Have you always been the type of person who looked at your friends and family yelling and cheering at the TV when a sports match is on and just thought “I don’t get it!” It’s a pretty common feeling really. Perhaps you’ve tried to sit down and watch it with them, or maybe they’ve explained the appeal to you and, for whatever reason, you and sports just don’t seem to gel. Despite being fairly common, it can be a kind of isolating experience sometimes. After all, no one likes feeling on the outside of something that everyone else is enjoying! The other reason that it’s kind of a sad position to be in is that sports can be amazing! Getting really into a match can be one of the most exhilarating, adrenaline-fueled things in the world! For a lot of people, it’s not the sports themselves that they dislike, it’s the way that they’ve interacted with them up until this point. Maybe you had a bad experience with rude sports fans; maybe you can’t quite wrap your head around how emotional people can get about it. But if that’s the case you really are missing out, so here are some things that you can do if you’ve tried to get into sports before and simply haven’t been able to.
See it live
When you’re watching sports on TV, it can really lose a lot of its impact. Seeing tiny figures running around, kicking a ball that you can barely make out is hardly the most spectacular or exciting way to experience the whole thing. That’s why you should take the trip to actually see it played live. You’ll be amazed at just how much of difference that can make to the way you feel about sports. Football might never have been your cup of tea but getting your hands on some ANZAC day tickets to experience the thrills of something so steeped in emotion and tradition can be a truly incredible experience.
Feel part of a community
One of the best things about sports is that it can be a very personal experience, but it doesn’t need to. Nothing can make an experience better than sharing it with the people around you. And because you’re all there together for the same reason, you’ve instantly got something that binds you to each other. You’d be amazed at how many lifelong friendships can be forged at sporting events.
Follow the human stories
You might not be all that interested in statistics or scores, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t follow the excitement of sports in a different way. Focus on the human element. After all, each player is an individual with their own goals, flaws, failures, and triumphs. Being able to follow that kind of narrative is a great way to get a foothold in the world of sports. Before you know it, you’ll be jumping out of your seat, cheering with the best of them.