DUDES: why do you love sports so much?

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

I like watching football for the excitement and athletic ability the men exhibit on the field - but that's my chick view lol

Sports has always been linked to men, masculinity, and male likeness, and guys respond happily to it. What is it about sports that is so appealing to guys?

Is it the physical aspect of it?

Are men just preconditioned because of societal requirements?

Or is it something more profound, like the desire to dominate in males, and watching other males dominate on the playing field?

[G-Daz]

To some degree at least I think its very likely we have been conditioned! and herers why. Depending on the country the favorite sport varies. The most popular sport in the world is by far football (or you guys call soccer), in the US the most popular sport is "football" (confusing to say this but you know what I mean lol), Canada its ice hockey etc. So I find it hard to believe that these are sports that we actually do like, its easier to believe they are mostly a case of social conditioning brought upon by family members who raised them and freinds who were raised to like it too.

If we were honestly interested in these sports, wouldn't it be more likely we would all be the most interested in the same one? but that isn't the case, (im gonna say soccer) but soccer does not do too well in the US while rubgy is not really that interesting in England because not too many people watch it.

Now something I believe creates a lot of interest in these sports that honestly are nothing more than getting a ball through a net, watching rubgy/soccer is just watching people run left and right for an hour and a half. To me this is uninteresting to watch but just like many sports we watch, things are added to keep them interesting that are not honestly apart of the core game we are watching. I.e. they keep records of statistics, divide teams into countries so people can affiliate with a group of players, we make each player a celebrity and keep up to date in their social lives. All these things that are not apart of the core mechanics that actually make up the sport are added to get people interested. I mean if they were so interesting, why is it whenever someone is playing an American football game or football with a group of freinds against another in the park who played professional level, there would never be a crowd gathering to come view. Its because to some degree its been brainwashed in to seem more interesting than it is only the professional televised players. This is what I mean.

Now to make this straight, I LOVE playing all sports and this is because actually playin them is more interesting to me than watching people go left and right on a TV. The main sport I am interested in, in both watching and participating in is MMA (mixed martial arts, i.e. in programmes such as UFC, strikforce etc). To me this sport is already interesting as it is, if someone had a fight on the street, a crowd of people would always gather to watch, its basically human nature and coded in our DNA to be interested no matter the culture, fighting is not regional. MMA is interesting because it is professionals doing a martial arts that I believe is by far one of the most interesting sports.

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Wow this was an amazing answer! Thanks for taking the time to make it - that makes so much sense; I got into football only because it was a big part of my family, though I have no interest beyond the final score of the game. People are more fixated on stats and favorite players, as opposed to the actual sport (except a minute few,) and yes, all sports would be popular just for the love of the game throughout the world if it wasn't pre programmed to like a certain sport.

Very good point :)

[G-Daz]

yes exactly! lol, I mean I live in England which is filled with football fanatics (soccer) with many people going to extreme measures to support their chosen team and actually take it personally when they lose, people decorate their houses with a football flag of their chosen team, people gather in the pub to watch and its all for the sake of just affiliating with everyone else who follows it. if you were to put a group of peple in the middle of a field with 4 corners, one corner was soccer,

[G-Daz]

another golf, rugby, and mma (fighting) most people would run to the mma corner. I know many football fanatics here who would sometimes skip a match of football and watch the highlights later if they are that intersted or at least know the final score to keep up to date.

thanks for BA :)

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Lol yep - and your welcome :D

[actricalian]

I like watching sports I've played just mostly because I can identify with the players, critique the plays, that sort of thing. Also, in all sports, I like watching them to see the things that these athletes can do that I'll never be able to do, like a bicycle kick in soccer or a dunk in basketball (well, I could do that in high school, but that was many beers ago).

I like watching drag racing because of the raw power of the vehicles and because I can appreciate the mechanical aspect of racing from having been involved in a lot of automotive stuff in school.

And even though this isn't a sport per se, I like watching pro wrestling for their athletic abilities and the fact that most of them have a physique that is very good at motivating me to keep hitting the gym.

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

So like relating to different aspects of the sports makes them appealing - I can accept that :) you wouldn't watch something that wasn't interesting to you in some way.

[peace-love-couture]

I'm a girl and I like sports. I like basketball and football(I'm from Tx). I like the competitiveness, I like the excitement, I like when my favorite teams are winning and make a good statement(even if they lose they're still my favorite team), I just like them. I'm a hardcore sports fan lmao, I'm one of those screamers, well, I used to be

I'm gonna miss Friday night football:(((

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Lol I'll be screaming right beside you :D

[mormollio]

Not all guys like sports o.o

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Well yea - this question is for those who do.

[Shaun]

When I was school aged, I didn't care to watch sports, but I definitely had a NEED to hit and be hit, energy to burn, and it wasn't so much a desire to dominate for me.

After I got too old to continue playing full contact sports, I enjoyed watching sports as a way to live vicariously through the athletes.

Now, I don't care to spectate much and I like playing non contact sports.

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

That's interesting that guys do that the whole " vicarious living through athletes," I've heard that before, makes sense.

[Shaun]

Everybody does that, and it's not just sports. It's musicians and celebrities as well. Well, not everyone, but living vicariously is a super common distraction from our hum drum lives. Interesting people recognize this and refuse to take part in it, instead working on developing their own interests, IMO

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

True, quite true.

[theydidntnameme]

well lets see... I think at the simplest level its because its fun. it is a game afterall.. when I watched the pros play as a kid, and good they were, I wanted to be good like them. so I practiced. with lots of practice, you become good. and once you become a great player after all that work, you enjoy playing even MORE... hope that helps :)

[RedThread78]

Hmm I'm not really into sports... I watch football (American football) while I hang with my buddies because all of them watch it. I'm actually quite good at tennis so I play it for the satisfaction it gives me. Unfortunately not many guys I know like to play tennis so it's rare that I get to play.

[mike5150]

I liked sports as far back as I can remember. To me it I enjoy the competitivness of it. I always root for my local teams because I can develope a closer relationship with the team and I can say I been there for the times when they werent that good which makes it that much better when they are good. Plus I made the high school team for 4 differant sports which for a while made it so a good portion of my day revolved around sports.

[ThatGuy44]

I wrestled in high school because I loved winning. I could prove to myself and to any one watching I was faster, stronger, or smarter than my opponent. I love the competition aspect of sports.

[AllDay]

I don't

I'll watch the finals or superbowl just to see what everyone else is talking about but I have no clue what players are injured or anything like that

and I don't even know all the rules I just know most of them

[WeaponZero]

i don't. except for motor sports such as motorcycle racing. otherwise I don't like sports and can not understand why they're so popular. can't stand them.

[DonMichelle]

Why do girls like shoes and nagging so much?

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Ugh - why you gotta be all sexist with it? I was asking from a psycological perspective - has nothing to do with gender stereotypes, except it happens to be one.

Shoes are awesome, and nagging is fun! XD

[DonMichelle]

Wasn't being sexist... just asking a rhetorical question

Why do lads like sports... why do women like shoes (and naging ;) hahaha)... 2 of the same question

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Oh sorry - too many anti - female guy encounters on here :P

[moviedude714]

it helps me get away from life's problems

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Legit - we all need that outlet :)

[asianfreak]

chances are that that's what makes men men