Shawn Henfling shares his waning interest in all things sports.
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I’ve been asked several times to write more for the sports section at The Good Men Project. I always sit down and stare blankly at the screen trying desperately to think of a suitable topic. I read a few sports pages, check out the latest scandal, and see who sportsed the hardest that day. The thing is, I rarely find anything I care deeply enough about to expend the effort. Even my favorite teams draw less interest from me than they once did. Sure, I can tell you approximately where they are in the standings. I can even name a few guys on the roster. I’d have to be living under a rock to have missed what Chip Kelly has done so far to the Philadelphia Eagles, but beyond that I’m all but ignorant. What gives?
I’m a man dammit! I’m supposed to spend my Saturdays and Sundays in the fall glued to the television, beer in hand, watching other men pound the snot out of each other. Real men watch football in the Fall, hockey and basketball in Winter, and baseball the rest of the year. Sure, there are other sportsing contests to watch, but those probably fill out the schedule nicely. Men watch sports, play sports and talk about sports. Period. End of story.
I don’t know what changed, but I like it.
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Here’s the thing. I don’t have time to pay attention and I’m not sure I would if I did have time. It just doesn’t hold my interest like it once did. I can remember a time not too long ago when I was a rabid follower of the NFL, NHL, and MLB. In the past few years however, my interest has waned significantly. I’d like to blame it on family life, my job, or just keeping up with things around the house but I can’t. I don’t know what changed, but I like it.
My wife and I gave up on network television about two years ago and haven’t looked back since. We pay for a few streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, but mostly for our daughter. Between the two of us, we sit for so little television it’s hardly worth paying for. I stopped paying attention because it was no longer the first thing I sought out when I plopped my expanding ass into its customary butt groove on the couch. I didn’t have a game or match to take up my time and after a short time I stopped missing it. On the other hand, I do still long for Saturday afternoon PSU football games in the fall, but more on that another time.
I am a little embarrassed to admit I no longer spend much time following sports. As I stated earlier, I’m a man. Men like sports. Men watch football and baseball and guzzle beer and stare at cheerleaders. That’s what popular media tells us anyway. Men either play sports or watch it. Period. End of story.
It seems as though greed has over taken every sport and those few that play because they love the game are overshadowed by those who only play for pay.
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I’ve lost the emotional attachment to the leagues and teams I once followed. It’s possible I’ve simply grown tired of watching the same thing over and over again with different actors. Scandal after scandal, grown men so spoiled by their stardom and success that many of them feel entitled to living above the rules. It could be that I’m jealous of their success or fame, but I’m rather comfortable in my own anonymity.
I’m not sure if its the greed that seems to have taken over every league from college to pro or if perhaps it is something deeper. I’ve watched as greedy owners refuse to pay huge sums to greedy players who refuse to play until their salary demands are met. I’ve seen seasons lost to strikes as both sides point fingers. I’ve watched as tax payer dollars fund stadium construction projects while schools go without teachers and educational materials. It seems as though greed has over taken every sport and those few that play because they love the game are overshadowed by those who only play for pay.
Perhaps it’s because I feel like an Ancient Roman, cheering on the gladiators as they engage in lethal combat. That’s what we’re doing. Cheering as men hurl themselves at each other, shortening their lives for our entertainment. Every sport has its dangers and we buy our tickets and worship the heroes of the day as if they are Gods.
Perhaps I’ve just outgrown it. My heroes no longer man the diamond, swing a stick or chuck the pumpkin. My heroes now are people that live to improve the lives of others. They are doctors, researchers, community leaders and activists. I guess it’s possible my priorities in life changed so much that I just have the emotional investment I once did. I don’t know. I do know there must be other men like me: disenfranchised and disinterested. I can’t possibly be the only one who doesn’t catch the Superbowl, can’t name the winners of the past few World Series, and has no idea who the last NCAA Mens Basketball champion was.
I have no idea why my interest in most sports has waned. Greed, jealousy, disgust or just plain apathy are all possibilities. I’m not as concerned with why or how my interest has waned however. I’m more perplexed that men like me can feel shame or be ridiculed for not caring about athletics. I frequently have little to say to other men because I can’t hold a long and educated conversation about what’s going on in major league baseball or how foolish the Browns were in free agency. I can speak a little bit about the New York Rangers, intelligently on PSU football and wrestling, and about how much I miss Todd Helton manning first base for the Rockies. After that? I’ve got nothing guys. If you need me I’ll be over in the corner reading the news and worrying about that nutcase in Russia with his finger on the nuke button.
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Photo Credit: Playing Futures: Applied Nomadology/flickr
I needed this. I’m going through the same thing right now. I didn’t even watch the Super Bowl this year. I will always love baseball (I played it in college) but I’d rather keep the game on as background noise while I do something else like read some improvement-minded blogs, or do some writing or even read a book (and just know I need to look up when I hear excitement in the announcer’s voices). Part of it is that I have less free time than ever before, part of me is because I question the legitimacy of some competitions,… Read more »