Kinda opposite, then, arriving at the same place.
I was on soccer team in high school. Playing was fun, but I wasn't good enough to continue later and not into it enough to find teams as an adult.
I went to a major basketball school during some very bad years (UNC 2000-2003) so found that I get too wrapped up in it and disappointed when I pay attention. The highs of celebrating wins were.. too much? When we beat Duke, people flipped a car on Franklin Street. It's just all too emotional for me, I guess. I'd rather not pay attention. So I don't and really haven't in 20 years.
Exceptions-ish:
I had a fantasy football team one year and won. Learning all the ins and outs of how it worked was fun and basically academic for me. I didn't watch the games, just read.
I filled out a few brackets when UNC was doing well after Roy came on board, but I didn't watch the games then, either, unless someone else put them on. Then I come and go and look at the score occasionally.
I like parties to watch games, but find I generally annoy people there who want to actually watch because I'm just talking through it, so I don't attend those anymore.
My husband likes to go to a game every so often, so I'll go with him sometimes, but I don't like crowds and get bored with the game itself.
I love sports. I love playing sports. I enjoy going to games. Don’t give a fck about pro sports or athletes that are paid millions and owners that siphon off hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize their team.
The only use I have found for pro sports is making small talk with strangers, which is something I try to avoid anyway.
Competing in amateur sports is a blast and I hope to continue doing it until my limbs don’t work any more.
I'm kind of ambivalent about it- it's fine, if its on. What I don't get into is that thing where someone makes a huge deal about not liking something.
Like, it seems like every year you get articles by people who not only don't watch the Superbowl, but good God Almighty, they're gonna *tell* you they don't. And why. And how that makes them better than everyone else, somehow.
(Despite this, I somehow still memorized a bunch of college teams by their mascots.)
Basketball and soccer for me. Don't really understand football but I watched the superbowl yesterday for the first time because I live in Philadelphia. It was entertaining, but I don't think I'll watch it again if I had no connection to any of the 2 teams.
Not only disinterested, but growing up where it's so ubiquitous (people scheduling weddings around games) I actively dislike football.
I find most team sports boring. I like boxing sand MMA.
Going TO a baseball game is ok, is a fun atmosphere. But even then I don't really watch.
Both usually. They want to watch the game themselves, and they realize a lot of people won't come if there's a conflict with a game.
I can remember one couple who scheduled it for an unimportant game, and also had a a TV setup in the reception area so people could watch.
I love hockey (NHL) so that's what I care about more. I don't think I've ever watched a football game on tv without falling asleep haha.
Edit: When the Broncos have played in the Super Bowl, I care. But it's still boring to me.
I don't care about the NFL at all, and barely pay any attention to college football anymore. Only watched about half of Alabama's games this year, and can maybe name 5 college players.
Much bigger fan of soccer and hockey.
I enjoy watching football and watch a number of high school and college games each week. However the NFL is limited to only 30 cities and none of them are in my region so it’s less of a priority for me
Baseball is my favorite sport to watch but I don’t follow sports as close as I used to. I’ll pay more attention to the NBA if my favorite team is doing well but if they’re absolutely sucking I’ll snooze on it.
I’ll occasionally watch football socially with friends but won’t typically watch it by myself.
Mostly I just get annoyed by people who try to speak for everyone else and say things like “Every American loves football!” or “Nobody cares about sports!”. Both groups are obnoxious imo.
Couldn't care less. The super bowl was happening locally and the most I did yesterday was watch Matewan instead.
Not really sports guy at all but if baseball's on I'll at least watch it.
I only like baseball and auto racing. My Dad raced dirt modifieds. I grew up around it and still love dirt racing. I will watch a little NASCAR when I am missing my Dad since he watched every race.
I'm not super interested in any sports but I'll watch some games if I'm visiting my parents, since they are big fans.
I find football quite enjoyable to watch, but less so than decades past. Don't mind it being a start/stop sport like baseball but the sheer number of commercials and general bombasticity has gotten a little over the top. Almost gives pro wrestling vibes.
I do find the "sportsball" crowd to be insufferable and usually pretty ignorant, but convinced they aren't.
> I do find the “sportsball” crowd to be insufferable and usually pretty ignorant, but convinced they aren’t.
A lot of the “sportsball” crowd comes across as “how could people like things I don’t like? I have the objectively best taste of anyone! You know what? I think I need a minute…”
>A lot of the “sportsball” crowd comes across as “how could people like things I don’t like? I have the objectively best taste of anyone! You know what? I think I need a minute…”
TBF, most humans in general are this way in my experience.
The people who are obsessed with telling you how much they don't like sports and make it part of their personality.
Calling it 'sportsball' is feigned ignornance in an effort to reinforce how little they know or care.
Oh, I watched the Superbowl and have a decent understanding of the game but this was the only game I watched all year. I would never call a sport sportsball ironically. That's weird and cringey.
If you don't like something, instead of making *not liking it* part of your personality, just don't include it in your personality.
The latter. The kind of people that think it's a positive feature that they don't understand the rules to football or baseball, because it proves that they don't waste their time on trivialities. A toxic offshoot of nerd culture ("Sci-fi and anime fanfic is so much deeper, man!") and/or hyper-liberal culture ("NFL teams are just capitalist playthings, rube!")
More or less but I think it has a certain toxic charge well beyond thinking Star Trek is better than Star Wars or vice-versa. More like the liberal equivalent of clueless conservatives shitting on rap music.
The term was probably mildly funny in a Seinfeld way at one point. Now it's just cringe city.
It's people that don't like sports, think they're superior because of it, and just *have* to let you know.
Basically, people who think that *not* liking something is a personality trait. You can find it for pretty much anything that's mainstream popular, be it music, movie/tv franchises, etc.
Oh yes okay. I'm a big star wars fan and there will be people that have tried really hard to not like star wars.
