I think I just got turned down for an interview because I don't, nor have I really ever, played sports.
I was taking part in what I guess would be considered a pre-screening call with the owner of a small insurance agency. Everything was going really well. He noticed the college I went to and asked if I played any sports there. I mentioned that I worked all the way through college, and I am not really a sports fan anyways. His voice got low and basically said, "well anyways, I'll be in touch." I haven't heard back in 3 days.
Being 6'5" I have always been asked if I play basketball. I think I was so pressured into it growing up that I rebelled by not wanting any parts of it.
I love SCUBA diving, skydiving, hiking, swimming, boating, jogging, playing poker, bowling, and shooting pool. Yet when I mention I don't like team sports I feel like some people consider me less of a man. I could normally care less, but this guy REALLY bothered me.
I make it a point to attend a Washington Nationals game once a year in honor of my grandfather who died before he got to see a baseball team back in DC. But to be honest I probably spend most of the game people watching. (There are some really cute women at baseball games.) You can never go wrong at a place that serves junk food and beer.
I will occasionally attend other events if someone offers me a free ticket, I rarely turn anything down that is free. But I have no attention span for watching sports on tv. Its so bad that I thought the Harry Potter quidditch matches were a little drawn out.
Don't get me started on golf. My boss comes in and bores me to death with the details of every golf game he plays. He makes it sound like if I ever want to own my own agency, it will just be expected of me to play with the other agents.
Well I guess I will just be an outcast then.
Posted by HalcyonDreams (Member # 10000) on :
Golf is the most boring sport ever.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
It is. And it's played in DIRECT SUNLIGHT! I hate sunlight. They should play it at night riding golf carts and hitting glow in the dark balls. I'm a woman, so I guess I am culturally allowed to be bored by most team sports. I did like watching Jordan help win the championship years ago and hockey is kind of cool. Baseball and football bore me transparent, but soccer is kind of cool as it has men with nice bodies.
Posted by HalcyonDreams (Member # 10000) on :
Football is my favorite. It's nicely paced and doesn't involve a lot of back and forth movements. Baseball does nothing for me because it's boring. Soccer and hockey both involve too much running back and forth to no end. And you hope you get a goal or two. Basketball is just way too much back and forth in a short period of time. My brain can't handle that.
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
I have a healthy enjoyment of team sports, but my true loves lie almost entirely in the "other" list you gave: SCUBA diving, skydiving, hiking, swimming, boating, jogging, playing poker, bowling, and shooting pool. I love all of those things (though I suck at bowling and pool). And I consider them sports.
I do really like basketball though. Again, I suck at it. I'm what they call a "role player". Ok at most things, not good at anything. But I enjoy watching it and playing it.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Uhg. Sports. Our whole family feels the sting of the non-sporty outcast around here.
I mean, we are all cyclists, and we go biking, hiking and canoeing together, We even occassionally play a little b-ball in teh driveway, or soccor. But the kids don't seem interested in playing team sports, which is fine with us.
I used to play soccor and volley ball, and the hubby and I used to play tennis for fun. I was good at the the sports I tried, but it just wasn't all that much fun.
But in this neighborhood? OMG. Sports are such a big frickin' deal that a man refused to go with his daughter to the ER for tests after she was injured in a game, because he wanted to see who won. O_O My first thought when I heard that story was, "I hope his insurance is paid up, because if I was his wife he'd been needing it soon."
Don't EVEN get me started on the neighborhood Tennis Nazis.
Of course, my unwillingness to feign interest in such things may have more to do with our perceived strangeness than our lack of participation.
I once giggled to another patron at a gym about a body builder I knew in HS who always walked around like his armpits were badly sunburned. One of the trainers heard me. Oy. And when I cut back on the calf exercizes because my calves were getting that stringy, cut look, another trainer couldn't believe I didn't want to be "cut" because it's so "sexy".
