[PrinceinExile]

I'm mainly posted because of the Super Bowl, but do any other INFP like to watch sports like these, and if so whats the reason? and which sports?

I like football and basketball, but less for the athletes and more for the plays and coaches, it's like active real time chess for me. Analyzing the field, the players, strengths, weakness, trying to drive past an opponents defensive line by exploiting weakness in it. It's actually rather stimulating to me on a more kinetically level.

 

[inwe]

I'm really not a big fan of watching sports, but when I do it's usually major events like the Superbowl and the World Cup last summer. I think it's because I love seeing people from all over the country or the world come together for those few hours, and seeing the emotions on their faces. I really enjoyed the World Cup for that.
I usually just watch the Superbowl for the commercials and if a band I like performs at the halftime show. :tongue:

 

[CynicallyNaive]

Spectator sports have always been like a guilty pleasure for me. I know they're utterly meaningless, and it horrifies me that people pour hundreds of billions of dollars into this nonsense instead of addressing real causes. But it's fun to make sports into the battle of socioeconomic classes, of regions of my country, of cheaters versus those who play by the rules, whatever.

That said, i'm not watching tonight because i'm under the weather and by no means up to hanging out pretending to meet strangers so i can pilfer their food at a SB party. And once my team got embarrassingly eliminated 3 weeks ago, i ceased caring about the NFL season.

I'm more of a college sports nerd, actually, but it gets dirtier every year and i care less and less....

 

[Goosefish]

Okay, I admit it. I like all of the excitement and energy. The cheering and shouting and pinching your leg as hard as you can because you're so invested in the game. The trying to maneuver the players in your mind even though you know its impossible. Creating imaginary people in your head to bargain for the game with. Thinking about what the player's thinking and feeling at that exact moment and what the refs and coaches and other randoms are thinking and feeling. Thinking about what could be done or what could have been done better. Thinking about what the game really is and what random elements come in and connecting every single thing that happens in the game to other aspects of life until you can relate the game to everything.

That said: no, I don't like to watch sports.

I never choose to watch them alone. When others watch them at a party, I distract the watchers with questions or I wander into another room. When I go to sporting events, I generally end up asking a lot of questions or entertaining a person who is obviously bored.

In person, I prefer to watch basketball because I understand it best and spent years watching it from the bench and watching my cousins' games.

On TV, I prefer Women's Tennis. This might be because they wear cute outfits, have shiny earrings, and grunt. More likely, it is either an odd attempt to appease my conscience by accepting tennis in some form (My mom wanted me to play tennis. Sent me to camps, clinics, etc. So of course, I rebelled and decided to hate tennis.) or because watching tennis--because of my grudge against tennis--I never think that I would rather be playing tennis.

 

[badzee28]

When my city is in the Superbowl? You bet. Go Steelers!

 

[wisdom]

The chess analogy is a good one. That part of it keeps me mentally there. Football in particular has the energy component on most plays. It also has some great, unexpected displays of athleticism. I can get into basketball and baseball, too. I like competition. If I don't care about the outcome, then I prefer football. However, I don't watch sports much anymore. Too meaningless an activity on which to expound much time and emotion.

 

[JerseyDevil]

I'll watch the Superbowl and I can appreciate football in general, but I don't try to watch it unless I'm with other people who are watching.

I love hockey though, and am a die-hard Devils fan :happy:

 

[gumisgreat94]

I'm not a big sports person. Although I do enjoy watching a lot more than playing. They just seemvery repetitive and predictable to me.:bored: so I don't watch very often. However, i do watch on occasion if it is a team in my area just to be you know, supportive.
When I do watch, I find myself more interested in the players than the outcome of the game. Sometimes I choose one player and watch their actions throughout the game. By the end of the final quarter, inning, etc; I know them really well and can predict what their actions will be at any given moment. It's fun to see the way different people react to game situations.

 

[Disfigurine]

I get really bored watching sports. I wind up drifting off into a daydream.
I think sometimes it's nice to watch sports with good company, they get all excited and it amuses me a bit. I like to observe reactions.
It just gets old.

The only times I've ever really enjoyed sports is when I was participating. That is a very rare thing, though

 

[Tuttle]

Born and raised in Texas. Watching football is a conditional residency requirement in most counties. Just kidding. I do enjoy football, especially college (Hook 'Em!) and still drag the family back each year for my high school's homecoming. I grew up in a very "Friday Night Lights" kind of town and it's ingrained into the culture- so watching football is a very community-driven experience.

Although I am a Cowboys fan, I won't shed a tear when Jerry Jones retires or dies (whichever comes first). :dry:

Last spring, my son decided to try baseball so in order to better learn about the sport, I started following the Rangers. I really appreciate the cerebral component to the game. Considering they made it to the World Series for the first time, it was a great time for me to be introduced to baseball! :laughing: We'll see how I feel this season (which I understand is going to be a more "typical" one for them).

 

[Hotspur]

I love sports, both playing and watching. Baseball and soccer were my games growing up, and I find that those, plus tennis, are my favorites still. I watch all of them, but I am getting more and more frustrated watching football and basketball. They are such imperfect sports because of rules and refs, to me. I am trying to cut back on viewing those because I get so wrapped up in a game, and it can bring down my whole afternoon. Then, I feel silly that a game has upset me so much.