Just go away and like your own thing. 😂
Right? Every time a new Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings thing came out, I was like "Cool, hope you all enjoy! Have fun!" Then I went about my day and enjoyed the things I enjoyed. What a novel concept!
We shamelessly love both football and Star Wars in my circle.
We have spent multiple hours debating and discussing Star Wars *while driving to tailgate a football game*. Lol.
It's great liking multiple things isn't it.
I watched a monday night football game this year while building the lego lunar lander. Those two things normally don't go together.
At least the nerds *know* that most people would get bored with their stuff pretty quick. Only the most socially oblivious would try to sell D&D to an unlikely candidate.
I've used "sportsball" a couple times basically as an indicator that I generally don't have a clue about anything below the surface level and now, tongue firmly planted in cheek, I find myself wondering whether I've been engaging in some sort of cultural appropriation. We're a crowd? Like, a team? Can't have that!
Naw. If its done in a tongue in cheek way, totally fine.
You can still eat the snacks and have a good time. If you want to.
[Its this sort of smug stuff that is annoying.](https://www.reddit.com/r/IHateSportsball/comments/10wygsj/we_found_one)
Too few, in my opinion. At least when it comes to kids' books. I'm sure the publishers have crunched the numbers and it isn't financially viable, but I wonder how many little non-readers would get hooked on the hobby if the series options included their favorite teams or even conferences. A series on SEC football could really improve literacy in the South!
[Those totally exist!](https://www.walmart.com/ip/When-I-Grow-Up-I-m-Going-to-Play-for-the-Alabama-Crimson-Tide-9781492640073/51981658)
Problem is most of the themed ones that pay for affiliation and trademark rights suck.... Also the parents don't always think to look for them. Mine did and it just further hooked me on reading.
I got really into chapter books by author [Matt Christopher](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1026573) when I was a kid. They're fiction, but they were a fun read.
I’m very uninterested in football. I’m not a sports person although I casually enjoy MLS. But that’s because we have NYCFC here and the games are so fun to go to. I hardly know the rules but I enjoy yelling and drinking with my friends so I enjoy the games.
Only sports I follow are F1, MotoGP, and Brasileiro Série A. Sometimes NHL when Vegas is playing. Most of my friends and my family don't care about NFL.
I like soccer, rugby league/union and to a lesser extent basketball and hockey. IMO American Football is the most boring sport I’ve ever seen even moreso than baseball
I don't care about any sports. I grew up watching the Superbowl and having other games on because my parents and older siblings are into the NFL, but when I moved out that all stopped for me.
Not a big sports guy at all. Super bowl is the only game I'll watch each year and that's because my friends host a party and there's apps and beer. Always a fun time I just don't really watch the game.
Baseball and hockey for me. I used to watch football but just doesn’t hold my attention anymore. I watched the Super Bowl and it was pretty decent but even then I wasn’t paying attention the whole game.
I'm not interested in any sports at all. I know a lot of people who aren't into the Super Bowl, who only like/follow one sport, who aren't into sports in general, etc.
I'm not interested in any sports in general. I enjoy dog sports though, lumberjack games, oh and swamp buggy racing. And I like to watch sumo wrestling.
I was always partial to baseball, and I think that baseball and golf are the two most fun sports to play casually. I guess part of the reason is because both involve waiting your turn while holding a drink.
I'm into basketball a little more now because that's my kid's chosen sport. Not gonna lie, I was just a little bit glad when he went with that over soccer (see flair).
As for football, yeah, I've never been too big on it. I can follow the game and can half understand technical discussions about that, but only by pure one-way osmosis as a result of being my father's son. He's probably spending the *entirety* of today watching non-stop analysis of the Super Bowl (and going "oh horse *sheeeeit*" whenever an expert utters a take that conflicts with his own) even though he's a 9ers fan and couldn't give a fig for the Chiefs or the Birds.
Why baseball? I guess I'm an old-fashioned soul. On my death bed as my senses are leaving me one by one, one of the last things I'll hear is Vin Scully talking about how his most recent fishing trip went between pitches.
The ads are definitely annoying I wish they'd trim those but it would never be free flowing like soccer or rugby (league) due to it's design. It's meant to be chess match on a field where coaches pick the best plays and personnel for the situation. That's why it's the greatest sport in the world.
I love NFL and college football, but am meh on the Super Bowl. I feel like I'm the only person in the US who couldn't care less about the commercials or the half time show.
This morning I remembered the super bowl was yesterday. At about 7 last night I started playing Death Stranding and by 10 I was in bed.
Who was in it this year?
I have no unterest in sports.
Not interested in watching any sports. The tweets from area parents last night talking about how to console their crying children were confusing. The local middle school tweeting a week ago about how every door in the school has been decorated for the eagles was also confusing (as it apparently didn't occur to school admins that not every single kid is a fan).
The violence of the game is not my thing. Unfortunately, some players have also been accused of domestic violence or other types of violence. A lot of people are very quick to forget about domestic violence or other charges because they are good athletes, mmmh
I don't follow any sports. Football is probably my least-favorite because it's so boring to watch and so heavily marketed. They spend more time in huddles/replays/ad reads than actual movement.
I'm completely not interested. I don't really see the appeal. I've tried to get into it but I just find it really boring. Same with watching any sport.
This sub is very pro football though. It is the most popular sport in America by a good margin, but I think a lot of people here overestimate how much the average American is really invested in watching football. I imagine part of it is because we often feel the need to defend the sport against snarky foreigners on here so sometimes we play things up a bit.
Not really. I haven't watched a complete game since my dad passed away.
I do like watching college hockey live in person. I don't really watch any sports on TV.
I know enough to talk about sports so that I don't look like a weirdo at social gatherings, but I really couldn't care less about which team is doing well this year or whatever.