I cannot imagine. I have enough trouble zipping my high boots without gettinhg bigger claves, thanks.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I am no sports fan, but I've really enjoyed golfing the handful of times I've gone. Well, except for the whole hitting the ball part.
Posted by HalcyonDreams (Member # 10000) on :
You like the walking around part? Or perhaps the golfcarts, they're fun.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
If this guy isn't going to hire you because he wants a buddy to Monday morning quarterback with, then you're probably better off not getting the job anyway. Hard to get anything accomplished when your coworkers and bosses are chit-chatting all around you.
In the future, if it were to come up, I'd probably say "I'm not generally a fan of professional team sports, however I do enjoy participating in <insert list here>." That may help to eliminate the assumption that you're a couch potato that zones into reality TV whenever you're home simply because you don't follow whatever team he likes.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener: If this guy isn't going to hire you because he wants a buddy to Monday morning quarterback with, then you're probably better off not getting the job anyway. Hard to get anything accomplished when your coworkers and bosses are chit-chatting all around you.
In the future, if it were to come up, I'd probably say "I'm not generally a fan of professional team sports, however I do enjoy participating in <insert list here>." That may help to eliminate the assumption that you're a couch potato that zones into reality TV whenever you're home simply because you don't follow whatever team he likes.
I might try that!
Ugh, reality tv. I think I'd rather watch sports.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
I'm pretty much in the same camp as you are, Stephan.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Hi, I'm Belle, I'm a woman and I love sports.
I love participating in sporting activites (playing touch football with the kids, volleyball at church, shooting hoops) and I love watching them.
Last night my oldest daughter and I gathered in front of the TV for some mother/daughter bonding over the Duke/Kent St. basketball game (Go Blue Devils!) and she had on the Cameron Crazie t-shirt I got her for her birthday.
My middle daughter is a competitive athlete, and my son wants to play baseball this spring. I love sports, all kinds, and I'd much rather watch a sporting event on tv than most shows out there.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
One thing that I've enjoyed since I divorced and my son left for college is NOT having sports on TV all the time.
Not that I don't enjoy the occasional football game, but I never really CARED about any of the games. And when it wasn't football, it was basketball, baseball, NASCAR, hockey or golf. I golfed a bit when I was in school, and I enjoyed it all right, but watching??? Talk about televised chloroform!
I LOVED watching my children participate in sports. My son ran track in junior high, and played football and wrestled in high school. My daughters ran track, played basketball and wrestled. But you'll never see me watching any televised sports unless it's at a superbowl or world series party.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I've never had my total lack of sports interfere with my getting a job, but I've had numerous co-workers over the years who have taken great delight in asking me if I knew who was playing in the next big game, or what sport that big game was a part of, or whathaveyou and witnessing my ignorance (and indifference). I'm quite the novelty for most of them.
It's also not uncommon for coworkers who know that I have no interest in sports to try to give me blow by blow accounts of games, as though that will somehow convert me.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener:
In the future, if it were to come up, I'd probably say "I'm not generally a fan of professional team sports, however I do enjoy participating in <insert list here>." That may help to eliminate the assumption that you're a couch potato that zones into reality TV whenever you're home simply because you don't follow whatever team he likes.
So you're not a couch potato if you're watching sports on TV? Gee, if only I'd known I could get fit and muscular by watching sports, maybe I wouldn't need to go to the gym.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:My name is Stephan, I'm a man, and I don't like sports
Dude, welcome to Hatrack. You're in the majority, enjoy it.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
It's amazing what good bullshitting skills will do for you.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang:
quote:My name is Stephan, I'm a man, and I don't like sports
Dude, welcome to Hatrack. You're in the majority, enjoy it.
HA!
I was asked in an interview what I did in my spare times and I said,
"Video Games, Movies, Books, Write Music."
