how to….like sports or at least sound like you know what you’re talking about.

Some of you may have thought that I forgot about the “How To” series. Well….I didn’t. I just didn’t have any submissions for awhile, but I have three or four lined up over the coming weeks, so hopefully you guys will enjoy them!

Today’s guest post is brought to you by Shannon at My Little Corner and my husband is super excited about it…hoping it will rub off on me :).

Hi fellow bloggers! I’m so glad Lauren was gracious enough to let me do a guest post on her lovely blog. Today my how-to guide is related to something that may make of some of you want to run away or at least walk quickly in the other direction: Sports.

Maybe you had a bad experience as a kid or you know people who won’t stop boring you with play-by-plays of their favorite games. Please keep reading! We’re going to all turn over a new leaf together. I happen to be a lover of sports, but I have many friends (mostly ladies) whose feelings about sports range from complete apathy to absolute hatred. Consider this your basic intro to how to understand and maybe even one day enjoy watching/playing/talking about sports.

Step One: Most importantly, start small. If sports have never been your thing, you can’t expect to be an avid fan over night. Just ease into it, and if something is painfully boring to you, try something different. Just like we tell little ones when they start out on a team, it’s supposed to be fun!

Step Two: Pick a sport or two and learn the rules! If you don’t understand what’s going on, chances are you won’t enjoy watching. Case in point: I used to never like watching hockey because I didn’t know the rules. During the winter Olympics, I started watching and learning, and it’s actually a really exciting sport. I have a lot of friends who feel the same way about football. If you take a few minutes to get a handle on what’s going on, I can almost guarantee it will be more interesting.

Step Three: After you’ve learned the basics, try going to a game. The atmosphere at a sporting event is usually exciting and fun. If you live somewhere without professional sports teams, you can also go to a college game or amateur leagues. Those are equally (if not more) fun and usually less expensive. It’s easy to get swept up in the competition, and before you know it, you’re actually enjoying yourself. It is possible, I promise!

Step Four: Try playing a sport. Now if you’re like me and not the most coordinated person in the world, this can bring up all kinds of issues. A lot of cities also have “Sport and Social” Clubs or Intramural teams that provide a relaxed, non-competitive way to play a sport and make friends. You’re not just restricted to the traditional sports either…you could play kickball, ultimate frisbee, or dodgeball! I know folks who have participated, and they love it. If your hometown doesn’t have an organization like this, just round up some friends and go to a local park.

Step Five: If you have friends who are a walking, talking episode of Sports Center and 99% of the time it sounds like they’re speaking a foreign language, try perusing the sports headlines every couple days. Go to a site like espn.com and just read the main headlines. You usually don’t even have to read the articles, but by being familiar with the current events, you may be able to name drop and impress your friends.

Bonus: Between you and me, there is something for the ladies that most men cannot appreciate about sports…physically fit, attractive athletes running around half-clothed. If nothing else, that’s an incentive to be a sports fan. Can I get an amen?

If all else fails, go to a sports bar and have a beer with friends! You don’t even have to pay attention to what’s on, but at least you’ll be doing something kind-of sporty. Just have fun with it, and be open to actually enjoying a sport. It will mean a lot to your friends/family/significant other when you at least try. And then maybe they will try to take an interest in something you love! It’s a win-win all around.

Any future sports fans?

Hope Shannon’s post can help me

understand sports a little more.

Craig would appreciate it.

{Lauren}

P.S. Make sure to check out le giveaway!

Comments

Krysten @ After 'I Do' says:

September 22, 2010 at 2:04 pm

Oh my gosh, Shannon should read Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon. The character in that book totally tells how to fake like you love and understand sports!

Elysie Piecie says:

September 22, 2010 at 5:13 pm

I’m a firm believer of going to a game to understand the sport. It can be so boring while watching it on tv, but when you’re at the game…it’s fun. Plus stadium food is horribly delicious.

Katie Bright says:

September 22, 2010 at 7:29 pm

what a great how-to! i love sports, and i somehow subconsciously followed the same sort of slow, patient steps to get where i am today. 🙂

~kiMbeRLy~ says:

September 23, 2010 at 4:20 am

I do love sports but it is hard to keep up with all the teams and whats going on! This is a great “How-to” post!

Mara says:

September 23, 2010 at 5:29 am

I like sports but it’s definitely hard keeping up with the teams. I also can only watch a game for a little bit (preferably the last half/qtr)..I don’t have the patience for it haha

Laura Loo says:

October 1, 2010 at 5:21 am

Haha this is a good one. My boyfriend would appreciate it. I have seen more sports games, both on tv and in person, in the 2 years we’ve been together, than I had in the rest of my life leading up to him! He is such an avid sports fan…he’s from Australia, but follows and understands American sports infinitely more than I, and has to explain them. I went to my first football game with him (U of O!) and I had no idea what was really going on the whole time. Same with a Yankees/Dodgers game this summer.

HOWEVER, the ONE sport I know anything about and love is Ice Hockey!! I grew up with my brother playing it, and so it’s the only sport I claim as my own. I <3 the San Jose Sharks (my hometown!) very much, haha. So that's me one way to connect in a sports convo

how to….like sports or at least sound like you know what you’re talking about.

Comments

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