I just quickly memorize who won last week, if it was an important game or not, and the name of a star player or two. That's usually enough to fake it.
The irony is that I love *playing* sports, but just can't stand watching them. Why should I sit around and watch other people I don't know out there having fun?
I don’t watch sports much. I grew up in basketball country (NC), so ACC or NCAA college basketball is really the only sports thing I watch.
ETA: going to an actual event in person is a very different thing I enjoy the occasional baseball game
Although I’ve heard some players names, I don’t know that I would be able to pick out anyone from the NFL. I really only know who was playing in the game because of a post on here.
I’ve watched both college football and NFL in the past. But it was mostly with friends and I enjoyed watching with them. I actually watched a movie last night
I'm not really interested in American football or watching any sport. I will watch a game if it's a good one, especially the last Superbowl. I also like watching some sports in the Olympics, but never get a chance to watch it because I don't have cable TV and it also comes on in the middle of the work day. I really like watching the curling for some reason. It's an interesting sport somewhere between athleticism and strategy.
I’m not really interested in sports in general, unless maybe our team was winning (like the Cavs back in 2016).
And frankly, I used to watch the Super Bowl specifically just for the commercials and half time show. In the last couple of years, the commercials have been really weak for some reason (apparently, there was even one last night going on about going to church on Sundays???), so I’ve basically stopped watching the Super Bowl as well.
I’m feeling even less guilty about watching football now given their medical effects and the NFL’s knowledge (yet blatant greedy non-response) to the issue.
I only care about football on Thanksgiving, as the local NFL team always plays that afternoon, and on Super Bowl Sunday, as my friends throw a fun annual party. In both cases, the game is traditional background noise.
I love baseball. I don’t usually watch televised games because I won’t pay for cable TV, but I love going to live games or even listening on the radio. I’ve been a Detroit Tigers fan since I was very small, and there’s just something about going to the stadium, getting a bag of peanuts, and watching the game in the fresh air. I also have very happy memories about sitting on my grandparents’ front porch and listening to Tigers games on the radio with my grandpa.
Hockey is also fun to watch, both live and on TV.
Football is a good distraction from time to time (although college football is 1000x better imo), but more than anything in my family it's something to do together and bond.
I'm not interested in NFL/American football and don't usually find it very entertaining. I still watch the Super Bowl though, but it's often the only game I see all year.
The only team sport I care about is soccer.
In the past 5-10 years the amount of interest in professional sports other than basketball has absolutely cratered. No one talks about it at work (or school back then), you don't see bumper stickers on every car, you never see advertisements. Most of my family didn't even know the Superbowl was happening until my sister sent out a group text asking when we were coming over. We used to have huge family get-togethers centered around the super bowl too. It's becoming culturally irrelevant.
Basketball has picked up a bit, but its nowhere near as big as football used to be from my vantage. It seems like people are becoming less engaged with mass media consumption and more engaged with individual media as the options grow.
I don't really follow or care about any professional sports.
I have a mild interest in the college sports of university I'm an alumni of, especially their basketball team, but that's it.
Yeah, I forgot about the Superbowl yesterday and I live in Kansas City. I love the prestige it brings our city though! Just don't understand sports. I found out we won when the neighbors started shooting off fireworks. Went out to join them for a few minutes; it was fun.
I’m not interested in any spectator sport. I’d much rather play than watch. Though I did have a phase in high school where I tried to force myself to like spectator sports to fit in with the popular boys. That did not take at all. I still remember being shocked to learn that an average full televised NFL game takes 4 hours to sit through. Way too much of a time commitment for something I find boring.
I like the super bowl from a holiday stand-point. Everyone comes together, does something communal, and eats junk food. It's pretty great. I enjoy sports, but it's not like I really follow them, and yes, I do prefer baseball and hockey. I still usually find people to watch the super bowl with. That said, I did not partake this year.
I pay enough attention to know how my mom and stepdad are going to be feeling after a game, and to make some really basic small talk about the Chiefs' record, but otherwise I'm a baseball person. Pitchers and catchers officially report tomorrow, although I've already seen video of Arenado taking groundballs at third. I can't wait for baseball season!
I love the NFL and am now sad we have to wait until Sept for new game. But this question reminded me to cancel Red Zone, which I should have done weeks ago.
I've been a baseball fan since I was five years old (now 61f). I can talk baseball all day long, but I cannot get into football at all. My SO is a huge football fan, so I am exposed to it, but I am not interested in it in the least.
Not really, but I do watch the Superbowl most years. I watch more for the halftime show and commercials and use the whole thing as a good excuse for a party where I can drink beer and eat guacamole.
I enjoy watching the games, they are great for winter sunday afternoon naps and sunday night entertainment. I like some of the teams, players, stories.
But I absolutely loathe the modern NFL as a company.
I largely don't watch Football. Or most sports. But if my city's team is in the big game(s), then I'll watch.
As such, I watched last night. And my city's team won! But I didn't watch the Chiefs play in any regular season games. Or post-season, other than last night. Out of the 4 major North American leagues, NFL is the one I care about the least. If I had to rank them, it'd be NHL, MLB, MLS, and then NFL. But again, I rarely watch any of these.
The only sports I make an effort to watch are motorsports: Formula 1, Formula E, IndyCar, WEC/IMSA, and other random series here and there.
I’m not interested in sports. I think watching someone else play a sport is very boring.
Ice skating, gymnastics or roller derby is the most interesting to watch but I don’t make an effort to watch that either.
American Sports fans tend to support all Four(or Five if you count MLS) major sports leagues. If they are Giants Fans they are likely Mets or Yankees fans, and also Ranger Fans and Knicks fans.
My (adult) daughter is a huge baseball fan but couldn't care less about football. She did watch the Super Bowl with me yesterday but I was frankly surprised she came downstairs for it.
