Why do people like professional sports?

Why do people get so involved in sports?

• What is it about people and "their" sports teams? I don't follow sports and barely understand any of the rules, so I'm a little lost here. I heard a radio broadcast last night that made me want to ask this question. My brother listens to a local radio show while we are going to work at night and I heard fans saying things like "I really needed this win" or "WE are doing better, now." Whose we? The fans didn't do a thing. The sports teams did all the work. I can only assume that some people measure their self-worth by how some athlete plays a game. There are some men who completely ignore their family for Sunday football. There are the screaming matches at the TV or the fights that break out over whose better at this or that seems kind of meaningless. May I just didn't catch this fever. I'm sorry to offend anyone, but I just don't get it. No one can claim ownership of a group of people nor can they justify beating the daylights out of someone or give them the verbal equivalent of a whipping for insulting their favorite player. For some I guess it's way to unwind but other look like they take things way too seriously. These guys are athletes. Their paid to play. I guarantee if they stopped getting paid they wouldn't play anymore. I'm more curious than anything. I'm trying to understand why people feel the way they do about sports. Maybe it will help me understand why my brother and his friends and others do what they do on Friday nights. I'd really appreciate some constructive and thought out answers.

• Answer:

  Sports are simply certain people's passion. I love sports. My parents were never big sports fans - they causally watch the NFL. As for me, I am passionate about college football, basketball, NBA, NFL, Golf, Hockey, and everything in between. It's just something you grow to love. I have been an athlete my entire life. There is nothing like some quality competition or seeing your favorite team win a championship. I'm from Tampa and our teams rarely make league championships as much as larger market cities such as New York or Boston, so when we make a championship run it is really something special. As far as following sports, people enjoy it because anybody can have an opinion. It's sort of like politics. It's fun to watch, fun to play, and fun to think how nice it must be to get paid millions of dollars to do something that millions of people around the world do everyday just for fun.