I Watch Sports, Therefore I Am

I would never try to rain on someone's parade in pursuing a hobby or interest. Take sports, for example. I'm a former high school athlete and can appreciate the many positive aspects of playing sports--exercise, camaraderie, cooperation or self-reliance, stress release, and fun of course (spandex almost made it on the list but we'll leave it off for now).

Now, there is also the "hobby" of watching sports. I feel that it's more appropriate to call this a "pastime" rather than "hobby." When I think of hobbies, an activity that's at least somewhat productive usually springs to mind. So what does one get out of watching sports? For one thing, entertainment. I get that. A few hours spent with friends or family participating in a shared bonding activity. How about enjoyment? Perhaps, unless your team happens to lose--then it ceases to become all that enjoyable (the ends usually determines the quality of the means). But at the end of the day, do professional sports actually matter? Yes and no (how's that for a noncommittal answer). Although in many societies sports wield a great deal of influence and impact many economies, in the grand scheme of things they don't hold the huge amount of significance that TV channels, news stations, and commercial enterprises would have you think. Let's face it, sports are business--while you're following the home team with baited breath, you're also lining someone's pockets. Alternatively, on a personal level athletics can potentially have a large impact on one's life and development, but to me that still doesn't include the pastime of watching games.

Talk to my husband and you'll receive a somewhat different analysis. The man has lived and breathed soccer his entire life. He loves watching games only second to playing in them. To say that watching pro sports, and soccer in particular, doesn't matter would be blasphemy. But even with that kind of lifelong passion for sports, even my husband can appreciate that there are higher priorities in life than watching sports.

I'll concede that sports touch people's lives in important and meaningful ways. Even though they have the power to divide people, create animosity, and have even been blamed for violence and murder (can you imagine people murdering each other or committing suicide over a soccer or baseball game?), sports also bring people together and teach valuable life lessons. This does not mean that memorizing mountains of statistics, fawning over and glorifying pro athletes (or even college athletes for that matter), and obsessing over teams or game results is a worthwhile use of time or even positive for our society as a whole. But as long as people can keep things in perspective--a tall order for some members of society--the things that really matter will always be at the top of the list where they belong.