Recovery from sports addiction

[ChrisOH]

Hello again all!

I wasn't quite sure where this topic fit, so I decided to be a radical and create a new one..LOL.

Most of my story is on the Letters page, so I won't reiterate it all, but did want to provide some additional details. (Thanks to Earl and Ray for the welcomes and responses on that page, btw).

At my former workplace, I was made fun of for not liking sports enough and not watching enough games. One of the guys made fun of the radio station I listened to and said it was "girls' station" because they didn't talk very much about sports on their morning show. Just a couple of examples of incidents similar to this:

1) I was asked what was wrong with me because the Indians were playing a "crucial three-games series" against the Yankees in baseball, and I watched movies with my wife one night instead of the "big game".

2) One year I was invited to a neighborhood Christmas/New Year's party the same night as a big Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game. As such, I didn't see the game. When asked at work if I saw it, I responded that, no, I had been at a party the night before. Their response was "Didn't somebody think to turn a TV on and watch the game? What's wrong with those people?" I was told that neither I, nor the neighbors, were truly supportive of the team or our city if we didn't watch the game. After all, the Cavaliers were Cleveland's best shot at championship ring in over 40 years, and we should be excited about seeing that.

Also, around this time, I was with my wife and mother-in-law in the car and they were saying how I wasn't "like other men" because all the other guys cared about was when the next sports game was on, whereas I made an effort to do things with my wife, our respective families, etc. My MIL said my wife had me trained well, and they both laughed. But I felt like I was less of a man because of this, since it appeared most other men watched a lot of sports. So, even though I had watched sports fairly regularly in the past, I started watching several games a week, because I didn't want to seem "unmanly".

At times, I have felt like watching sports inconvenienced me, because there was an activity I'd like to have attended, or even just another show on TV I'd like to have seen or a book I'd like to have finished, but didn't because I felt I had to watch sports on TV. The TV sports announcers talk about the "priceless memories" of the World Series, Super Bowl, etc. and I didn't want to miss out on one of these memorable games because I was doing something else. And I certainly didn't want to let my "manliness" be compromised. So even though most of the games weren't all that exciting, I felt guilty about missing them, just in case something big happened.

Has anyone here felt compelled to watch sports for these reasons (or any reason)? Do you worry about missing a historic moment in a game, or that the "game of the year" will be on and you missed it? Also, do you feel out of place during World Series, Super Bowl, or March Madness seasons when it seems like everyone is watching but you? (I do remember Ray's comment on the Letters page that most people don't watch sports -- so is perhaps "everyone is watching it" more of a perception than a reality?) What kinds of things do you all when there's a big game on and you're not watching it?

Thanks in advance for any advice or comments!

[abitagirl]

I watched the Super Bore once, about 10 or so years ago. My (now ex) boyfriend at the time took me to a Super Bore party at his brother's house. Oh, the priceless memories I have had watching da BIG GAME! So, ummm...boring. And I really remember nothing of the game itself. I don't even remember who played, much less won. All I remember is being bored out of my mind, sucking on cough drops, and leaving the room repeatedly to blow my nose and get away from the mind-numbing boredom (oh yeah, I had a cold too. Otherwise I might have entertained the little kids there or something, but even so, I think I was probably expected to watch the game like everybody else). Oh yeah, and having everybody yell in my ear every time whatever team everybody was rooting for scored.

None of the few other games I've watched in my life entertained me much, except for the Globetrotters once when I was about 12. I don't know if you could really try and force yourself to be interested and be able to keep it up for very long.

Right now the local basketbore team is threatening to leave (again!) if people don't get more interested and start "filling the seats." Whatever. Just leave already instead of threatening everybody every couple of years or so.

[recovering_fan]

My question is, are there any members/readers who were one-time sports junkies and kicked the habit? Is it best to go "cold turkey" with cutting out TV sports, or just do it a little at a time? What kinds of activities did you use to fill the void left by sports fandom?

Well, I have not watched much sports since the beginning of September. I told myself at that point that the only time I was allowed was when I was walking on the treadmill at the gym or something. But since I started posting here I have not watched any sports at all. Fat Man made a pretty good case to me as soon as I got here that by watching sports I was not only becoming dumber by the minute, but I was also contributing to our country's obsession with athletic prowess, an obsession which had in turn led to a lot of bullying against non-athletic boys like him.

So I gave sports up cold turkey. Now that may have been easier in my case than it is in yours, because from what you tell us, your colleagues pressure you into keeping up with the latest sporting news. I've never had to deal with that. In fact, I was always the one trying to get others interested in the sporting world, since all through my past my friends and co-workers have all been complete nerds, most of whom had absolutely no interest in baseball or football. (That may change, unfortunately, if I go into the insurance industry. I don't know for sure yet. My insurance professor in college, from the business school, kept up with college basketball religiously, to the point where he expected everyone to have heard of Butler University simply because their team made the final game in the NCAA's last year).