So, why do I watch? I don't really know. I like the excitement, for sure. I love strategy and the subtle buildup and flow. I think, mostly, it's sentiment. Over the years, my teams have come to be a part of the changing seasons and social connections. Watching baseball in the summer is like eating dinner in the evening.

 

[Sliver]

Sports bore me; I'm not very athletic and I don't want to watch while other people are having all the fun.

 

[limey]

Never understood the idea of watching sports when it's only fun to play it. You don't affect the outcome of the sport your watching at all, there's no point.

 

[CynicallyNaive]

You don't affect the outcome of the sport you're watching at all, there's no point.

Funny enough, that's actually part of the reason why they hold such fascination for me. The on-field result doesn't actually prove much at all (although i confess to sometimes caring more than i should about such trivia). But watching fans' reaction to something they don't control but care deeply about is really interesting.

I'm particularly interested when someone decides their team's coach is a bum, and they say something like, "We can't settle for this mediocrity! We need to demand excellence!" Um, unless you're at least a multi-millionaire, what ability do you have to influence things at all?

The egos and money thrown around is just sad, though. For coaches to make multiple millions of dollars a year while people are starving on this planet is immoral.

 

[limey]

Funny enough, that's actually part of the reason why they hold such fascination for me. The on-field result doesn't actually prove much at all (although i confess to sometimes caring more than i should about such trivia). But watching fans' reaction to something they don't control but care deeply about is really interesting.

I'm particularly interested when someone decides their team's coach is a bum, and they say something like, "We can't settle for this mediocrity! We need to demand excellence!" Um, unless you're at least a multi-millionaire, what ability do you have to influence things at all?

The egos and money thrown around is just sad, though. For coaches to make multiple millions of dollars a year while people are starving on this planet is immoral.

They go nuts because they're living vicariously through the actual players. Sadly, they don't realize all that time and money could have went to themselves actually playing the games instead of a bunch of rich dudes pumped full of steroids.

 

[faeriegal713]

I actually enjoy watching sports and can be quite loud and rambunctious while watching as long as I'm with others who are watching the event as well. It's not my first choice of things to do while by myself. I also enjoyed playing sports while growing up and the only reason I didn't continue was that I discovered a greater love in music and the performing arts.

There's something really special about being in a stadium with thousands of other people with the purpose of cheering on their team. The camaraderie and everything is great, the energy is amazing. It's nearly as good as a concert or a live musical competition. As far as which events I enjoy watching the most, football and baseball are the sports I know the best and so are more fascinating on an intellectual level. I'm slowly starting to learn basketball since that's the sport my brother is starting to get into and my mum and dad enjoyed it so during March Madness it's a constant conversation with them. Other sports I'd like to learn more about are hockey and lacrosse. I need to find me some good hockey fans here. *nods*

As for whether I had watched the Superbowl, sadly, I was working and then at the gym so I missed watching it with my roommates and I don't think they recorded it. Ah well. I can still catch the highlights and commercials on youtube I think. :crazy:

 

[gaudy316]

I love watching football - both college and NFL. I enjoy NBA post-season. Big-time Miami fan here, for the Heat & Dolphins. For World Cup and other worldly events, I do my best to follow as well. It's not just the sport that gets me, it's the family time, beer, barbecue, and other fun activities that bring us together. Guilty pleasure: betting's fun too, although I bet 1-3 dollars at a time.

If I could start my life over, I'd play football in college as a QB or receiver. And then become a head coach at the D-1 level.

"Foosball is for the devil!"
"No, mama"

 

[Hotspur]

They go nuts because they're living vicariously through the actual players. Sadly, they don't realize all that time and money could have went to themselves actually playing the games instead of a bunch of rich dudes pumped full of steroids.

People do the same for theater and other arts. Personally, I enjoy sports and arts. It's just a form of entertainment, and there are people who take their entertainment very seriously.

 

[limey]

People do the same for theater and other arts. Personally, I enjoy sports and arts. It's just a form of entertainment, and there are people who take their entertainment very seriously.

True, but at least art can broaden your horizons. With sports, you'd be a lot better off just playing it yourself.

 

[peterbreter]

Never understood the idea of watching sports when it's only fun to play it. You don't affect the outcome of the sport your watching at all, there's no point.

Sorry to disagree, but I must. Crowd noise and chants definitely affect the outcome of a game. I used to be a Celtics season ticket holder and the crowd would go into a frenzy on certain plays, amp up the home team, and would most of the time result in a screw up by the other team in some manner. That crowd atmosphere is awesome to be a part of. I definitely agree with faeriegal there: very similar to a concert in that aspect. And I love concerts. For a guy to be able to perform with thousands of people looking at him is fascinating to analyze for me personally. Some shrink and some seem to get better.

Watching at home is a different story, but still fun for me. I like the bonds that you end up sharing with fellow supporters and fans. Sports are ingrained in my family and bring us together on many occasions so I definitely can't hate on that.

I've kind of grown away from football and couldn't really find motivation to care about the Super Bowl this year. And that's a sport that I played for about 13 years of my life. Turns out I only really watched this year to watch my fantasy team. The World Cup has led me to become fascinated by soccer and I now closely follow an English team, which is interesting because it would not have really been possible even 5 or 10 years ago.