Any other aspies on here not "get" sports??

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I dont relate to the sports obsessiveness we see so often in culture. I dont have a problem with anyone being into whatever hobby they happen to be into, whether it be sports or anything else. But the degree and intesity of the obsession the society at large has with sports is something I find suffocating. Thats a personal response on my part. I grew up being repeatedly harrassed by the athletic types (i.e. "jocks") in my high school, and find myself , now as an adult, repeatedly in uncomfortable situations where sports are treated as some sort of communal religion that everyone must partake of, and where Im some unbeliever.

But I dont think my criticism of sports is based solely on my own purely personal emotions. I think an objective argument can be made (and has been made) regarding how often our society treats sports obsessively and indulgently. (I'm writing from the United States.) For example, the way that colleges and universities will bend over backwards to establish and nurture their athletic teams to a degree that they wouldn't even think of doing with any other part of the university. I suggest everyone google the name "Murray Sperber. " He's a college professor who has tried to point out the detrimental effects that the indulgent college sports programs have had on education in American universities. He's written two books on the subject. I happen to think that the effect of college sports on our universities is only one example of the negative effects that excessive sports obsessiveness has on our society.

I have to respond to this comment, because its a response that is all too often what I find when someone tries to criticize sports. When somone tries to suggest that there is something negative about sports fanaticism, there is frequently not a rational response that gives respect to what the criticism was... but rather a response that just laughs in the face of the point that was intended to be made. I see this with sports much more often than with just about any other topic. One can criticize just about anything in our society: arts, music, politics, etc. etc. and thats all deemed legitimate. But criticize sports in any way, and its treated as not even to be taken seriously. I dont think thats fair.

Its true that people who dont like sports are often critical of them. But thats pretty common in any category. People who dont have X (fill in any thing) will be critical of people who have lots of X. The question is, whether the criticisms being made have any truth to them. The fact that poor people may criticize a country's economic system doesnt remove the possibility that their criticism are correct (or maybe not). Sometimes (not always) people who are left out of something have the best criticisms about the thing that left them out. Also, I dont think people who criticize sports with rational arguments (so long as they actually are rational) are necessarily "try[ing to] ridicule something just because [they] don't understand it." On the contrary, in my own life, I more frequently find sports obsessive people ridiculing those who are unathletic or who have no interest in sports. I've seen that happen tons of time, and those who are unathletic just take it and swallow it. I think for someone to finally be able to air their greivances in an open forum is far from "shallow." Its the other side of the argument.

But what about the other people at said convention? They wouldn't think you are wierd, right? But what if you went that sci-fi or fantasy convention dressed as a sports fan?

On second though, people probably wouldn't think twice about it because it's a common sight anywhere :\

You're right. I don't 'get' sports either. But my problem was always occupational sensitivity. I can't stand running around left and right in a crowd of people who are also running around. Too chaotic and hazardous. I can barely even catch any kind of ball if I know it isn't soft. I instinctively duck out of the way.

I guess I'm one of the Über-sports lovers. Judo, Pencak Silat, Karate, Soccer, Hockey, Baseball, Volleyball, Futsal...I've done lots of stuff and some of them are still some of my regular activities (Not so regular as I want it to be unfortunately.). Watching is also nice, but there's nothing like actual participation.

Why I love sports? Well, as a toddler I decided that I wanted to be the best in everything, including sports. Following games just went naturally as I got more fond of a particular kind of sports.

To each his own if you don't 'get' it, but I can't imagine my life without sports.

I am not into and have never been into sports. This includes playing sports, watching sports, etc.
I have simply not been interested, not liked the social aspect, and I have never been physically coordinated to even remotely succeed at participation.

Your response *might* have a ring of truth to it, but have you read the posts I was responding to? If they had made an objective criticism, then you might have an argument. As it is, they were all simply expressing their own made-up reasons why sport isn't worth following, as if THAT'S why they don't follow it. They weren't criticising sport at all, they were showing their inability to understand what everyone else gets out of it and pretending that the reason why is because they are superior people.

Now I'm all for physical exercise. I'd like fencing, bike riding, hiking, spelunking, and martial arts, but team sports are an enigma for me. I don't have an ounce of enthusiasm for them and absolutely do not relate to the hysteria everyone feels regarding whether or not their team wins. Who cares? Watching sports on TV or attending a game at a stadium is one of the most boring activities I can think of. Seeing people cheer loudly for their team is like watching animals hoot in a zoo. Between me and every sports lover there is an impenetrable chasm that cannot be crossed, at least during games or sports talk.

Obviously, like most of you guys, I was never good at sports during gym class, and was the target of ridicule, etc. I also think eyeenteepee also makes a good point about the connection between "social" people who relate to the group and sports fans, versus individualists aspies like us who don't understand what all the fuss is about. I wonder if an interest in sports is typically an NT or extrovert thing?

I dont mind sports.

I have a hard time, getting North American Sports. I was born in Canada, and I still have a hard time, getting Hockey, HFL/CFL Football and Baseball. I used to watch Hockey, because that's what everybody else was doing, but I don't even bother with it, anymore. A few years ago, somebody at my Clubhouse told me that a Vancouver Cannuck was sticked in the face. My response was, "Who's he?" It was embarrasing, because I live near Vancouver. I don't know what it is. I used to watch all the sports that I've mentioned, now it doesn't make sense to me.