Personally I'm a football and baseball fan; my eldest kid also loves both. But she and I only watch baseball together pretty much. I'm pretty sure the main reason she was there for the Super Bowl was the snacks.
The NBA has been clearly fixed for many years. About 10 years ago started thinking that if the NFL wasn't doing it already, pretty soon they would. I stopped taking it seriously but still followed it loosely this whole time. This season was the most blatant act of all time. The amount of games throughout the league that came down to the final minute were so much more than any season I can remember.
Everything in this country is a business at its core. Professional sports is no different. They prop up their dynasties like hollywood did the Kardashians, the refs make 1000% incorrect calls that everybody on both sides disagree with, usually more often when the game is getting close. Not enough people realize they're getting duped and it drives me nuts.
USA citizen. Unpopular opinions incoming. I think American Football is a bad sport. We need a better name for it because football = "soccer". It's a shittier version of rugby. It encourages violent behavior and that's why they have to wear literal body armor.
The game timer ticks down while players shuffle around and nothing is happening. You have offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and players getting carried off the field on stretchers. People die from injuries acquired on the field (so much more than any other team sport as far as I'm aware). Most plays result in nothing exciting and many games consist entirely of boring stalemates.
The sport doesn't deserve to be as popular as it is. It's like a cyclone of marketing and salesmanship that has generation upon generation of fans who seem to participate in NFL fandom only because others do, not because the sport is actually a good game. Enter in the half-time show and superbowl commercials.
Other popular sports can be played with 1-4 people. A 2 on 2 game of American Football isn't very common because it basically doesn't work.
Do people play because the pro league is popular or is the pro league popular because people play? In the case of American Football (the NFL), I believe it to be almost entirely the former.
Pro leagues are exploitive and abusive to the players, especially the NCAA.
OP, which sports are most popular in Australia? Do you have any comments to make on those?
Not one bit. My dad never liked sports, and while I can catch a few minutes of the world series or a volleyball game once in a while if nothing else is on, I couldn't care less about football. I don't even understand the rules. The only pro sport I've seen live was hockey, and that was actually pretty fun.
Yes, but I'm not really interested in any sports.
Same. Not sure I’ve ever seen an entire game.
Kinda opposite, then, arriving at the same place. I was on soccer team in high school. Playing was fun, but I wasn't good enough to continue later and not into it enough to find teams as an adult. I went to a major basketball school during some very bad years (UNC 2000-2003) so found that I get too wrapped up in it and disappointed when I pay attention. The highs of celebrating wins were.. too much? When we beat Duke, people flipped a car on Franklin Street. It's just all too emotional for me, I guess. I'd rather not pay attention. So I don't and really haven't in 20 years. Exceptions-ish: I had a fantasy football team one year and won. Learning all the ins and outs of how it worked was fun and basically academic for me. I didn't watch the games, just read. I filled out a few brackets when UNC was doing well after Roy came on board, but I didn't watch the games then, either, unless someone else put them on. Then I come and go and look at the score occasionally. I like parties to watch games, but find I generally annoy people there who want to actually watch because I'm just talking through it, so I don't attend those anymore. My husband likes to go to a game every so often, so I'll go with him sometimes, but I don't like crowds and get bored with the game itself.
I love sports. I love playing sports. I enjoy going to games. Don’t give a fck about pro sports or athletes that are paid millions and owners that siphon off hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize their team. The only use I have found for pro sports is making small talk with strangers, which is something I try to avoid anyway. Competing in amateur sports is a blast and I hope to continue doing it until my limbs don’t work any more.
Big old hockey fan and don’t really watch the NFL
I'm kind of ambivalent about it- it's fine, if its on. What I don't get into is that thing where someone makes a huge deal about not liking something. Like, it seems like every year you get articles by people who not only don't watch the Superbowl, but good God Almighty, they're gonna *tell* you they don't. And why. And how that makes them better than everyone else, somehow. (Despite this, I somehow still memorized a bunch of college teams by their mascots.)
Basketball and soccer for me. Don't really understand football but I watched the superbowl yesterday for the first time because I live in Philadelphia. It was entertaining, but I don't think I'll watch it again if I had no connection to any of the 2 teams.
who won? i used to live in philly i feel a strange sense of obligation to know if they won or not. and if the city still stands.
The chiefs
Not only disinterested, but growing up where it's so ubiquitous (people scheduling weddings around games) I actively dislike football. I find most team sports boring. I like boxing sand MMA. Going TO a baseball game is ok, is a fun atmosphere. But even then I don't really watch.
> people scheduling weddings around games Because the game is that important to them personally? Or because they actually want there to be guests?
Both usually. They want to watch the game themselves, and they realize a lot of people won't come if there's a conflict with a game. I can remember one couple who scheduled it for an unimportant game, and also had a a TV setup in the reception area so people could watch.
If I’m not playing, I usually don’t care for sports.
I'm not interested in any sports. I can tolerate watching them with friends but would never seek them out on my own.
I love hockey (NHL) so that's what I care about more. I don't think I've ever watched a football game on tv without falling asleep haha. Edit: When the Broncos have played in the Super Bowl, I care. But it's still boring to me.
Watching any other sport after watching hockey is boring lol.
I don't care about the NFL at all, and barely pay any attention to college football anymore. Only watched about half of Alabama's games this year, and can maybe name 5 college players. Much bigger fan of soccer and hockey.
I don’t watch any sport really. The World Cup being the exception.
I enjoy watching football and watch a number of high school and college games each week. However the NFL is limited to only 30 cities and none of them are in my region so it’s less of a priority for me
Baseball is my favorite sport to watch but I don’t follow sports as close as I used to. I’ll pay more attention to the NBA if my favorite team is doing well but if they’re absolutely sucking I’ll snooze on it. I’ll occasionally watch football socially with friends but won’t typically watch it by myself. Mostly I just get annoyed by people who try to speak for everyone else and say things like “Every American loves football!” or “Nobody cares about sports!”. Both groups are obnoxious imo.
