly what they want and have the confidence in themselves to go for it. If they find their options are limited they can reevaluate what’s most important to them so they can broaden their horizons. We’re all growing and learning and we should have the space to do so without being judged.

Football, baseball, etc are Huge time sucks! I love football (Go Pats!) and don't want someone making me feel guilty about taking 3 hours to watch a game, or leaving me alone to go read...at least not every time.

Discriptive terms can be so subjective.

I see sports and it kind is a red flag to me of a narcissistic personality.

Well, if there are "missed opportunities", it's quite possible, they may also be "bullets dodged".
If someone is going to put that in their profile as a requirement for a potential partner, perhaps they've had partners in the past who were not amenable to that, and it caused problems for them.
It's reasonable for people to seek partners who share their interests.
Not everyone is open to things outside their usual activities.
It's also possible that someone who has zero interest in gaming or sports would want to know if the person they're considering is into those things, so they can move on from that possible selection.

It's a way of winnowing out people that don't have the same interests. But at the same time, that's a bad thing: if you truly did find someone exactly like you, you wouldn't learn anything. It's the differences that make relationships good.

I don’t see ‘would like’ to mean ‘is required’. It’s only a plus.