So, Tracy wants me to go to some restaurant with her work friends for New Years…okay, that would seem fine enough – BUT – there is a catch. Her co-workers husbands will both be there, they are not triathletes they are however “very” into “real” sports (as they tell me) they both are unemployed, and have some weird ability to talk about their high school athletic prowess today as if it was yesterday; much akin to Al Bundy’s one touch down that at the age of 50 is still the shining moment in his life. These two are open to make fun of my shaved legs (that they have never seen) but insist that shaved legs are confrimation that a person is gay, spandex (that they have never seen) and inform me that I spend way to much money on a bicycle that I could spend on something worth while – and I quote “Like season tickets to the Bears”.
To me it seems that the stereo typical “sports fan” has a jacket, hat, gloves and some even face paint for their favorite team – they do not however have a ball that they actually play with, let alone compete at anything in their favorite sport other than possibly a decibel contest as to who can yell at the TV screen the loudest. Seems to me that the mass of “manly” Americans at best can talk about what could or maybe would have been over a beer yelling dogmatically at a TV screen contending what they would have done in any given situation, knowing full well that they themselves will never find that they are in the path of a 300lbs lineman, nor a 100mph fast ball. They wont ever worry about hitting a wall at 180mph, or making that critical free throw – as a matter of fact they often don’t need to worry about any free throw, pitch, or tackle – as they already did that (maybe) in high school.
So, I don’t get it – wont pretend I do. I cant even watch Tri on TV as within five minutes of the start of a program I am getting my gear on and heading out for a ride run or swim. I don’t mean to insult the players…but am I the only one who gets insulted OFTEN by the fans of other sports? I cant possibly be the only one who fans of “real sports” like football think they are free to make fun of cause they don’t get it.
(Oh, no I am not going to that restaurant, I have already drawn that line – I don’t hang out with unemployed drunken idiots who live off their wives and yell at TV’s)
These guys watch sports, not participate in them. OK maybe they play a little beer belly baseball/basketball/hockey or football but for the most part it’s watching the local pro team on the big screen TV over at the sports bar.
There are lots of people like this. They’re fans not athletes. It likely won’t be your most fun New Year’s Eve, but just grin and bear it.
I always wondered why shaved legs makes a person gay. Gay men like men, not women, therefore they would not like a person with smooth legs since it is like a womens legs. So gay men should have hairy legs and straight men should have smooth legs.
Talking about their high school accomplishments is just living in the past
Look at what you do with your life and your current sporting accomplishments - and your planned sporting accomplishments and know that the only thing they have to look forward to - is standing in a smoky bar - watching a game - being an armchair QB - and by the sounds of it - asking their wives for beer money.
Spend your time with Tracy’s girlfriends INSTEAD of their husbands.
This solution will be multifold:
It will keep you from being bored by these guys OR killing them.
Most likely you are a good story-teller (due to your real sports experiences, not like those guys’ old ones or tv-ones) and that will make you a popular figure with those girls, which may boost your ego.
This will elevate Tracy’s status with her friends for having such a cool husband.
The husbands will wonder what you have and they don’t (duh…).
Tracy will love you even more for being such a good sport with her friends… thus raising your appeal-factor with her, thus giving you hotter and better sex
You are right: sports “fans” (the armchair kind) are gayer than any false epithet they can hurl at you. Ignore them; I know, it’s easier said than done - however, your REAL sports enthusiasm beats their fake macho kind any day.
You’d get better company and better reception by staying with the girls. Dress up sexy for your ‘dates’ — most likely, those guys will not be looking so hot inside or under their clothes, so you’ll still come out ahead.
Ignore what others think (I’m sure you already do anyway, but are just venting about sports-fans) and play up the strengths: mainly, that girls think REAL ATHLETES are hot.
My 2c
Lauren
My man is tri, shaves his body, runs in the rain, snow, mud, and ick, drinks protein shakes, and had incredible tri muscles. I think spandex and tech fabric looks awesome on him. He’s cutest when he’s come from a long run and he’s sweaty, tired, but joyful. He has wonderful stories of his experiences and training - and he’s 41, still with athletic experiences which started in grade school up until now. He doesn’t watch it on TV, he does it:
Life begins when you LIVE it.
I fail to see the logic here. Women like men…typically men have hairy legs…thus women should like men with hairly legs or girls with hairy legs. Well unless of course the women is a lesbian, and the male dominant lesbian at that, in which case she would like men with smooth legs or women…with smooth legs. Reverse for gay men meaning a male dominant gay guy would be attracted to a “feminine” male, I.E. shaved legs. OTOH a Femanine gay male would want hairy legs.
Of course none of this has any bearing as “shaved” is a personal preference not a sexual indicator…well last I heard anyway.