I got hired and my coworker is a nerd engineer who plays EVE Online. We always have plenty to talk about and my boss watches Battlestar Gallactica. Working for the software marketing guys was a REALLY good decision on my part.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Kung fu is always cool... and kick boxing... and things that involve SWORDS.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Maybe when I run my own agency I'll put up a sign that says, "Nerds only, jocks need not apply".
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
'Nerd' and 'jock' aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by HalcyonDreams: You like the walking around part? Or perhaps the golfcarts, they're fun.
Both.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: 'Nerd' and 'jock' aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
*excludes JT*
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
I know someone that "modified" a golf cart during his summer job at a course so he could effectively perform doughnuts in the parking lots.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: 'Nerd' and 'jock' aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
Yeah, but based on your "White and Nerdy" score over at GC, you'll never be fully one of us.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:In the future, if it were to come up, I'd probably say "I'm not generally a fan of professional team sports, however I do enjoy participating in <insert list here>."
I'd refine this by just saying "SCUBA diving, skydiving, hiking, swimming, boating, jogging, playing poker, bowling, and shooting pool."
I generally don't tell people what I don't do in an interview, unless it's related to the work. (e.g., "I don't do PowerBuilder").
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:Yeah, but based on your "White and Nerdy" score over at GC, you'll never be fully one of us.
I don't recognize that definition of 'nerdy'.
Plus, I never said I was talking about me.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
quote:Originally posted by blacwolve:
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener:
In the future, if it were to come up, I'd probably say "I'm not generally a fan of professional team sports, however I do enjoy participating in <insert list here>." That may help to eliminate the assumption that you're a couch potato that zones into reality TV whenever you're home simply because you don't follow whatever team he likes.
So you're not a couch potato if you're watching sports on TV? Gee, if only I'd known I could get fit and muscular by watching sports, maybe I wouldn't need to go to the gym.
Nah, then you're a couch potato who likes watching sports Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I heart sports.
Sports of all kinds.
Well, okay, maybe not curling.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
quote:Well, okay, maybe not curling.
That's because curling isn't a sport. It's housekeeping on ice.
Curling is what made me rework my definition of sports which used to be "anything you play with a ball and/or is in the Olympics." Once they added curling, I can't use the second part of that sentence anymore.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I find curling more interesting to watch than most professinoal sports.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
Sporty and nerdy... mmm...
I was the first guy in my high school class to earn my varsity jacket (two varsity sports letters) and competed on academic decathlon. What the heck clique is THAT? I never did figure that one out...
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Belle: Curling is what made me rework my definition of sports which used to be "anything you play with a ball and/or is in the Olympics." Once they added curling, I can't use the second part of that sentence anymore.
Of course, your definition now includes jacks and excludes hockey.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Hockey is no longer an Olympic sport?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
No, it lacks a ball.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
rivka, I know. That's why I'm still working on my new definition.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I know you know. I was responding to mph . . .
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Sorry for the confusion, I was responding to:
quote:Of course, your definition now includes jacks and excludes hockey.
Shoulda quoted it.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Um. That was Noemon.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
So it was.
And I'm officially an idiot right now.
Sorry bout that. I'm obviously too tired to be posting. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*pat pat* I do the same thing all the time. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Who's on first?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I'm not sure. Is it your turn to control the body, or Tante's?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Um...mine! Yeah, that's the ticket! Mine.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Darn!
Why isn't it ever my turn?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
quote:I was the first guy in my high school class to earn my varsity jacket (two varsity sports letters) and competed on academic decathlon. What the heck clique is THAT? I never did figure that one out...
I did that too O_O
...oh, and I totally forgot about Bartley's. How can that happen!?
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
quote:I was the first guy in my high school class to earn my varsity jacket (two varsity sports letters) and competed on academic decathlon.
My jacket was a piece of work,and imagine my too-long last name in calligraphy strewn across the back. I'm dripping in sweat because I went to high school in Southern California and it's never cool enough to warrant such a heavy jacket. Good times. What a world.
