Sportsball

How about that game of sportsball on the weekend? You watching the sportsball match tonight? Man, I really love that sportsball team. 

You ever feel left out when it comes to sport? Recently I've been wondering if I'm missing something because I don't barrack for a team or player. Everyone else seems to, why aren't I even remotely interested?

When I was at school, I played the mandatory sports - netball, volleyball, tennis, athletics. I even remember kind of enjoying softball in the winter at primary school. But I never was particularly good at it, nor interested in pursuing it. 

Now as an adult, I don't "follow" a particular sport. I was raised in a rugby league family so I can watch a match and carry on a passable conversation about it, but left to my own devices I couldn't care less who wins the NRL premiership. Similarly I'm not remotely interested in any of the more popular sports here in Australia - AFL, cricket, soccer, golf, tennis, V8s. My husband is the same though as a car guy he will watch a few laps of Bathurst every year. 

I asked C the other day if he thought perhaps we should pick a sport and team to barrack for and follow, as other people seem to get so much enjoyment out of it. We toyed with the idea before deciding if we weren't passionate about it to start with, why should we fake an interest?

Tonight is the first match of the arguably the biggest League series of the year - State of Origin. My parents-in-law, who are rabid Qld supporters, will watch every minute, alternatively screaming and moaning at the tv. 

I haven't decided if I'll watch yet. I'm tempted to dismiss it as yet another game of sportsball - but somehow I think I'll get caught up in the excitement. 

Do you follow a sport and have a team? Tell me about it!

Sochi Problems

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I have never been a sports-type person. Sure, I watched footy with my dad, played netball and softball at school, and cricket was the soundtrack to every summer of my childhood. I know the rules, vaguely who the players are. But I don’t follow it. I don’t care who wins, except that Queensland beats New South Wales in the State of Origin (that’s some kind of genetic Queenslander thing, I suspect).

So every Olympics, I try to tell myself I’m not interested. It’s not like these elite athletes are curing cancer or anything, after all…

But then I get sucked in. Because humans doing stuff they’re good at is always something to marvel at. You don’t need all a slow-mo montage set to sweeping orchestral strains to do it, but it does help.

What has really drawn my attention to the Sochi Winter Olympics this year has been, of course, Russia’s controversial human rights record (a whole ‘nother blog post to be written by someone more knowledgeable than me), but also the plight of the poor sports journalists who have arrived to find some facilities not yet completed. Some might say that they should stop whining about your First World problems, but when you’re hosting an event that has the eyes of the world on you, perhaps it is best to try to keep the reporters happy?

Anyways, I won’t be staying up until the wee hours every night to watch the snowy goings-on, but I will be watching the nightly recaps. After all, it is a good feeling when your team wins.

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AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE ETC.

Will you be watching the Winter Olympics?