Can someone explain to me why people who are not athletes get so excited about sports?

They are living vicariously through the athletes.

I’ve never blown anyone’s fucking head off yet Tarantino’s movies excite the hell out of me.Funny that.

I think it’s funny too :)
I’d rather play golf than watch it….same with boxing maybe not

Some, if not most people watch sporting events for the entertainment factor. You see a lot of this type of people emerge from their shells during championship matches, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and of course the recently concluded Winter Olympics. Being in the know of the current standings make people feel as though they are part of the whole sporting experience.

Supporting your favorite team or athelete isn’t jock envy.

I’m willing to bet you’re not an actor, producer, writer, or director, but you still enjoy turning on the TV or going to the movies occasionally.

I bet you’re not a reporter, but you enjoy reading the newspaper or watching your local news.

I bet you’re not a soldier, but still have pride in the armed forces.

Am I wrong?

People need to feel like they belong to something. Sports teams are easy. It’s easy to feel like you are a part of one. You say “we” when referring to your team.

The other thing is that sports used to be the only true drama available. In fact, they still are. They are the only show where you don’t know how it is going to turn out. I was thinking that reality shows might also be unpredictable drama, but really, they are packaged as if they were plotted drama, so they don’t really count.

But people are more interested in something when they have no idea how it will turn out. Many written plots are totally predictable, and thus, they lose a certain element of excitement. In sports, there are so many story lines, unexpected plot twists, and surprising results, that it becomes very gripping. If you care about a team, it probably doubles the interest level. If you don’t care, you probably won’t even watch.

I’m a sports fanatic, but I also was a pretty good athlete. The feeling of letting go with a twenty five feet jump shot, and you know as soon as it leaves your hands, it’s good, will stay with you for a long time. The same with a 140 yard eight iron, and you know as soon as the club hits the ball, its right at the pin. It’s the best high you’ll ever get. Why shouldn’t everyone enjoy it?

@ucme @MrItty Those are created on purpose to entertain us. Nowadays professional sports are definitely designed to entertain, but the sports were originally intended to be fun mostly for the participants. In my mind the entertainment value (which, aside from the possible unpredictability factor, is relatively low compared to other forms of entertainment) just doesn’t explain the size of it’s fanbase. but then again I guess you can’t really define entertainment quality aside from how many people it entertains : /

@jaketheripper Then pretty obviously, since professional sports are such a phenomenally huge entertainment industry with such a massive fanbase, it’s your mind that’s wrong.

There’s action and drama in sports.

Some people consider sporting events to be very entertaining. I am not among them, but then, I don’t enjoy computer or video games either. To each his own.