I never have been interested in sports. Hated them when I was a kid when I realised I was being pressured to like them (especially because I'm male) and realised (without knowing why) I wasn't good at playing them. Now I don't hate them and sort of understand and enjoy them, as well as understand why normal people like them, but don't follow them at all.

One of the worst memories of my childhood was when I tried to play basketball to get friends and please my dad and after my team lost the championship I got blasted at home by my dad with what I now realise was an 'I hate you for having AS' speech. (I was refused help because my parents were ashamed of me - they 'didn't want the stigma'. That's a direct quote.) Got a lot of those growing up. I couldn't win! Retreat into fantasy - get in trouble for it. Try to do normal stuff - get in trouble for it. No wonder I had so many problems. It wasn't just the AS!

Normal people's obsession with sport seems ridiculous, even I dare say pathological - paying somebody millions of dollars because he can dunk a basketball.

But trying to meet the normals halfway I realise that's how they see my special interests.

My only sport now is occasionally bicycling in the city and suburbs, sometimes long distances (a marathon length over a day for example). As a former friend and mentor once pointed out to me, that is a sport!

P.S. Believe it or not basketball is a sport I now find easy to understand and can enjoy watching if I have to. Same with hockey and soccer. The one I like least is probably American football.

I have to agree that the attitude that some of you have about sports fans is ridiculous. What's the difference between debating over whether one team is better than the other, and debating whether, say, Star Wars is better than Star Trek? Certainly there are plenty of fans of both who stand by their favorite franchises no matter what kinds of arguments are tossed at them.

And someone said that you shouldn't be into sports if you don't play sports or something like that. Well, do you also think, say, that people shouldn't be interested in trains just because they don't work in the train industry? Same difference.

That said, I have never been that into sports, but I'm starting to wonder if it was partially just because of a preconceived notion that sports are boring. My college's football team (Rutgers) was in the Insight Bowl, and I was actually getting very into the game. Similarly, I went to a Devils hockey game, and really enjoyed myself. (I actually went with a fellow aspie, Scott, who is registered as BaseballFan on here, though he mostly lurks.) Now I'm actually probably going to be following the Devils for the rest of the season. Then again, I've always had a soft spot for hockey and for the Devils.

And honestly, what's so wrong with being loyal to a particular team? Yeah, maybe there's no real weight to it, but you know what? It's fun.

The difference is that the mass of people who are into Star Trek and Star Wars has not had the same effect on our society, particularly certain aspects of our society, as have the great mass of people that idolize sports. Let me give you an example. Colleges sometimes go overboard in pandering to their athletic teams, so much so that the athletic programs at those colleges have undue power over the university. For more on this, see this article:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2001-03-20-game-of-life-interview.htm

Sometimes, because of this, athletes at colleges get away with things they shouldnt get away with... things ordinary students (including members of the college computer club, their drama department, or the college star trek fan club) would not get away with. For example, see this article (its a bit old, but I think what it describes goes on today as well):

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/93/10/04_1_m.html

College professor Murray Sperber, who has written about the excessive power given to college sports, decribes the problem as follows:

"Every student I interviewed or who responded to my survey (over 1900) always had a story about corruption in college sports on their campus. Often they said that Joey Jock was in their chem class and he never came and a student manager took the test for him, or some similar story like that. So it seemed to me that rather than build school spirit, it built cynicism. However, when they met an actual athlete they would go gaga and often ask for an autograph. They held contrary ideas simoultaneously."

Heres the full article:

http://www.usatoday.com/community/chat/1018sperber.htm

Members of the college Star Trek or Star Wars fan club dont have this kind of power over a univesity... and the effect of Star Wars and Star Trek fandom isnt to create an unnecessary and excessive center of power on a college campus for people who do not represent the majority of the student body. College athletic programs do have this power, and unrestrained college sports fandom feeds that power.

I dont think some interest in sports is bad, if thats your thing. I dont have anything against people liking sports, if thats their interest, any more than I would have a problem with people being into Star Trek or Star Wars or anything else. But I think some consideration ought to be given that sports has embeeded itself into our society so deeply that it exerts excessive power over this society, and it makes people who play sports be "insiders" and those who dont "outsiders." In that regard, I strongly recommend this next article:

http://www.sportsjones.com/columbine.htm

Well, football ('soccer' for the Americans) is definitely embedded in some societies, to the extreme. Take the 'Superclasíco' (River Plate vs Boca Juniors) in Argentina, or a Galatasaray vs Fenerbahçe in Turkey for instance. Absolute warfare, which goes beyond sanity. I could name numerous examples, but then I'd busy all day. What I can say is that they're luckily, contrary to popular belief, not the majority but rather a gang of the most notorious ones stirring up stuff. But even if they're small in numbers, they remain a great pain in the butt for those who love the sport, but don't feel the need to act antisocial over it when things aren't happening the way they'd like it.

Last edited by Kiss_my_AS on 06 Jan 2006, 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Can you use shorter words lazlo? Its kind of boring.

Hmm, it seems the mirror neuron theory could explain this to an extent!

from

Swarthmore dropped football, badminton, and wrestling. :swoon:

I hardly understand them...I've tried to understand, but with no luck. Even after competing in a spelling bee (and making it to nationals... waaaaay back in 1997!) It was enough competition for a life time for me!