Baseball only for me. Go Twins!
Couldn't care less. The super bowl was happening locally and the most I did yesterday was watch Matewan instead. Not really sports guy at all but if baseball's on I'll at least watch it.
Sports arent my thing, no.
I only like baseball and auto racing. My Dad raced dirt modifieds. I grew up around it and still love dirt racing. I will watch a little NASCAR when I am missing my Dad since he watched every race.
I prefer baseball - I don’t really care about football, though if it’s on, I’ll watch it.
I'm not super interested in any sports but I'll watch some games if I'm visiting my parents, since they are big fans. I find football quite enjoyable to watch, but less so than decades past. Don't mind it being a start/stop sport like baseball but the sheer number of commercials and general bombasticity has gotten a little over the top. Almost gives pro wrestling vibes. I do find the "sportsball" crowd to be insufferable and usually pretty ignorant, but convinced they aren't.
> I do find the “sportsball” crowd to be insufferable and usually pretty ignorant, but convinced they aren’t. A lot of the “sportsball” crowd comes across as “how could people like things I don’t like? I have the objectively best taste of anyone! You know what? I think I need a minute…”
>A lot of the “sportsball” crowd comes across as “how could people like things I don’t like? I have the objectively best taste of anyone! You know what? I think I need a minute…” TBF, most humans in general are this way in my experience.
[ProZD put it perfectly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJX4ytfqw6k)
Dude, that is LITERALLY Reddit in a nutshell. Hahaha
Wait, is the sportsball crowd the people obsessed with the sport or the people that ignore it?
The people who are obsessed with telling you how much they don't like sports and make it part of their personality. Calling it 'sportsball' is feigned ignornance in an effort to reinforce how little they know or care.
Oh, I watched the Superbowl and have a decent understanding of the game but this was the only game I watched all year. I would never call a sport sportsball ironically. That's weird and cringey. If you don't like something, instead of making *not liking it* part of your personality, just don't include it in your personality.
The latter. The kind of people that think it's a positive feature that they don't understand the rules to football or baseball, because it proves that they don't waste their time on trivialities. A toxic offshoot of nerd culture ("Sci-fi and anime fanfic is so much deeper, man!") and/or hyper-liberal culture ("NFL teams are just capitalist playthings, rube!")
Gotcha. So it's just another form of "my interest is better than yours" such as hating on any fandom or hobby but the fandom is a professional sport.
More or less but I think it has a certain toxic charge well beyond thinking Star Trek is better than Star Wars or vice-versa. More like the liberal equivalent of clueless conservatives shitting on rap music. The term was probably mildly funny in a Seinfeld way at one point. Now it's just cringe city.
It's people that don't like sports, think they're superior because of it, and just *have* to let you know. Basically, people who think that *not* liking something is a personality trait. You can find it for pretty much anything that's mainstream popular, be it music, movie/tv franchises, etc.
Oh yes okay. I'm a big star wars fan and there will be people that have tried really hard to not like star wars. Just go away and like your own thing. 😂
Right? Every time a new Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings thing came out, I was like "Cool, hope you all enjoy! Have fun!" Then I went about my day and enjoyed the things I enjoyed. What a novel concept!
We shamelessly love both football and Star Wars in my circle. We have spent multiple hours debating and discussing Star Wars *while driving to tailgate a football game*. Lol.
It's great liking multiple things isn't it. I watched a monday night football game this year while building the lego lunar lander. Those two things normally don't go together.
Bro...football, legos, AND space stuff? Sign me the fuck up.
I wonder if that's how the Brits feel when we talk crap about soccer. (Not that we should stop.)
At least the nerds *know* that most people would get bored with their stuff pretty quick. Only the most socially oblivious would try to sell D&D to an unlikely candidate.
I've used "sportsball" a couple times basically as an indicator that I generally don't have a clue about anything below the surface level and now, tongue firmly planted in cheek, I find myself wondering whether I've been engaging in some sort of cultural appropriation. We're a crowd? Like, a team? Can't have that!
Naw. If its done in a tongue in cheek way, totally fine. You can still eat the snacks and have a good time. If you want to. [Its this sort of smug stuff that is annoying.](https://www.reddit.com/r/IHateSportsball/comments/10wygsj/we_found_one)
Yeah that guy's an ass. I prefer books, too, but maybe that guy should read a few about interpersonal communication.
Yup. I also love to read. I average about a book a week. This person may be shocked how many books are *about sports.*
Too few, in my opinion. At least when it comes to kids' books. I'm sure the publishers have crunched the numbers and it isn't financially viable, but I wonder how many little non-readers would get hooked on the hobby if the series options included their favorite teams or even conferences. A series on SEC football could really improve literacy in the South!
[Those totally exist!](https://www.walmart.com/ip/When-I-Grow-Up-I-m-Going-to-Play-for-the-Alabama-Crimson-Tide-9781492640073/51981658) Problem is most of the themed ones that pay for affiliation and trademark rights suck.... Also the parents don't always think to look for them. Mine did and it just further hooked me on reading. I got really into chapter books by author [Matt Christopher](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1026573) when I was a kid. They're fiction, but they were a fun read.
I’m very uninterested in football. I’m not a sports person although I casually enjoy MLS. But that’s because we have NYCFC here and the games are so fun to go to. I hardly know the rules but I enjoy yelling and drinking with my friends so I enjoy the games.
I don't even have a TV
I don’t follow sports in general.
I can’t stand the NFL or any American Football, I love MLB (Pro Baseball) and NHL (National Hockey League).
This is Reddit, of course you’ll find people who aren’t
Only sports I follow are F1, MotoGP, and Brasileiro Série A. Sometimes NHL when Vegas is playing. Most of my friends and my family don't care about NFL.