You have echoed my sentiments exactly…the whole profile of your average “manly sports” fan. They all think that a guy who shaves his legs MUST be gay. And their idea of being interested in sports is “yelling at a TV.” I doubt that I, too, will ever get it. Whenever I’m in a room full of guys who start talking about the “manly” sports (football, basketball, hockey), I make a run for the door.
Guys at work (big “manly” sports fans) have seen me in my biker shorts when I’m about to go out for a ride after work. They sarcastically whistle and make catcalls at me. I don’t think they have seen lycra before.
You should confirm their suspicions. Give one of them a little squeeze on the ass and tell him how much he turns you on. You’ll probably never have to see them again. And… do you really care?
they are however “very” into “real” sports (as they tell me)
To me it seems that the stereo typical “sports fan” has a jacket, hat, gloves and some even face paint for their favorite team – they do not however have a ball that they actually play with, let alone compete at anything in their favorite sport other than possibly a decibel contest as to who can yell at the TV screen the loudest. Seems to me that the mass of “manly” Americans at best can talk about what could or maybe would have been over a beer yelling dogmatically at a TV screen contending what they would have done in any given situation, knowing full well that they themselves will never find that they are in the path of a 300lbs lineman, nor a 100mph fast ball. They wont ever worry about hitting a wall at 180mph, or making that critical free throw – as a matter of fact they often don’t need to worry about any free throw, pitch, or tackle – as they already did that (maybe) in high school.
So, I don’t get it – wont pretend I do. I cant even watch Tri on TV as within five minutes of the start of a program I am getting my gear on and heading out for a ride run or swim. I don’t mean to insult the players…but am I the only one who gets insulted OFTEN by the fans of other sports? I cant possibly be the only one who fans of “real sports” like football think they are free to make fun of cause they don’t get it.
Watching sports is simply a form of entertainment.
You could say to the guys, “Guys, I used to get worked up by comments like that from people who are viewers of sports entertainment. But not anymore, because I’ve come to believe that viewing sports entertainment brings alot of happiness to people who are unable or unwilling to participate in sports.”
And to whatever they reply with, “Well, I’m not one to be able to debate this with you because I don’t really understand why someone would want to sit and watch others play sports rather than spending that time doing something themselves. But I appreciate that watching makes you guys real happy.”
Or it might be nicer to say, “Well, I really wish I could get you guys to go for a ride, because I think you’d find that it feels so great to do something yourself rather than watch someone else play a game. Serious, let me know if you’d like to start riding. I’d be glad to help get you started.”
As a 20 year old punk kid, my friends call me a “fag” for swimming and triathlon, they are only joking of course because they are really supportive of my sport interest as i show interest in theirs(they showed up to a race of mine last year and entertained the hell out of the crowd), but i get poked at especially from my downhill racer friends, the word tri-fag often comes out, then when they ask me go riding with them i burn them and they feel pretty crap after i make em work like hell. However, it happens quite often that people who don’t understand ones desire to compete in certain sports is automatically different. I wonder what they would think if you told them that you played polo???
I had a friend was a big baseball player
Back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy…
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of glory days
I suspect the high school heros of the 80’s live somewhere in this song.
Mind you when we are in our 90’s (after the above guys have died of fat poisoning) we gonna be talking about our glory days, “Did I ever tell you about the time I almost qualified for Kona?” =-)
Hopefully Dan E will still have this place running so we can do that!
Yo R10C… I smell what you’re steppin’ in, but I recommend you take the high road, smile and do your thing (the only actions/reactions you control are your own). You passing judgment on their non-participatory interest in sports is just as bad as them raggin’ on you. Keep up the great training, smile, and stay funky forever.
“How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains? Yeah. Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would’ve been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind.”
Hey those guys used to be me 10 yrs ago. I played football, basketball and baseball in HS and before I got into running and then tri I used to make comments to my wife like “if you ever see me in spandex do me a favor and shoot me”. I had no concept of what the sports involved, I thought of them more as activities, I couldn’t conceive of going so hard and far on a bike that it really hurt, I thought of running as something you did as punishment if you missed free throws, and I thought swimmers were just the people who couldn’t make the football team (our HS didn’t even have swimming).
Now I wouldn’t openly make fun of someone unless I knew them pretty well so these guys appear to be jackasses, but if you give it right back to them and call them out for what they are coupled with many beers and some education of what tri is all about, you might be able to find a peaceful coexistence. Challenge them to sign up for a local race, bet them that they couldn’t finish it. Even odds are that one of them really gets into it and finds an outlet for his dormant competitive nature.
Oh and two other things:
football season tickets are cool, and
hanging out with the chicks all night will only confirm your gayness.
