Author Topic: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?  (Read 4399 times)

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Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #15 on: April 25, 2019, 01:02:41 PM »

Offline Rosco917

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When I was younger I would suggest desperate, crazy trade scenarios as though it was all a giant video game. I had little concern/respect for chemistry and character.

For me, especially as I age, it's all about the journey.   

Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #16 on: April 25, 2019, 01:45:44 PM »

Offline Androslav

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Yes I use glasses now.  ;D
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Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #17 on: April 25, 2019, 01:53:24 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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I am 54 so I lived through being a child and falling in love with sports but being in a family that didn't. As a child I was playing and following sports pretty much just with the other kids in the neighborhood.

But being fairly athletic, I fell hard for sports early and loved them all. Every loss at a game I attended was a personal affront to me. The heroes of my youth we're all sports figures Orr, Espo, Hondo, Cowens, Yaz, Rice, Lynn, El Tiante, Plunkett, Russ Francis, Darryl Stingley....poor guy.

Then my late teens through my early 30s came and so did life. School, work, wife, kids. And sports became an escape. The world I could go to that wasn't the daily grind. So being older and with better access to info, I learned about the sport as a whole and the business behind the sport.

Now this wasn't like now where you have video games that teach you about the whole game, all the players, draft, management, trades, salaries, etc from the time you were a kid. There were no video games, internet or and cable TV still wasn't in every home. ESPN was just getting started.

You learned through watching the few games you could find on TV that wasn't local games, mostly Sunday games on CBS. You learned by buying the Globe and Herald and reading every inch of two of the best sports newspaper sections in the country. You listened to the one of the few fledgling sports radio stations in the entire country on a low frequency AM dial when in the car almost every day.

Then fatherhood of three boys who watched their dad's love of sports continued, and as they grew older, I started to teach the boys the basics of the games I loved and played with them. At the early stages of their love of sports, I grew to love watching them play sports. Watched them learn about teamwork, staying fit, sacrifice, the love of competition, how to be a good sport, and most importantly, how to have fun. They learned about life through sports much the way I did growing up. And they didn't even know it was happening, but it was.

I coached my boys in two sports, which was just the joy of my life. Watching all those kids grow as players and people was an amazing experience. I truly recommend coaching of kids to anyone that loves sports. I still have a couple players send their "Hey" along to me through my kids even 15-20 years later.

My love of sports grew more in ways I never would have guessed after that. Now, rather being a fan of sports, I was part of a family that loved sports together. And we lived the 2000's together with all the highs and lows of Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox and Bruins. We have been blessed given all the highs.

I have had all three of my boys(now all men) come to me, hugged me and thanked me for instilling the love of sports in them. Them doing that and enjoying all those other great sports memories with them, have made this old man very happy.

So yeah, I do view sports much differently. But my passion for sports is no less now than when I picked up that first basketball, hockey stick, baseball mitt or football as a child.

My hope is someday I will be a grandfather and will be able to enjoy sports in a different way, all over again. I think I will enjoy being the storyteller about sports to them.

« Last Edit: April 25, 2019, 01:59:59 PM by nickagneta »

Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2019, 01:57:12 PM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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Nope, only change was that I got more into the whole CBA side of things... only to forget them when it gets renewed.

Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #19 on: April 25, 2019, 07:10:02 PM »

Offline RodyTur10

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TP Nick, great story!

I'm only 31 (it feels like already 31), but my interests in sports have definitely changed over the years. Since I'm Dutch I naturally grew up with football (everybody in the world calls it football and so do I). I witnessed Ajax Amsterdam winning the Champions League in 95 at a young age. My father was a big Ajax-fan (and Johan Cruijff disciple), so of course I had to be as well. Since most people were supporting Ajax and they had lots of success it was a very easy time. I remember a lot of songs on the radio about Ajax around that time (if you can imagine that  ;D). But I hadn't really made a conscious choice about being an Ajax-fan yet.

As a boy I spent my time mostly playing football on the schoolyard or at the local football field. When the national team played I often went into the backyard during halftime to try to imitate my heroes. I became a member of the local football club and soon realized that I didn't have much talent   >:(. But I did become champion 3 times in one season once with my team (autumn, winter and spring), although my contributions were only significant during the winter, since it was indoors (futsal) where my lack of pace wasn't that much of a hindrance. So that was my sports career  :laugh:.