[ December 21, 2006, 12:16 AM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
I wonder if it's a thing about getting old. I always hated 'team' sports as a kid. I've always loved cycling and at uni I did loads of rock climbing and mountian biking.
However now I find I love watching any sport. Football(soccer) (I'm a season ticket holder for the local team), rugby, winter sports (esp. biathlon), and best of all cricket - truly the sport for the professional loafer.
See you in the terraces!
Posted by stihl1 (Member # 1562) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: No, it lacks a ball.
A puck is a flattened ball.
I love sports, sports of all kinds. Moreso the watching than the doing. Until I went to college I really wasn't that way, either. I always hated that my dad watched a lot of sports. Then something kicked in and I became just like him with the sports watching. I am fortunate I live in a great sports town, most nights there is some kind of game on to watch. And then I listen to sports talk all day. Big big sports fan.
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
quote:Originally posted by Belle: Curling is what made me rework my definition of sports which used to be "anything you play with a ball and/or is in the Olympics." Once they added curling, I can't use the second part of that sentence anymore.
But then what about Badminton? It doesn't involve a ball. Would you consider that to be a sport?
My definition of sports: Any game that you can play to win, requires a reasonable amount of physical effort and is appealing to spectators.
But basically I tend to just call it a game. It helps to avoid a lot of confusion.
some other definitions of sport:
* An athletic competition that is objectively scored. source: Urban Dictionary * 1 a : a source of diversion : RECREATION b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary * 1. a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. b. A particular form of this activity. 2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively. 3. An active pastime; recreation. source: Free Online Dictionary
And just as an interesting sidetrack;
Sport : an individual exhibiting a sudden deviation from type beyond the normal limits of individual variation usually as a result of mutation especially of somatic tissue source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary which is apparently the meaning of the word sport within the scientific sphere of Biology... Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
quote: 1. a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
That's not a bad definition, I can get behind that one. It would include curling though.
The lines are fuzzy. I don't consider ballroom dancing a sport, but I do consider gymnastics a sport. Weird. Both require athleticism, grace, involve music (in women's gymnastics anyway, if only in floor exercise) and are judged subjectively.
But I think dance is more of an art form, not a sport. Though the gymnastics my daughter participates in is called artistic gymnastics.
My head asplode.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
NASCAR is shown on ESPN, this has always confused me, because I don't consider NASCAR a sport. Does anyone have any idea why NASCAR is a sport?
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Because it involves men with southern accents, costly equipment, and beer?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Because it NASCAR takes a particular set of physical skills that must be practiced and mastered, requires great physical endurance, and very few people do it well.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
I admire people who have mastered special skills and play sports well, but I don't get the level of mania involved on the part of the fans. I watch some Olympic sports, bike races occassionally (in person, mostly)and Iditarod coverage on TV.
Mostly, I put sporting activities in the same sub-group as sex-- more fun to do than to watch. *shrug* That's just me, though.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
To me, an inherent part of a sport is the competition. Soccer, for example, is inherently competetive with each team trying to accomplish what the other team is trying to thwart.
Activities like golf and archery are not directly competetive like that. You aren't directly competing with anybody -- you're just competing with their results. Still, those results are straightfoward, so I'll consider them sports.
But activities like gymnasticsdiving, and figure scating are even further removed from competition. You can't even compete directly with the results of your competitors -- you're competing with the judge's evaluation of you're competitor's performance.
To me, any activity in which the winner is decided by comparing judge's scores is not a sport. It is a demonstration, just like ballroom dancing and ballet.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
"Because it involves men with southern accents, costly equipment, and beer?"
Scott drinks Haterade. Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Poker is shown on ESPN, which says a lot more about their definition then NASCAR does.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: To me, an inherent part of a sport is the competition. Soccer, for example, is inherently competetive with each team trying to accomplish what the other team is trying to thwart.