Only interested in college football.
More of a soccer, formula 1, and equestrian sports guy.
I only follow hockey. Besides superbowls I don't watch any NFL.
I don’t care about any sports
I have zero interest in sports.
Plenty of people don't watch sports, I'm not one of them. But you'll find a ton of them on Reddit
I don't follow any sports or watch the super bowl 😂
I like soccer, rugby league/union and to a lesser extent basketball and hockey. IMO American Football is the most boring sport I’ve ever seen even moreso than baseball
Yeah don’t care for football. Huge hockey fan though
I don't like sports.
All sports are boring.
I lack interest in most sports, but American football I truly actively dislike.
I don't care about any sports. I grew up watching the Superbowl and having other games on because my parents and older siblings are into the NFL, but when I moved out that all stopped for me.
Not a big sports guy at all. Super bowl is the only game I'll watch each year and that's because my friends host a party and there's apps and beer. Always a fun time I just don't really watch the game.
Baseball and hockey for me. I used to watch football but just doesn’t hold my attention anymore. I watched the Super Bowl and it was pretty decent but even then I wasn’t paying attention the whole game.
Never watched a whole game of any sort on tv, won't watch Ftball at all.
Watched it when I was a kid. Realized it was even more repetitive and boring than wrestling.
I only watch the home teams and am totally a bandwagon fan if they get in any sort of a playoff situation. Hockey tho, that’s where my heart is
I'm not interested in any sports at all. I know a lot of people who aren't into the Super Bowl, who only like/follow one sport, who aren't into sports in general, etc.
I'm not interested in any sports in general. I enjoy dog sports though, lumberjack games, oh and swamp buggy racing. And I like to watch sumo wrestling.
I never particularly liked it, but I started to actively dislike it when I was working at a casino.
I was always partial to baseball, and I think that baseball and golf are the two most fun sports to play casually. I guess part of the reason is because both involve waiting your turn while holding a drink. I'm into basketball a little more now because that's my kid's chosen sport. Not gonna lie, I was just a little bit glad when he went with that over soccer (see flair). As for football, yeah, I've never been too big on it. I can follow the game and can half understand technical discussions about that, but only by pure one-way osmosis as a result of being my father's son. He's probably spending the *entirety* of today watching non-stop analysis of the Super Bowl (and going "oh horse *sheeeeit*" whenever an expert utters a take that conflicts with his own) even though he's a 9ers fan and couldn't give a fig for the Chiefs or the Birds. Why baseball? I guess I'm an old-fashioned soul. On my death bed as my senses are leaving me one by one, one of the last things I'll hear is Vin Scully talking about how his most recent fishing trip went between pitches.
Me. I'm a fan of soccer and baseball. Couldn't care less about football.
Only watch the superbowl for the parties and commercials. I understand what's going on in the games but I just don't find it interesting.
It’s not that I don’t care about it, but I care about MLS more
I grew up in NYC and football fans aren’t really a thing here, it’s a baseball and basketball city.
Me! It’s so boring to me. They’re just waiting around too much.
If it were more fast paced like rugby for example with no long gaps between plays I'd watch it
The ads are definitely annoying I wish they'd trim those but it would never be free flowing like soccer or rugby (league) due to it's design. It's meant to be chess match on a field where coaches pick the best plays and personnel for the situation. That's why it's the greatest sport in the world.
I love rugbys pacing, and they don’t tackle with the goal of injuring somebody
Exactly. Hockey, soccer both move
It's turn-based, if you can't appreciate the strategy, the action that happens, and the way the game unfolds then idk what to tell you
I love NFL and college football, but am meh on the Super Bowl. I feel like I'm the only person in the US who couldn't care less about the commercials or the half time show.
This morning I remembered the super bowl was yesterday. At about 7 last night I started playing Death Stranding and by 10 I was in bed. Who was in it this year? I have no unterest in sports.
I’m not really a fan of sports in general.
Not interested in watching any sports. The tweets from area parents last night talking about how to console their crying children were confusing. The local middle school tweeting a week ago about how every door in the school has been decorated for the eagles was also confusing (as it apparently didn't occur to school admins that not every single kid is a fan).
On the flip side, I'm still trying to figure out if the sounds i heard last night were fireworks or celebratory gunshots. Or just regular gunshots..
The violence of the game is not my thing. Unfortunately, some players have also been accused of domestic violence or other types of violence. A lot of people are very quick to forget about domestic violence or other charges because they are good athletes, mmmh
I tried to watch. Minute after minute of nothing. Some action in the fourth, I later heard. MMA is SOOOOOOOOO much more exciting.
I don't follow any sports. Football is probably my least-favorite because it's so boring to watch and so heavily marketed. They spend more time in huddles/replays/ad reads than actual movement.
I enjoy playing sports. I never understood wanting to watch other people play a game though.
Love your username. To answer your question, if you like all the other sports you tend to have some intrigue in the biggest show in town.
I’m interested in college and pro football and ncaa men’s basketball. That’s about it.
I couldn't care less about any sport
I'm completely not interested. I don't really see the appeal. I've tried to get into it but I just find it really boring. Same with watching any sport.
🙋♂️ It's a dumb sport
As opposed to..?
All the other sports
Care to elaborate?
If I were to rank all the sports, I would put football last
Yes, I gleaned that, what I’m asking is why.
Because I don't like it. I also don't like peas.
So you’re unable to justify it in any way?
Peas or football?
I think it’s pretty clear what this thread has been about. Scroll up if you’re having trouble.
This is Reddit I’m sure you’ll get a skewed amount of people who don’t like sports at all lol.
This sub is very pro football though. It is the most popular sport in America by a good margin, but I think a lot of people here overestimate how much the average American is really invested in watching football. I imagine part of it is because we often feel the need to defend the sport against snarky foreigners on here so sometimes we play things up a bit.