I really don't know what to tell you about what to do when colleagues tell you to "man up, and tell your wife you'd rather watch The Big Game." For what it's worth, none of us here think you're less of a man for not wasting so much time on sports. After all, there are plenty of equally aimless activities women waste time on, such as: reading tons of cheap, formulaic mystery novels; shopping for shoes; redecorating every room in the house with minute care; etc. And, oh yeah, they watch Dancing with the Stars or Glee every other night, right? If you happened to like either of those two shows, I would refrain from mentioning the fact to your friends at work. (Or else ... be ready to turn in your man card.)

Cheers,
RF

PS--If you have to go to one football party a year, is it really gonna to kill ya? I could see how it would be a pain to have to watch a game every weekend... I actually don't mind watching the occasional sporting event at a party, as long those occasions are few and far between. I simply never watch a sporting event on my own, because it would be too easy for the drama in the announcers' voices and all that tension, pomp and circumstance, to start me off watching sports on a regular basis again (with football games coming on Saturdays and Sundays... and Mondays ... and sometimes Thursdays--like the chick in the commericial used to say). I swear that I am never going to fall into that pattern again.

[i_like_1981]

At my former workplace, I was made fun of for not liking sports enough and not watching enough games. One of the guys made fun of the radio station I listened to and said it was "girls' station" because they didn't talk very much about sports on their morning show.

Welcome to the forum. It's very easy to understand how intolerant and arrogant opinions such as the ones you mentioned in this part of your post can discourage people from sports interest. I'm not quite sure how recovering_fan, a similar ex-sports fan like yourself went off the sports mania but I'm willing to bet it was something similar: the more boorish and extreme sports fans trash talking all other interests that enter any conversations they're involved in. I don't believe all sports fans are like this but over here in Britain, I would say that more than a few were loud-mouthed, thuggish gits who would gladly label anything that they didn't consider tough enough for their "manly" selves as effeminate. Well, it's good to see another ex-fan on the forums sharing his reasons as to why he chose to end his obsession with sports. I don't mind the idea of people enjoying sports but addiction, and belittlement of other people's interests, are a definite sign that it has gone too far. Be seeing you.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[recovering_fan]

I'm not quite sure how recovering_fan, a similar ex-sports fan like yourself went off the sports mania but I'm willing to bet it was something similar: the more boorish and extreme sports fans trash talking all other interests that enter any conversations they're involved in.

That was definitely part of it.

I have some more advice for recovering sports-addicts. One thing I did was to remove ESPN, Versus and all the local sports networks from my TV. That way whenever I am bored and start channel-surfing I won't end up watching one of those networks for two solid hours like I used to.

Cheers,
RF

[ChrisOH]

I'm not quite sure how recovering_fan, a similar ex-sports fan like yourself went off the sports mania but I'm willing to bet it was something similar: the more boorish and extreme sports fans trash talking all other interests that enter any conversations they're involved in.

That was definitely part of it.

I have some more advice for recovering sports-addicts. One thing I did was to remove ESPN, Versus and all the local sports networks from my TV. That way whenever I am bored and start channel-surfing I won't end up watching one of those networks for two solid hours like I used to.

Cheers,
RF

Did your cable company give you grief over that? Seems like with all the cable I've had, they make you purchase "packages" with certain channels whether you want them or not. For example, I like the digital cable because it has some channels I like not on regular cable (NatGeo, History International, etc.) but it also has about 20 sports networks as well.

[i_like_1981]

For example, I like the digital cable because it has some channels I like not on regular cable (NatGeo, History International, etc.) but it also has about 20 sports networks as well.

Just ignore the sports networks. Remember - every silver lining has its cloud. Package deals are meant to appeal to everyone, and sports fans do make up rather a large proportion of the TV watching population. Just memorise which numbers the sports channels are on and don't go there. Things aren't that bad with TV nowadays - yes, there are a lot of crap channels (honestly, do individual SPORTS TEAMS really need their own channels? Honestly), but back in 1981 when I was born, there were only THREE channels on British TV - BBC 1 and 2 and ITV. If you didn't like what was on any of those, you had to shut up and go and do something else! Channel 4 was introduced the following year, but honestly, that's nothing compared to what we have now. You're spoilt for choice with modern TV, but naturally with all this choice, some of it isn't going to appeal to each individual viewer!

Does anyone remember how many TV channels the US had back in 1981? I'd be interested to hear and compare it to the situation over here back in the year I was born.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Ray]

Has anyone here felt compelled to watch sports for these reasons (or any reason)? Do you worry about missing a historic moment in a game, or that the "game of the year" will be on and you missed it? Also, do you feel out of place during World Series, Super Bowl, or March Madness seasons when it seems like everyone is watching but you? (I do remember Ray's comment on the Letters page that most people don't watch sports -- so is perhaps "everyone is watching it" more of a perception than a reality?) What kinds of things do you all when there's a big game on and you're not watching it?

Of course I feel compelled to watch sports! That's one of the most annoying aspects of sports --the global perception that sports are embraced and worshipped by all of us and if you're not watching, there must be something wrong with you. I feel the pressure to conform and be assimilated but I resist. I don't announce that I won't be watching the game. I don't try to swim against the current. I just keep quiet.