Activities like golf and archery are not directly competetive like that. You aren't directly competing with anybody -- you're just competing with their results. Still, those results are straightfoward, so I'll consider them sports.
But activities like gymnasticsdiving, and figure scating are even further removed from competition. You can't even compete directly with the results of your competitors -- you're competing with the judge's evaluation of you're competitor's performance.
To me, any activity in which the winner is decided by comparing judge's scores is not a sport. It is a demonstration, just like ballroom dancing and ballet.
I agree with this, for the most part, and I think that you're right on in the distinction that you're making between sport and demonstration. I think that there's often a certain value judgement attached to the lable "sport", with things that are deemed "not-sport" being seen as "less-than" rather than "other", and that that gets in the way of coming to a consensus on what "sport" is.
The one thing that I'd add to your description of what "sport" is would be that the activity would have to involve a certain level of physical exertion. Jacks, to use the example I brought up with Belle, strikes me as an activity that meets all of the points of your description but still can't be considered a sport, and I think that the reason for that it the lack of exertion required to play it.
But then, what about competitive shooting? That seems like a sport to me, and while it's more physically demanding tha sitting on the couch, it doesn't require that much exertion? And if that counts as a sport, what about doing the same thing in a simulator? And if that counts as a sport, what about Duckhunt on the NES?
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: Poker is shown on ESPN, which says a lot more about their definition then NASCAR does.
I didn't realize this. I tend to avoid ESPN with all possible diligence. I only noticed the NASCAR thing because I was trapped in a room where it was playing (family reunion).
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:I was the first guy in my high school class to earn my varsity jacket (two varsity sports letters) and competed on academic decathlon. What the heck clique is THAT? I never did figure that one out...
We didn't have an academic decathlon, but I had 4 varsity letters and was on the quiz bowl team, literary rally team, and in the school plays every year. (does that classify me as 'nerd/jock'?)
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
If it does, then I'm one too, since I had letters in softball.
And fencing doesn't involve a ball, but it's certainly a sport.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:figure scating
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
::weeps with laughter::
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
CT, why are you angsty about a scarecrow-building contest?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: Poker is shown on ESPN, which says a lot more about their definition then NASCAR does.
And wrestling is shown on the sci fi channel. Rationalize that!
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: Poker is shown on ESPN, which says a lot more about their definition then NASCAR does.
And wrestling is shown on the sci fi channel. Rationalize that!
Well that makes more sense. Sci Fi includes fantasy.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan:
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: Poker is shown on ESPN, which says a lot more about their definition then NASCAR does.
And wrestling is shown on the sci fi channel. Rationalize that!
Well that makes more sense. Sci Fi includes fantasy.
Then can't ESPN include activities that fantasize about being called sports?
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by Stephan:
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: Poker is shown on ESPN, which says a lot more about their definition then NASCAR does.
And wrestling is shown on the sci fi channel. Rationalize that!
Well that makes more sense. Sci Fi includes fantasy.
Then can't ESPN include activities that fantasize about being called sports?
Would not bother me any, I never watch it. They could show Sesame Street for all I care.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Sci Fi includes fantasy.
No it doesn't.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
rivka is right - speculative fiction includes both sci fi and fantasy, but the two are not the same and fantasy is most definitely NOT a sub-group of sci fi.
Most. Definitely. Not.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Precisely.
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
Did anybody see them showing video game competitions on ESPN this morning?
Posted by Human (Member # 2985) on :
Oddly enough, I did. I was sitting in a restaurant that had ESPN going on overhead TVs. The guys in the football competitions, at least, were idiots. Way too much into what, for me, is something I do to relax. Still, interesting enough.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: Because it NASCAR takes a particular set of physical skills that must be practiced and mastered, requires great physical endurance, and very few people do it well.
Same goes for singing... even karaoke. That definition is too vague, because many non "athletic" activities are still physically taxing and difficult.
edit: Additionally, many things require skills, are physically taxing, are done for spectators, and are subjects of competition, but are not sports.