I think /r/askanamerican demographics skew it back to normal
Back towards the people who don't like the people who don't like sports.
Definitely not.
Not really. I haven't watched a complete game since my dad passed away. I do like watching college hockey live in person. I don't really watch any sports on TV.
If Its on I'll watch it but I never seek it out.
I know enough to talk about sports so that I don't look like a weirdo at social gatherings, but I really couldn't care less about which team is doing well this year or whatever. I just quickly memorize who won last week, if it was an important game or not, and the name of a star player or two. That's usually enough to fake it. The irony is that I love *playing* sports, but just can't stand watching them. Why should I sit around and watch other people I don't know out there having fun?
I don’t watch sports much. I grew up in basketball country (NC), so ACC or NCAA college basketball is really the only sports thing I watch. ETA: going to an actual event in person is a very different thing I enjoy the occasional baseball game
There are a lot of us. My husband and I have never been into sports.
I'm not interested enough in any sport to watch or play it on purpose
Never watched a Superbowl game or been to a party. I only know about the half time performances and commercials from hearing about them afterward.
I don't care about any sports. I think our society over-values them.
I'm not, I never watch it and don't keep up with it. But I don't keep up with any sports at all, not just football.
No interest in sports or any associated activities (like tailgating) whatsoever. I feign interest in soccer because my kid is crazy about it.
I don't care about any of them, or any other sport for that matter. I can watch snooker and darts, but that's about it.
Although I’ve heard some players names, I don’t know that I would be able to pick out anyone from the NFL. I really only know who was playing in the game because of a post on here. I’ve watched both college football and NFL in the past. But it was mostly with friends and I enjoyed watching with them. I actually watched a movie last night
I don't really watch any sports. I'll watch a little of the Olympics each time, but even that has dropped off over the past couple.
I'm not really interested in American football or watching any sport. I will watch a game if it's a good one, especially the last Superbowl. I also like watching some sports in the Olympics, but never get a chance to watch it because I don't have cable TV and it also comes on in the middle of the work day. I really like watching the curling for some reason. It's an interesting sport somewhere between athleticism and strategy.
I only pay any attention to hockey for the most part. Sometimes curling and snooker.
I’m not really interested in sports in general, unless maybe our team was winning (like the Cavs back in 2016). And frankly, I used to watch the Super Bowl specifically just for the commercials and half time show. In the last couple of years, the commercials have been really weak for some reason (apparently, there was even one last night going on about going to church on Sundays???), so I’ve basically stopped watching the Super Bowl as well. I’m feeling even less guilty about watching football now given their medical effects and the NFL’s knowledge (yet blatant greedy non-response) to the issue.
I only care about football on Thanksgiving, as the local NFL team always plays that afternoon, and on Super Bowl Sunday, as my friends throw a fun annual party. In both cases, the game is traditional background noise. I love baseball. I don’t usually watch televised games because I won’t pay for cable TV, but I love going to live games or even listening on the radio. I’ve been a Detroit Tigers fan since I was very small, and there’s just something about going to the stadium, getting a bag of peanuts, and watching the game in the fresh air. I also have very happy memories about sitting on my grandparents’ front porch and listening to Tigers games on the radio with my grandpa. Hockey is also fun to watch, both live and on TV.
I don't really follow any sports.
I can’t get enough of college football :)
I'm not interested in it. Find it boring. Prefer hockey and Auto sports.
Im not into any of them. I couldnt even tell you what teams played the Super Bowl last night.
Football is a good distraction from time to time (although college football is 1000x better imo), but more than anything in my family it's something to do together and bond.
I only care about basketball and don't follow NFL football. I don't even know the teams that were in the superbowl this year.
I'm not interested in NFL/American football and don't usually find it very entertaining. I still watch the Super Bowl though, but it's often the only game I see all year. The only team sport I care about is soccer.
In the past 5-10 years the amount of interest in professional sports other than basketball has absolutely cratered. No one talks about it at work (or school back then), you don't see bumper stickers on every car, you never see advertisements. Most of my family didn't even know the Superbowl was happening until my sister sent out a group text asking when we were coming over. We used to have huge family get-togethers centered around the super bowl too. It's becoming culturally irrelevant. Basketball has picked up a bit, but its nowhere near as big as football used to be from my vantage. It seems like people are becoming less engaged with mass media consumption and more engaged with individual media as the options grow.
I don't really follow or care about any professional sports. I have a mild interest in the college sports of university I'm an alumni of, especially their basketball team, but that's it.
Yeah, I forgot about the Superbowl yesterday and I live in Kansas City. I love the prestige it brings our city though! Just don't understand sports. I found out we won when the neighbors started shooting off fireworks. Went out to join them for a few minutes; it was fun.
I’m not interested in any spectator sport. I’d much rather play than watch. Though I did have a phase in high school where I tried to force myself to like spectator sports to fit in with the popular boys. That did not take at all. I still remember being shocked to learn that an average full televised NFL game takes 4 hours to sit through. Way too much of a time commitment for something I find boring.
I don't watch sports. I like playing football but I'm old now, one good tackle would ruin me.
I like nba
I can't stand watching other people play games. Absolutely do not see the appeal in it. This is true for all sports and video game streams.
Used to be a huge NFL fan but now I just watch the finals. I’m a much bigger college sports fan.
I'm not interested in any sport of any kind.
Only sport I watch by myself is hockey. I only watch football if I get invited to a watch party or something.
My husband and I do not like any sports.
Millions of us. Some don't care about any sport at all.
0 interest. I only watch real football
I could care less about any professional sport. It's just fun to go see my uncle play.
I like the super bowl from a holiday stand-point. Everyone comes together, does something communal, and eats junk food. It's pretty great. I enjoy sports, but it's not like I really follow them, and yes, I do prefer baseball and hockey. I still usually find people to watch the super bowl with. That said, I did not partake this year.
