To not understand all the obsession with footbaall

[Thomasina79]

Live and let live and I understand people love it, but it’s a mystery to me? DH has been glued to telly today watching Crystal Palace!

I've been attending my league 2 teams matches for years, seems I missed the memo that I should have been at home in front of the soaps instead

Soaps and sports both boring, but at least soap fans don't dominate everything

It's boring as hell.

Very glad that DH isn't interested at all, and nor is DS.

I started supporting a team when they were in the old League 2 (before the Premier League was dreamt up by Sky) but according to one here I am a glory hunter as they are now in the PL.
Don't remember much glory when we were losing away to York City 🤷‍♀️

Yanbu - I have no time for football at all, or any other sport. But I think there is a distinction to be drawn. It is one thing to be interested in football, another for there to be a general assumption that everyone is. If it's your hobby, fine. But we might well all be better off if discussion of it was confined to the sports pages. Then those who like it can be assured of informed reporting while those who don't can keep away.

You do know it's not compulsory to read every article in the news section?

Well naughty old you. 🤣

Exactly. It’s a pretty narrow minded view. My kids play at the highest level and I value the fact they aren’t on screens, travel country wide and internationally, fit and healthy, great friendships, great communication skills, teamwork etc

Stereotyping is pretty boring and petty.

Sky didn’t dream up the Premier League! It was a breakaway league that left the EFL!

Yes that’s it. I missed that bit out. 🤣

I don’t get it. But then I don’t like watching sport in general, despite being a reasonably high standard at a couple of sports in my life.

ds doesn’t get it either. But he’s a swimmer, and has said it’d be very odd if random people who didn’t actually swim started showing up at the pool dressed in club swimsuits and hats, and started telling him what he did wrong in his races. Despite not being coaches or having swim at any sort of level. Going down the pub after a gala to analyse who did the best 50m butterfly 😂

Agree but it’s amazing how just for a few days a country become experts on curling or shot put or swim strokes when someone might win - generally at the Olympics because the specific European or World Championships for different sports attract fans that do actually know about that sport.

This is so true I have never played tennis in my life but I do like watching it and get very frustrated when my favourite can't just break a serve 😂

Do people still watch the soaps lol. You'll be telling me people still read newspapers next.

@UName38 There’s a difference between taking an interest in a sport you don’t see often and coaching someone doing it. Of course you don’t watch swimming and think you can coach it. However many football fans have been watching football all their lives. The pundits are often ex professionals. They do have valid opinions. In most sports a keen observer can spot mistake or superb skill.

My husband does both 🤷🏼‍♀️

I completely disagree with the criticism of general public criticising.
People are allowed opinions. Most of us know a bit about sports. Most of us know a bit about biology, PE, the psychology of sport, both individual and team events. We also may have played it ourselves, be a coach or a referee. I can comment knowingly (well, a little bit!) on football, hockey, gymnastics. I've played tennis. I enjoy watching a lot of sports.

Other sports you don't need to be an expert to enjoy. Or comment.

I know a good shot in tennis, I can track it back to the many shots before that made one player gain advantage. You don't need to be an expert to know eg Radacanu wasn't in tip top health when she lost yesterday.

True I'm not a swimmer, but I've read enough about professional sports to know the sacrifices they make, yes I may not know the stroke reason why someone lost, but I can still enjoy watching the old clips of Phelps, or watch Peaty etc.

And yes, I'm allowed to watch football and be complementary of amazing one-off's of skill, good goals, and also the criticism of the other side of how the lead-up play and the errors of the other team partly allowed that goal. Surely that's part of the analysis?

You do realise that England's most successful teams at the moment are the women's football and rugby union and that lots of devoted parents spend a lot of time on windy pitches and/or training grounds making that happen! You may be lucky and your 'DD' will not be good enough to take part!

@Bluevelvetsofa Why aren’t footballers role models? It’s ludicrous to say they aren’t. They have dedicated themselves to fitness and developing skills for many years. They must cooperate with teammates. They have to stick to strict diets. They come through against adversity. They are all as fit as fleas and have to stay that way. No beer belly for them. They are quoted if they say something out of place and told they aren’t good enough frequently by pundits without answering back. I think modern footballers are amazing - and not just to look at.

@TizerorFizz I said that some footballers aren’t great role models. Some are, of course. I suppose that points up those who have behaved in a manner that you wouldn’t want fans to emulate.