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There are those who enjoy watching sports, who can recite the exact days and times their favorite team is playing on command, whose players are equally as beloved and treasured as their family and who could devote hours of conversation to the multiple plays their team has executed since their inception. Then there are  those who absolutely do not enjoy watching sports. In any case, both types of people will eventually meet and befriend each other. These people will bond over other things and enjoy spending time with one another. The peace they’ve built will last until they both encounter a space where a sports game is playing. For those who detest watching sports, this might sound like the ultimate nightmare. However, there are ways to remain included and have fun! Here are five great ways to “watch” a sports game.
1. Random Comments and Exclamations
Let’s face it, you lost your friend to the television the minute a jersey caught their eye. So why not have some fun? Make outrageous or nonsensical comments about the calls, plays and the players themselves. A favored comment of mine is during football when referees throw a flag and I exclaim, “The yellow handkerchief has been tossed!” This activity will keep you entertained and may distract your friend from the game momentarily so that you can have a small conversation before they get sucked back into the action on screen. You might also find people who are similarly uninterested in the game, as they are making similar comments, and can easily make a new friend.
2. Personalized Players
To be bored or not be bored, that’s the question. In order to avoid the first part of this dilemma, you can form a personal attachment to the people playing by making them your own. You could turn Aaron Rodgers into a John Smith who works at an insurance company and who joined this impromptu football game as a way to regain a shred of dignity. This live-action version of Sims will occupy your time and can turn into a fun game that your friend will most likely be entertained by hearing.
3. Drinking Games
You’ve given up on talking and you’re bored of making up mental dramas. Now you can either scream for the remainder of the game or you can turn the act of watching a sports game into a highly entertaining drinking game. For example, every time your friend makes a disgruntled noise at a play or the players break into a brawl, you can take a drink. You may include your friend in the game or other people surrounding you in your antics, which will include you in the action and also make the game more of an experience than a chore.
4. Be a Cheerleader for the Opposing Team
Another way to not really watch the game but interact with your friend is to root for the team your friend’s favorite team is playing against. This will work up a bit of “healthy” competition between you and your pal and involve you enough in the game that you might be drawn to the events unfolding on screen. If you enjoy getting a rise out of your friend, this is a surefire way of doing it, however the irritation will only last until either their team wins or the game is over.
5. Questions
Most people get bored by the things they don’t understand. Maybe you are actually a fanatic of watching sports and aren’t even aware of it. A remedy to this is to ask questions. What penalty are they referring to? Why was that play important? What position does that player play? These questions and more will allow you to understand more of the intricacies of what’s going on and could possibly turn you into a fan. Also whoever you’re watching the game with will probably love to answer your questions and teach you about something that for them, may be extremely important.
Sports watching will always persist as it has a widespread global fan base and is an empire in itself. While situations for those opposed to the spectator event may be dreaded, there are methods to make it bearable and possibly favored. These ways will make the game fly by until you regain your friend and your time.