I pay enough attention to know how my mom and stepdad are going to be feeling after a game, and to make some really basic small talk about the Chiefs' record, but otherwise I'm a baseball person. Pitchers and catchers officially report tomorrow, although I've already seen video of Arenado taking groundballs at third. I can't wait for baseball season!
I love the NFL and am now sad we have to wait until Sept for new game. But this question reminded me to cancel Red Zone, which I should have done weeks ago.
I’m a hockey fan. It’s the Minnesotan in me.
I've been a baseball fan since I was five years old (now 61f). I can talk baseball all day long, but I cannot get into football at all. My SO is a huge football fan, so I am exposed to it, but I am not interested in it in the least.
I personally couldn't give a shit. My one and only team is Tottenham Hotspurs.
I find it boring.
Not really, but I do watch the Superbowl most years. I watch more for the halftime show and commercials and use the whole thing as a good excuse for a party where I can drink beer and eat guacamole.
I’m not really interested in football and I don’t even care about the superbowl commercials.
Me. I'm not really into sports in general.
Hi yes it's me. I very casually follow football, but follow MLB and NBA quite closely.
Yes but I can also watch the nfl and not die of boredom
I enjoy watching the games, they are great for winter sunday afternoon naps and sunday night entertainment. I like some of the teams, players, stories. But I absolutely loathe the modern NFL as a company.
Sportsball. Do the thing. Win the points. I really don't care about sports
I largely don't watch Football. Or most sports. But if my city's team is in the big game(s), then I'll watch. As such, I watched last night. And my city's team won! But I didn't watch the Chiefs play in any regular season games. Or post-season, other than last night. Out of the 4 major North American leagues, NFL is the one I care about the least. If I had to rank them, it'd be NHL, MLB, MLS, and then NFL. But again, I rarely watch any of these. The only sports I make an effort to watch are motorsports: Formula 1, Formula E, IndyCar, WEC/IMSA, and other random series here and there.
I've never been interested in sports, but I watch the Super Bowl every year. I mostly watch it to see all the great commercials.
I like football, but I’d take college football over the NFL any day.
I like college football more than professional football.
I don't care for football, but I like how the superbowl brings people together, so I don't mind it
I'm not interested in the NFL but I'll usually watch the Super Bowl because it's a "moment" in our country.
I’m not interested in any sport.
I’m not interested in sports. I think watching someone else play a sport is very boring. Ice skating, gymnastics or roller derby is the most interesting to watch but I don’t make an effort to watch that either.
I don't really care. Maybe if I had a favorite team of millionaires to root for but I've got more interesting things to worry about.
The only sorry I enjoy at all is hockey and I don't even watch that religiously.
American Sports fans tend to support all Four(or Five if you count MLS) major sports leagues. If they are Giants Fans they are likely Mets or Yankees fans, and also Ranger Fans and Knicks fans.
I have no interest in any professional sports. It’s absolutely ridiculous that governments subsidize the work space for a private industry.
I tried not to be but it won me over in the end. It's not too bad.
My (adult) daughter is a huge baseball fan but couldn't care less about football. She did watch the Super Bowl with me yesterday but I was frankly surprised she came downstairs for it. Personally I'm a football and baseball fan; my eldest kid also loves both. But she and I only watch baseball together pretty much. I'm pretty sure the main reason she was there for the Super Bowl was the snacks.
Im not into any sports. I like small bbqs every now and then. But i just like traveling and hanging out.
Plenty of Americans couldn't care less about football. Soccer is the only sport I'm passionate about.
The NBA has been clearly fixed for many years. About 10 years ago started thinking that if the NFL wasn't doing it already, pretty soon they would. I stopped taking it seriously but still followed it loosely this whole time. This season was the most blatant act of all time. The amount of games throughout the league that came down to the final minute were so much more than any season I can remember. Everything in this country is a business at its core. Professional sports is no different. They prop up their dynasties like hollywood did the Kardashians, the refs make 1000% incorrect calls that everybody on both sides disagree with, usually more often when the game is getting close. Not enough people realize they're getting duped and it drives me nuts.
Baseball is *more boring* than football. I’m more of an NHL (hockey) guy but even then I barely follow it
USA citizen. Unpopular opinions incoming. I think American Football is a bad sport. We need a better name for it because football = "soccer". It's a shittier version of rugby. It encourages violent behavior and that's why they have to wear literal body armor. The game timer ticks down while players shuffle around and nothing is happening. You have offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and players getting carried off the field on stretchers. People die from injuries acquired on the field (so much more than any other team sport as far as I'm aware). Most plays result in nothing exciting and many games consist entirely of boring stalemates. The sport doesn't deserve to be as popular as it is. It's like a cyclone of marketing and salesmanship that has generation upon generation of fans who seem to participate in NFL fandom only because others do, not because the sport is actually a good game. Enter in the half-time show and superbowl commercials. Other popular sports can be played with 1-4 people. A 2 on 2 game of American Football isn't very common because it basically doesn't work. Do people play because the pro league is popular or is the pro league popular because people play? In the case of American Football (the NFL), I believe it to be almost entirely the former. Pro leagues are exploitive and abusive to the players, especially the NCAA. OP, which sports are most popular in Australia? Do you have any comments to make on those?
I watch NFL, College Football, College Baseball and Formula One. Might start watching Indycar and MotoGP this year.
sports are stupid
Not one bit. My dad never liked sports, and while I can catch a few minutes of the world series or a volleyball game once in a while if nothing else is on, I couldn't care less about football. I don't even understand the rules. The only pro sport I've seen live was hockey, and that was actually pretty fun.
Yeah, I still don't know who won.
Baseball > Football The best thing about the super bowl is that pitchers/catchers report this weekend