However I stayed very interested in sports. I primarily watched football, cycling, speed skating, ski jumping, tennis and Olympics. Athletes that I admired were Dennis Bergkamp (football, a magician), Roger Federer (tennis ;)) and Sven Kramer (speed skating legend, 20x World Champion distances, 9x World Champion allround, 9x Olympic medal winner of which 4x gold).

During the years I got more attached to Ajax. Their unique playing style and courage to play their own game whichever the opponent is very identifiable. By sticking to their own philosophy they have managed to get into the semis of the Champions League this year, for those who don't know. Quite an accomplishment considering the financial landscape in European football!

But as I stated my interests are broad. And that's why I wanted to start watching some basketball. Because of the time difference we hardly get to see any American sports in the Netherlands. At best a one-minute recap of the Super Bowl. When I started a job as night auditor in 2013 I often had some spare time and how better to fill that time than watch some basketball  :-X. So at that point I really became invested in basketball. Learn all the rules, the players, the teams, the league. A very enjoyable experience. However I decided I had to pick a team to support to keep things interesting. 

I didn't want to go the easy road and choose a team that had lots of success or was filled with stars (even though I fully enjoyed watching the Spurs smash the Heat during the 2014 NBA Finals with their team basketball). I was triggered by a team that was awful on paper, lost a lot, but somehow made it nice to watch by their gritty play. And maybe the fact that green is my favorite color had something to do with it. But in November 2014 I became a Boston Celtics fan! I don't know the exact day  ;D.

I was fully aware that my team probably wouldn't make the playoffs and that the way to success would be very long. And a friend that knew the NBA laughed at me, when I said that they didn't play as bad as their losing record at that time indicated. However I liked the team. Smart, Bradley, Olynyk, Sullinger, also Crowder and Thomas joined, and they all had that underdog mentality. Little did I know about the history of the Celtics and how things would change very rapidly. So please accept me and don't disregard me as a success-supporter  :-[.

Long story short: the Celtics have changed my life. At least as it comes to sports. I try to watch all Celtics games and basketball has become my number one interest. I will be an Ajax-fan for life and I follow the Dutch national team, but I'm not that big a football fan anymore in general. The point is that by broadening your view you start to see the shortcomings of a conservative sports like football. A lot of rule changes have to be made as well as changing the financial climate to modernize football. Have you heard about the FIFA having the idea of starting its own bank? Yes, that will be trustworthy  ::).

If you have stuck with me during this long read, I'm still a big time sports fan. And I still get excited as a small kid during big sports moments, for instance like last Sunday, when Mathieu Van der Poel (remember that name!) won the Amstel Gold Race in amazing fashion. I'm already a bit nervous for Tuesday, when the first leg between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax will be played and of course I'm looking forward to the Bucks-Celtics series!

Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #20 on: April 25, 2019, 09:00:09 PM »

Offline celticshistory

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did getting older change the way i view sports ?  I word answer: ABSOLUTELY !  Sports years ago seemed much more innocent.  You might have a favorite team or player and casually watch for the fun of it.  I felt that way up until the late 1990's.  With all these new additions, player jerseys, yearlong tv subscriptions, fantasy sports leagues, legal betting, etc...  sports fandom has turned into a profession it seems !  there is even the commercial, be a professional fan.  I feel the charm and beauty of sports is being a casual fan.  In your daily life, get done everything essential that has to be done, health, job, family, friends and when you have some free time, sure skip thru the channels and relax and watch a game, FOR FUN.  most fans now days seem to have an obligation to building their lives around pre-games and game time.  I feel like, priorities first, then more lives will be in order, then, sure watch some sports.  people need to remember that sports is only supposed to be recreational, get away from daily life and fun.  it should not affect emotions, moods and personality.  when it ceases to be fun and you put pressure on yourself about watching and the outcome, then it is no longer serving its purpose. 

Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #21 on: April 26, 2019, 06:40:29 AM »

Offline Surferdad

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I'm not as into sports as I was in my twenties and younger. 
- I don't follow baseball after they cancelled the World Series in 94.  Living in New England there's no avoiding the Red Sox bombardment so I have a general idea of some of the players on the team but for the most part, I have no idea who plays in the league much less who's any good.  I was a Brewer fan so I'm cognizant of them making the playoffs last year but have little interest in the team.
- Barely follow football.  again, in NE can't escape the Patriots.  As a Redskins fan (not much of a fan since I don't really follow them now), I couldn't tell you who's on the roster. 
- Really don't follow hockey anymore.  Kings fan but not much of one because I don't really follow them.  I know they won a couple of Stanley Cups recently and my reaction was basically "that's cool" but nothing more than that.