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
I don't believe there are people who don't like sports. Instead, I just beleive there are people who haven't learned that they like sports yet. Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
Orincoro: That's true, but all (most?) of those can be excluded by m_p_h's definition above.
--j_k, who edited this many times
Posted by Griffin (Member # 7166) on :
That's one problem with selling insurance. A lot of casual business is done over a good game of golf. That is, if you don't like golf. Me, I would love to do casual business over a game of golf.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
When I run my own agency such casual business will be done on a beach with margaritas.
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
Teams suck. Heh.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: To me, an inherent part of a sport is the competition. Soccer, for example, is inherently competetive with each team trying to accomplish what the other team is trying to thwart.
Activities like golf and archery are not directly competetive like that. You aren't directly competing with anybody -- you're just competing with their results. Still, those results are straightfoward, so I'll consider them sports.
But activities like gymnasticsdiving, and figure scating are even further removed from competition. You can't even compete directly with the results of your competitors -- you're competing with the judge's evaluation of you're competitor's performance.
To me, any activity in which the winner is decided by comparing judge's scores is not a sport. It is a demonstration, just like ballroom dancing and ballet.
To me, the most enjoyable aspect of any "sport" is the asthetic of human bodies performing at their peak. It doesn't really matter to me whether is a basketball player jumping, a bike racer sprinting up the Alpe de Huez, a soccer goalie making an incredible save, or a gymnast doing a backward salto.
To me, the competition is only important because it inspires athletes to keep pushing the envelope of what the human body can do. I don't care whether the scoring is determined by time on a clock, getting balls into a goal or by a panel of judges so long as the scoring is leading to better athleticism.
For that reason, I enjoy watching sports that I've have done much more than sports I don't do. My personal experience with bike riding for example makes it more obvious to me how good the top bike racers are. I have a greater understanding for what their sport demands and therefore a greater appreciation of how incredibly their bodies perform. I also get a great deal of enjoyment out of gymnastics because what they are able to do with their bodies is so far above the normal ability of humans.
In contrast, I haven't played football enough to identify the athleticism involved. Golf is even worse.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I think you are all a bunch of blasted thread necromancers!
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: He noticed the college I went to and asked if I played any sports there. I mentioned that I worked all the way through college, and I am not really a sports fan anyways. His voice got low and basically said, "well anyways, I'll be in touch." I haven't heard back in 3 days.
This is a bit off topic but I thought I mention anyway. You violated one of the key rules for interviewing by talking too much about what you didn't do or what you don't like. I don't know about his interviewer but often interviewers will ask this kind of a question to get you to talk about yourself. The best way to deal with kind of question, assuming you didn't play sports in college is to sidestep and talk about something you did do or do enjoy.
For example, you might have said, "I had to support myself in college so I didn't have alot of time for team sports, but I did swim twice a week and played pool with friends regularly. After college I was a member of a bowling team and right now I'm really into SCUBA diving and hiking." (Of course I don't know if any of those details are correct, but you get the idea). Instead of talking about what you don't do, you've made an opportunity to tell him about yourself and your interests. You've got a long list so chances are he has some interest in one of them. He's likely to respond with something like "Really, I've been thinking about getting into SCUBA". Rather than having put down something that really interests him (team sports), you've turned this in to a chance to talk about you (which is after all what an interview is for).
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Oh I always bring up the fact that I worked through college, I did here to, I just didn't mention in the post. I'll try tacking on the stuff about SCUBA and hiking though, good idea.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
Have we already dobied this thread?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The only sport I watch with any regularity is hockey, which emphasizes the thing I love the most about sports: the unexpected. At pretty much any point, a single flub or brilliant play can turn an ordinary play into a puck in the net, or result in a fantastic save by the goalie.
The score might never be high enough for some people, but even the near goals and near misses are sometimes just as exciting as the ones that actually go in.
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I know you know. I was responding to mph . . .
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