Anybody else dislike football.

[Imtoooldforallthis]

I know iabu so please don't tell me so. But I'm struggling with my husbands love of watching football. I know its really popular but I just hate the mob mentality around watching it. I'm also a bit envious that he has this passion and that he can literally talk to anyone anywhere. We are currently abroad and there is a big match on that is shown in most bars, we have arranged to meet his friends and it will be all about the football, even the wives don't seem to mind it. I feel very out of it. Does anyone else feel the same?

I also loathe it , particularly for the yob mentality.

Thank goodness I married a fellow football loather.

Me. I also dislike how the language around it assumes your interest. Like being asked who do you support as a general question. What? Well 2 children through university for a start. Saying someone “plays for England” plays what? Chess? It pisses me off no end.

Yes. Totally. The minute I hear that yobbish chanting or cheering, any attraction or positive feeling evaporates.

I have to say I feel actual contempt for anyone who seriously buys into the childish, primitive tribalism about chasing a ball around a patch of dirt.
We’re operating at the level of dogs and dolphins here. Enjoy it as a bit of fun if you must, as with all sports.
But there’s something different about football isn’t there? Those people who take it seriously, stake their self-esteem on it seem pathetic to me. And as for paying footballers millions? I am disgusted quite frankly.

Did you actually think you might be ?😂

I can't stand football either. The stupidity of supporting a team by virtue of the fact that they represent your town. Unless you are on the actual team, you are a relative of one of the players or you're the manager, why would you love that one team and hate that one down the road?

The childish throwing oneself on the ground by football players when someone barely brushes them. The cheating.

My daughter does football lessons. Honestly the grunts, the swearing from the older boys, it's just like animals.

DS17 is a football referee and until he passes his driving test I'm driving him to and from games. He does a lot of local matches and since his promotion in the New Year, he has done higher league matches to include the grassroots ones

I actually don't mind doing this as I do occasionally stay and watch the games and have learnt a lot, though still confused with the offside rule. 😂.

He's also a fan of our local football club, which is great as they are really good.

Your day won't be wasted, because you will be doing something else.

Can’t stand it for many of the reasons people have outlined on here. It was only my first boyfriend (back in my teens) who was a big football fan, ever since I have managed only to gravitate towards relationships with people who really couldn’t care less about football. That said, I am a huge rugby fan and try to get to watch internationals live when I can - in fact I took first boyfriend to a rugby match once to try and get him interested and to be fair he really enjoyed it… probably because his team totally mullered mine!

Go and choose something else to do.

Don't have a go at him for being drunk, just be glad you had a fun day doing something else.

Me. Thank the lord my sons hated it as well.

Course you’re not the only one OP. Statistically I’m sure MOST people don’t like it.

i couldn’t be with a bloke whose life revolved around watching or taking part in any sport tbh.

If you feel you’ll be seen as miserable for not going to meet the friends today, just bring a book along. If they’re all talking about footie just tell them they’re all boring twats and you’re off to explore.

Im not a football fan but my DH is. And that's okay.
Sometimes I'll go to the pub to watch it with him and I tend to find it can be quite fun if there's a group of us. Otherwise, I just do my own thing.

He has a range of interests and so do I. We don't have to like all of the same things.

It’s tribal isn’t it, a bit like religion; people don’t really believe or understand, but they stick with it as it gives them a purpose and a gang or community, which humans generally feel a need for. In group out group stuff.

I’m with you, I grew up in a football heavy environment. I found it very boring to watch and the darker side - the drinking, fights, mistreatment of females was too much. Also weirdly, the smell of drunk football fans, bleugh.

Id just unapologetically find something else to do. Treat yourself to whatever makes you happy on your own. You aren’t weird for not liking it, and shouldn’t be made to feel so, I realise the tribal pressure is strong though! Don’t judge just do something else- all is good!

YANBU for having no interest in football, why would you be? Go and do something else, don’t waste the day.

YABU for saying “even the wives don’t mind it”. Some women like football and that’s ok too!

my husband has zero interest, my daughter and I both watch (and she plays)

Me. DH and 2 (adult) DSs hate it.

The way it is portrayed you would think the whole country adores it.

Of course you are not BU. I think the sport is pleasant enough in and of itself (though no way would I sit through 90 minutes of it) but the crass, bordering on thuggish shouting at the telly and the hyperactive loud commentators all give me the rage. I'm glad DS hates it too (although he is a gamer, which sometimes isn't much better tbf).

I don't dislike the game particularly. I dislike the culture around it intensely, and I was also very unimpressed by the behaviour problems among the football boys at ds' primary school and the attitudes of both boys and fathers in the football club ds briefly joined. As for the fact that domestic violence rates spike when there's a big match... God, some men are neanderthal scumbags.

Anyway... dh generally likes sport (both doing and watching) and will watch some football but prefers rugby. No way on earth would I have got into a relationship with a full-on football fan.

It's OK to not like it. Loads of people don't and I dont like a lot about football culture. In this scenario I'd just avoid it (but then DH would be fine with that) or suck it up as long as it's a one off. You say it's not about the drinking but I feel like its connected. I do sympathise but it sounds like you're looking for an argument before you've even started, which will never end well!

In general I'm on the fence about football though. My DH is a huge football fan and is probably over-emotionally invested, life revolves around fixtures etc. But then he's also a decent DH and father...he cut back when DS was a baby and rightly so. Now DS is older and loves football too, it's ramped up again but it's something they and the wider family all enjoy and bond over together. Plus he coaches DS's youth team (giving up his time for free) and DS is super fit and has a healthy attitude to exercise, teamwork and competition because of it. I do get the hatred about football culture but there are some definite good parts that are conveniently ignored by the 'loathers'.

Being a football fan would have been a dealbreaker for me because it takes up so much of their lives.

I find it strange when people who are really in to football get together with someone who isn’t.

Football is such a huge part of your life, how can you be with someone who doesn’t want to share in that? Makes both parties miserable.

I work in a 'football' bar next to a stadium. The screams and shouts of pure joy when your team scores a goal is exhilarating.

I always feel that if they announced in the middle of a football game that they had found the cure to cancer....we wouldn't shout as loud.

Sad.

Anyway to make football fun....play the game 'Drop and drink'.

When someone is on the floor....you drink.

By half time your screaming at the screen to get up and kick the ball!!!!

Spend half the time rolling about....the beautiful game eh?

A game for yobs (fans) and cheats (players) and greedy wankers (the money men).

I hate it, it’s such an obnoxious sounding thing to listen to 😂
dh and ds love it, watching on tv, playing, going to matches, listening on the radio if we’re in the car, whatever else there is to do with football.
If we are on holiday and they want to watch a match somewhere I go elsewhere, taking the other uninterested dc with me!
Don’t suffer through it, it’s not an activity that requires your participation at all, take yourself off and have a nice time doing something that interests you - you aren’t joined at the hip! And why would you need to have a go at him for being drunk? That’s a bit of a strange thing to pre-empt.

Perfectly put...seen first hand

I hate football. I used to be quite prejudiced about it but have softened over the years; I find plenty of aspects of the football culture unpleasant but Some Of My Best Friends Are Football Fans. I'm into a few other sports qute passionately so I don't look down on that part of it. But I couldn't have football in my life on a regular basis, so I couldn't have a football fan as a partner.

I think if you pick someone as a partner who has certain interests, you have to accept those interests as part of the package. My partner wouldn't get to dictate the sports I follow (or my various other passions).