Basketball - specifically the Celtics and only the Celtics -- is my only interest in sports anymore. 

Life happens -- requires time and focus on other issues more important than sports.

slamtheking's post most closely aligns with how my thinking about sports has changed over the years.  Life has a way of putting higher priorities in front of you than entertainment (not specifically sports).  I am 61 now, but as recently as my 40's, I was watching 60+ Celtics games, 60-70 Red Sox games and 10+ Patriots games every season.  I also watched/attended the Boston Marathon every year.  One by one, each sport dropped into the background to the point now where I only follow and watch the Celtics, and only about 30-40 games per season (mostly home games since road games are on too late for my early commute). 

In fact, I don't even watch much TV anymore, except for Celtics games.  This sometimes puts me at a disadvantage in social situations, such as during water-cooler chat and family events, where I am not familiar with any popular programs on TV or Netflix.  I work a very early schedule, getting up at 5AM, which means I often hit the hay around 9PM.  My evening hours of 6-9PM are taken up by dinner, washing the dishes and spending time with my wife.  Weekends are taken up with house chores, yard work and trying to get fresh air either hiking or cycling.  TV is just not a priority anymore.

Re: Did getting older change the way you view pro sports?
« Reply #22 on: April 26, 2019, 09:14:03 AM »

Offline gouki88

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I am 54 so I lived through being a child and falling in love with sports but being in a family that didn't. As a child I was playing and following sports pretty much just with the other kids in the neighborhood.

But being fairly athletic, I fell hard for sports early and loved them all. Every loss at a game I attended was a personal affront to me. The heroes of my youth we're all sports figures Orr, Espo, Hondo, Cowens, Yaz, Rice, Lynn, El Tiante, Plunkett, Russ Francis, Darryl Stingley....poor guy.

Then my late teens through my early 30s came and so did life. School, work, wife, kids. And sports became an escape. The world I could go to that wasn't the daily grind. So being older and with better access to info, I learned about the sport as a whole and the business behind the sport.

Now this wasn't like now where you have video games that teach you about the whole game, all the players, draft, management, trades, salaries, etc from the time you were a kid. There were no video games, internet or and cable TV still wasn't in every home. ESPN was just getting started.

You learned through watching the few games you could find on TV that wasn't local games, mostly Sunday games on CBS. You learned by buying the Globe and Herald and reading every inch of two of the best sports newspaper sections in the country. You listened to the one of the few fledgling sports radio stations in the entire country on a low frequency AM dial when in the car almost every day.

Then fatherhood of three boys who watched their dad's love of sports continued, and as they grew older, I started to teach the boys the basics of the games I loved and played with them. At the early stages of their love of sports, I grew to love watching them play sports. Watched them learn about teamwork, staying fit, sacrifice, the love of competition, how to be a good sport, and most importantly, how to have fun. They learned about life through sports much the way I did growing up. And they didn't even know it was happening, but it was.

I coached my boys in two sports, which was just the joy of my life. Watching all those kids grow as players and people was an amazing experience. I truly recommend coaching of kids to anyone that loves sports. I still have a couple players send their "Hey" along to me through my kids even 15-20 years later.

My love of sports grew more in ways I never would have guessed after that. Now, rather being a fan of sports, I was part of a family that loved sports together. And we lived the 2000's together with all the highs and lows of Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox and Bruins. We have been blessed given all the highs.

I have had all three of my boys(now all men) come to me, hugged me and thanked me for instilling the love of sports in them. Them doing that and enjoying all those other great sports memories with them, have made this old man very happy.

So yeah, I do view sports much differently. But my passion for sports is no less now than when I picked up that first basketball, hockey stick, baseball mitt or football as a child.

My hope is someday I will be a grandfather and will be able to enjoy sports in a different way, all over again. I think I will enjoy being the storyteller about sports to them.
TP Nick. I myself cannot relate, as I am only turning 21 later this year. But I feel as though my father would write something almost identical to this. Quite touching :)
'23 Historical Draft: Orlando Magic.

PG: Terry Porter (90-91) / Steve Francis (00-01)
SG: Joe Dumars (92-93) / Jeff Hornacek (91-92) / Jerry Stackhouse (00-01)
SF: Brandon Roy (08-09) / Walter Davis (78-79)
PF: Terry Cummings (84-85) / Paul Millsap (15-16)
C: Chris Webber (00-01) / Ralph Sampson (83-84) / Andrew Bogut (09-10)