“What’s Your Team?” Most guys have an answer for this question. Pat Brothwell doesn’t.
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It’s the question that starts many friendships and alliances. It’s a way to bond with co-workers, ingratiate yourself with a date and often times the easiest go-to conversation with people you have nothing in common with when the weather just isn’t all the exciting. It’s practically a hallmark of being a guy. “What’s your team?”
I’ve never had an answer to that question.
I don’t really follow any professional sports. I don’t follow any college teams either. There’s not even any minor league or obscure team I can get behind and the thing is I don’t think there’s an overly complicated explanation for any of it.
The main thing I want to get out of the way before I continue is that I don’t dislike sports. This is not going to be a piece on how gross and overly macho and cult-like sports fandom can become. I don’t think any of those things. I grew up with a dad and uncle who were sports fanatics. Most of my friends, guys and girls, spend fall watching football and become consumed with March Madness and take trips to see the Yankees every summer. I understand what drives people to have a team they follow devotedly and have the competitive spirit inside of me which doesn’t make me think that their anger following a loss is irrational.
It’s not even that I don’t dislike sports but rather that I actively enjoy them. I played soccer from third grade through senior year of high school. In college I actively participated in intramural volleyball (ok, that’s sort of a lie, I skipped a lot to go to the bar)and roadtripped to State College several times to tailgate Penn State games. I’ve been to college football games, major league baseball games, the National Collegiate Rugby championship and professional hockey and play tennis whenever I could find people who know how to play (sidenote: why don’t more people know how to play tennis?). I can appreciate good athletics and know the rules and regulations that any sports guy should.
I’d go as far to say that I’m even built like an athlete which I think further exacerbates people’s confusion when they ask me about last night’s great play or what team I love and I have to awkwardly explain that I just don’t follow any sports with regularity.
I honestly can’t say the reason. It just never had an appeal for me; different strokes for different folks right? And I’m not going to say that it’s been detrimental and that I feel all weird and bothered by it. It’s just a fact and interesting because by all accounts I’m the kind of guy who really should like this stuff and I just don’t.
It used to bother me. I always tried to actualize what was happening. I used to tell people that I never followed one team because when I was younger my dad bet a lot. Because he bet on games so often I never formed a strong allegiance to any team and rather rooted for whatever team would let him win big because inevitably the money would trickle down. Now this is partially true. My dad does enjoy a good bet and if he did win big it did often meant going out for dinner, but nothing more than that. He always watched a lot of sports and encouraged me to do so. I just wasn’t interested and while I could make myself watch a few games here or there I’ll just never have a time I become die hard for. I won’t scour the paper for statistics and won’t spend the mornings getting ready with Sports Center on in the background.
I feel it’s similar to my tastebuds. I kind of want to like wine. A lot of my friends have recently gotten into it and there’s all sorts of wine festivals and trips that I know I’d have a blast on. I don’t hate wine. Wine doesn’t make me instantly vomit or cause me to be sick. I’ll drink at toasts and have a glass if there’s nothing else around but I don’t think it’s ever going to be something I actively get excited about.
I’m more comfortable now when people ask about the game or the team. I realize that it will always make it uncomfortable for some other people, because ya know only weirdos don’t like sports and all, but am luckily at an age where I’ve started to care less. I do understand the confusion and sometimes it’s frustrating because I feel that some people dismiss me as not wanting to play a pick up game or go on a hiking trip because “I don’t like sports” which is far from the case. Now I just explain that watching sports doesn’t appeal to me 8 out of 10 times and don’t even mind acknowledging what a conundrum it is, because it is.
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photo by DrabikPany / flickr
I’m 43. I don’t have any interest of watching, following sports. I Subscribed to Sports Illustrated one year a while back so I would be up to date and could fake my way through a conversation at work. But now I don’t even try to fake it. Don’t hate sports at all, just not interested. I’ amazed at some guys though. They are so into each aspect and the drama and politics of Football that they know all the facts. I Enjoy listening to the spirited conversations they have at work. I am just flat not interested. I tried!
My entire dad’s side of the family are died in the wool sports fanatics, grew up mainly with my art teacher mom and opera loving step-dad who didn’t give the slightest care. I was a high school letterman with school records… in swimming. I love to be active, am very fit, and compete in submission grappling (Judo / Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), and I live in a college town that goes beserk whenever the team is playing. I’m just like you though, bored to tears at the thought of watching and following and talking about sports. I do watch a fair… Read more »
I love the Olympics here too…and the World Cup, although any attempts to follow professional soccer other than that is usually a fail.
I find that a lot of people who play tennis are terrible or else amazing ex college players and have a hard time finding some middle ground folks like myself.
1. I miss playing tennis. Hard to find people around here who play.
2. Here is the heart of SEC Country. “What’s your team?” is standard topic-of-conversation/ice-breaker. “Eh, don’t have one, don’t really care,” gets a wide range of (mostly negative or juvenile) responses, unless the person is also a transplant, in which case I usually get a very relieved, “Neither do I…I’m not from here.” Which leads to usually interesting conversations.
I hear you, man.
So glad i’m not the only one. I have played every sport under the sun and more than a few indoor sports. The thought of actually watching sport just doesn’t do anything for me. I don’t mind a get together having a few beers watching a game but then it is mor of a social gathering than watching sport. I have put it down to my face blindness as I have the same issue with pop culture (If you can’t recognise who the people are then whats the point in watching) but to a certain extent I would rather play… Read more »
It’s definitely a weird situation…not watching, but not not liking.
. . . only weirdos don’t like sports . . .
Painting with a broad brush, perhaps?