A lot of it has to do with tribalism - we identify ourselves with our teams and we become their most ardent partisans.
For me, I am always inspired by sportsmen. Say, I see Fernando Alonso (never unsporting Michael Schmacher!) manoeuvre a tight corner with such ease, and if someone happens to pass by at that exact moment and ask me for my life's burning ambition, I'd automatically reply that I would love to negotiate tight corners just like Alonso.
I am very impulsive. I can feel like going out to play cricket after watching a game (Three Cheers to West Indies's victory over Australia!) or maybe, golf after watching any Open or Masters. It is the desire to emulate the sporting heroes I've just seen on TV, although understandably, my attempts at emulation fall far short of the required standards. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
On another note, do you think guys are more sports-mad than girls? _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
What the...? Is this a trick question? The answer is an obvious YES, Loic! I have been ignored in too many sports bars, witnessed too many fights between Red Sox and Yankee fans (and Ravens and Steelers fans, and Jets and Dolphin fans, and Rangers, Islanders [those guys are nuckin' futz, man], and Devils fans), and mediated between too many remote control battles during Thanksgiving (guys want to watch football, girls want to watch something else) to entertain any thought otherwise!
Nope. It's not a trick question. It could be a case of girls being culturally expected to show less interest in sports - it might not be an accurate reflection of their true sentiments.
But if research has shown that men in general are more disposed towards sporting activities than women, let's just say that men generally know a good thing when they see one.
Sport in general and football in particular has sparked off wars before. In 1969, a Football War was waged between El Salvador and Honduras after the two countries apparently clashed in the qualifying round of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Imagine that!
But then, sport also unites us. Think of Richard Nixon's 'Ping-Pong' diplomacy with an enigmatic and (more) repressive China back in the early 1970s. Think of 'cricket diplomacy' that has been practised between India and Pakistan in recent years. Think of all the ties that bind because of a shared sporting passion.
Personally, I warm up very quickly to someone who plays cricket, supports Real Madrid, supports Fernando Alonso as well as despises Chelsea - all in this order. He automatically becomes a mate for life till he decides to change his sporting affiliatiions.
I cannot muster the same enthusiasm for someone who says, decries cricket as a boring sport or support Atletico de Madrid or prefer Michael Schumacher (thank god's he's retiring) or is a rabid fan of Chelsea - all in the same order. He automatically becomes a foe for life till he decides to change his sporting affiliations.
Unlike the true-blue Real Madrid fans who treat Barcelona as an arch-enemy, I must confess that I am rather partial to Barca as well. I also heavily sympathise with the fortunes of Arsenal as well as Olympique Lyonnais although I would not weep buckets of tears if they fail to get through the qualifying round of the Champions League.
Tell me, Joanne: What sort of games have you played before? At the risk of sounding offensive, do girls even play baseball at all? I thought they play softball instead. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
But if research has shown that men in general are more disposed towards sporting activities than women, let's just say that men generally know a good thing when they see one.
LOL, as opposed to those troublesome females who refuse to follow trends and stats, and who change the rules of the game whenever they see fit? Yes, I think I understand the security-blanket factor sports provide for men, even as they're cracking beer bottles on each others' heads...
Quote:
Tell me, Joanne: What sort of games have you played before? At the risk of sounding offensive, do girls even play baseball at all? I thought they play softball instead.
You're right, they do play softball professionally, and there is no professional women's baseball league, but that doesn't stop girls from joining their local Little League baseball teams when they're younger. Myself, I played up to the Juniors (14 years old), and would have continued if my schoolwork and health issues hadn't demanded so much of my attention. During high school, I was a mediocre member of the swim team with a mean breast stroke and freestyle, and a fair butterfly, but my backstroke was just dismal. I had actually wanted to join the lacrosse team, but it couldn't fit in with my other extracurricular activities in school. Also, my stepfather didn't like the idea of me joining lacrosse because he thought some of the girls on the team were rather extreme and would beat me to a pulp. (Funny, he didn't seem to mind me getting roughed up during touch football or field hockey at our family reunions, but whatever...) In university, I played intramural sports whenever I had time, which was usually during the floor hockey and softball rotations. And when I was 20-21, I used to bartend on the weekends at a sports bar in Brooklyn. Not a sport, I agree, but it played a role in my on again-off again affair with professional sports.
Unfortunately, lately, I haven't been able to follow my MLB, NHL, and NFL teams as closely as I would have liked. (It's been a busy year!) Although I have to say The New York Giants on the whole are looking pleasingly uninjured so far, and Tiki Barber's 185-yd rush in Atlanta last Sunday was just masterful...good golly! (Argh...he wants to retire, dammit! ) And I'm sure every MLB fan in the world went, "Derp?!? The Detroit Tigers won the ALCS?!? What the hell kind of 5th dimension did I stumble into..." (How do you write that in Japanese and Chinese? ) Tonight is Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, between the NY Mets and the St Louis Pujols, I mean, Cardinals! Cardinals! And whoever wins this one will face the Tigers in the World Series.
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What the...? Is this a trick question? The answer is an obvious 
) And I'm sure every MLB fan in the world went, "Derp?!? The 
) Tonight is Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, between the NY Mets and the St Louis Pujols, I mean, Cardinals!