But I won't fake liking sports just to fit in. That would not only be immoral, it would perpetuate the myth and hurt people who are just like us.

[ChrisOH]

Just ignore the sports networks. Remember - every silver lining has its cloud. Package deals are meant to appeal to everyone, and sports fans do make up rather a large proportion of the TV watching population. Just memorise which numbers the sports channels are on and don't go there. Things aren't that bad with TV nowadays - yes, there are a lot of crap channels (honestly, do individual SPORTS TEAMS really need their own channels? Honestly), but back in 1981 when I was born, there were only THREE channels on British TV - BBC 1 and 2 and ITV. If you didn't like what was on any of those, you had to shut up and go and do something else! Channel 4 was introduced the following year, but honestly, that's nothing compared to what we have now. You're spoilt for choice with modern TV, but naturally with all this choice, some of it isn't going to appeal to each individual viewer!

Does anyone remember how many TV channels the US had back in 1981? I'd be interested to hear and compare it to the situation over here back in the year I was born.

1981...let's see, I was 11 that year and my family didn't have cable yet, so we got, I believe, 4 channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS). There were a few cable channels around (HBO, ESPN, Turner Broadcasting, USA, maybe a few others) but they were in their infancy and nowhere near as prevalent or influential as they are now. It was considered a big deal to have cable back then (whenever one of the kids at school got cable in their home, the rest of were jealous..LOL).

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

I think sometime in the not too distant future, there's a slight possibility TV might die out. I think people are watching it less now and people would rather surf the Internet than watch TV. Other than on New Year's Eve, I don't think I've watched TV in over a month and I don't even feel remotely tempted to watch it anytime soon. Although with the loss of TV, companies would lose incredible amounts of advertising opportunities. But I think the two things that are mainly supporting the television industry right now are terrible reality TV shows and sports. I have no idea how anyone could like either of the two. I'm also curious about what will happen with 3D televisions if TV doesn't die out. It could be a huge success and almost all families may own one, or perhaps it would be a massive failure.

[i_like_1981]

I think sometime in the not too distant future, there's a slight possibility TV might die out. I think people are watching it less now and people would rather surf the Internet than watch TV. Other than on New Year's Eve, I don't think I've watched TV in over a month and I don't even feel remotely tempted to watch it anytime soon.

I suppose you've got a point. Over here in Britain all the major networks have websites on which people can watch the shows they broadcast if they miss the original screening (for example BBC has iPlayer), and with the ability to catch up on all TV episodes from the major channels using the internet, the importance of watching TV disintegrates. The traditions of TV are becoming lost in this internet-dominated world. It's been getting this way since the early 1980s when the video recorder was invented and popularised for home usage. Now, though, things are far worse. The image of a family gathered round their TV enjoying a good show of an evening is slowly fading away now that people have the internet to fall back on if they wish to watch a show. TV is losing its old values!

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[recovering_fan]

I have some more advice for recovering sports-addicts. One thing I did was to remove ESPN, Versus and all the local sports networks from my TV. That way whenever I am bored and start channel-surfing I won't end up watching one of those networks for two solid hours like I used to.

Did your cable company give you grief over that? Seems like with all the cable I've had, they make you purchase "packages" with certain channels whether you want them or not. For example, I like the digital cable because it has some channels I like not on regular cable (NatGeo, History International, etc.) but it also has about 20 sports networks as well.

Oh, I still get ESPN--and pay for it! But I programmed the TV set to ignore it when I am flipping through the channels. Channels 27 to 31 are sports-related. If I manually select "30", for example, then ESPN will appear on my screen. However, I fixed the TV so that when I'm surfing it goes right from 26 to 32. That way I never end up stuck watching sports.

[natmanhan]

I used to enjoy watching basketball and once (only once) I enjoyed watching an American football game, MSU vs UM last year. But I wouldn't say I've ever been addicted.

The weird thing is, I'm studying to become a software engineer (computer programmer), but never quite fully understood programming a tv. In the near future, that won't matter.

Thanks to streaming video, you can be very selective in what you watch. My cousin has a Comcast, with cable tv and 15 megabits per second internet. He still spends more time watching Netflix Instant queue than cable television even though he now has a choice between the two, unlike with his Verizon plan which only included phone and internet. He also can stream much faster and with more reliable quality now.

Other mediums like games and movies can also be streamed, thanks to services like Netflix and On-Live. It's very possible that in the near future movie players, traditional game consoles and laptop and desktop computers with high-end graphics cards will be obsolete, replaced with content sent straight from servers. No need for any of that when you can get high definition television, movies and games on a netbook or just a television thanks to a small box with relatively simple electronics.

Myself? Never been a big tv watcher anyway. Except the brief period from age 11 to 13 that I had cable. I also watched a lot of TV on VHS when I was a kid, and watch a fair amount on DVD or online now. If I was a big tv watcher though, I would certainly get a DVR. However, for most of my life video games have held far more appeal, and the same goes for books and movies now.