Hard disagree on this one. In a vacuum, sports is a hobby like any other, and it's fine, if not my particular cup of tea.
But in practice, it holds a unique position of cultural hegemony, perhaps especially in America, in such a way that it is inextricably bound up with gender, patriarchy, race, labor and capitalism. I personally hate sports because people assume things about me based on what they think my gender is, and use it to police my gender.
I have no problem with people enjoying sports. What i have a problem with is people having a problem with me not enjoying sports.
Growing up i was always asked about sports and expected to care about them, enjoy watching them, and have something to say about them. My not caring was an unwelcome deviation from what people expected then, sometimes that necesitated an excuse for why it was okay and i always hated.
I hope its not like that for people growing up today, and we're all just letting people enjoy things. As a kid the things i enjoyed weren't okay and it wasn't okay that i didn't enjoy sports.
Yeah also it's annoying af when old dudes ask you your opinion about the big game and when you don't have an opinion they're like, oh so you're not athletic huh? Like motherfucker I see your beer gut, you're not fooling anyone
I don't disagree with that. Personally I'm not interested in attacking anyone's enjoyment of sports.
You can see my comment to see what my issue is with sports. It has nothing to do with actual sport. But the way it was used culturally to shame and police children and their gender. I hope that's changed since i was a kid
you are significantly more likely to be badly injured playing american football than rugby. The only advantage of the american football game is that it lacks the homoerotic rapey nature of British rugby culture (to be clear the issue isn't that the culture is gay it's that it's very weird and bad about consent)
Yeah, here in Australia as well, the funding for sports is a giant black hole that sucks in and destroys funding for the arts and sciences (unless the science is how to sports better). Resulting in us having the lowest proportion of Arts spending of any developed country.
I think it’s healthy to look at something like sports and, while recognizing it’s not harmful to society in and of itself, questioning whether it’s healthy that so much societal time, energy, and money is spent on it. I mean, there’s a not insignificant portion of Americans for whom sports is basically what they live for. I feel that way about Christmas, too. Is anything wrong with enjoying Christmas? No, of course not. Is it maybe an indication of something wrong in our society when for approximately 10% of the year, the culture seems to grind to a halt to make this one holiday the focus of our lives? Maybe, worth interrogating at least.
Hard disagree on this one. In a vacuum, sports is a hobby like any other, and it's fine, if not my particular cup of tea.
But in practice, it holds a unique position of cultural hegemony, perhaps especially in America, in such a way that it is inextricably bound up with gender, patriarchy, race, labor and capitalism. I personally hate sports because people assume things about me based on what they think my gender is, and use it to police my gender.
I have no problem with people enjoying sports. What i have a problem with is people having a problem with me not enjoying sports.
Growing up i was always asked about sports and expected to care about them, enjoy watching them, and have something to say about them. My not caring was an unwelcome deviation from what people expected then, sometimes that necesitated an excuse for why it was okay and i always hated.
I hope its not like that for people growing up today, and we're all just letting people enjoy things. As a kid the things i enjoyed weren't okay and it wasn't okay that i didn't enjoy sports.
Big fucking mood
Yeah also it's annoying af when old dudes ask you your opinion about the big game and when you don't have an opinion they're like, oh so you're not athletic huh? Like motherfucker I see your beer gut, you're not fooling anyone
It is interesting how some connect passive viewing as "athletic". Similar to how watching sports is viewed as "masculine"
Yelling at the TV burns so many calories!
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Is this actually a thing? I tried googling it but all the results said "Actually there is no research substantiating this"
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The term sportsball has outlived its usefulness.
I don't disagree with that. Personally I'm not interested in attacking anyone's enjoyment of sports.
You can see my comment to see what my issue is with sports. It has nothing to do with actual sport. But the way it was used culturally to shame and police children and their gender. I hope that's changed since i was a kid
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There's an alternate universe where Al Qaeda flew a plane into the Superbowl and America instantly nuked the world in retaliation
I reckon we could probably collapse the US simply by forcing US football teams to play against international rugby teams in half/half games.
you are significantly more likely to be badly injured playing american football than rugby. The only advantage of the american football game is that it lacks the homoerotic rapey nature of British rugby culture (to be clear the issue isn't that the culture is gay it's that it's very weird and bad about consent)
bwwwwaaaaammmmm
not the wholesome football game! 
sports are fun and cool. what you hate is capitalism, not sports
Death to America
Probably lol
Death to America
Really, by this point, what hasn't capitalism ruined?
Yeah, here in Australia as well, the funding for sports is a giant black hole that sucks in and destroys funding for the arts and sciences (unless the science is how to sports better). Resulting in us having the lowest proportion of Arts spending of any developed country.
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I think it’s healthy to look at something like sports and, while recognizing it’s not harmful to society in and of itself, questioning whether it’s healthy that so much societal time, energy, and money is spent on it. I mean, there’s a not insignificant portion of Americans for whom sports is basically what they live for. I feel that way about Christmas, too. Is anything wrong with enjoying Christmas? No, of course not. Is it maybe an indication of something wrong in our society when for approximately 10% of the year, the culture seems to grind to a halt to make this one holiday the focus of our lives? Maybe, worth interrogating at least.