The Sports Bug Never Got Me

Peaceful.

I never understood the whole sit-in-front-of-the-TV-and-scream-instructions and diatribes to the players thing. If there's going to be screaming in the house, I intend to be the one doing it!

I told my husband before we married that football games blaring on the TV all day was a deal breaker. That, and cheating. Anything else, we could work with.

If he breaks the no football rule, I will go shopping and break the bank.

@marlingrace,




Spot on, you nailed it my friend.

A contractors license only proves you can pass a test. I have worked with many who knew little, and some unlicensed that were pure genius. Nature forces us to compete with her or we will die. I was a competitive shooter and could have cared less about trophies and plaques. When I move to VA I literally threw out a room full, I liked competing but I always wanted to beat you on your best day. A no excuse no BS just plain competition, but overall mostly with myself. I was lucky enough to be trained by the world's best, consider them friends, and at one time wasn't to bad a shooter. Life is a competition whether we want it or not. As you say our DNA has developed over the centuries towards our food, this same DNA structure also plays into hunting and not gathering. IMO we are always competing with nature. 

Growing up in Texas it was football, basketball, or baseball. If we could not beat them on the court or the field of play many times it was in the parking lot... stupid.... I did them all until the rock and roll band took over my life.. Didn't want stuff broken plus I played Wednesday through Saturday nights dragging back home around 3 am. I got into tennis back in the 80s and played in some small tournaments. Working for an airline left me with alot of free time and I hate to work out so tennis really worked for me. Finally around 45 and close to 110 degrees on a tennis court I told a friend of mine I thought I would take up golf for exercise.. He said I was to old and would never be any good (he was a 5 handicap and had grown up in Florida with a golf club in his crib; to hear him tell it and had been playing all his life). We were very close friends but fierce competitors on the court; we both gave 100% is another way of saying it.

I just told him wait a year and I will be right in there taking his money..

He told me if I ever beat him he would throw his clubs in the lake, give me his Mercedes, and commit suicide!

My reply was, "Mark you are so cheap you will be out in the middle of the night with a magnet fishing for your clubs; if you gave me your Mercedes I promise, I will sell that piece of crap for ten cents on the dollar... But .... I really don't want you to commit suicide... for every breath you take I want you to remember I beat your A**.. I beat him by one stroke about a year later when I shot my first 77 and he had a bad day and shot 78..

I cheated the whole year by hitting balls every day that I could and playing; I even met two PGA tour players who became my friends and taught me... finally I became a member at the country club he belonged to. He never gave me his stuff or cut his wrist but the day I beat him he did shake my hand and paid me for him a compliment, "You were a lucky SOB today".. My reply was and old fighter pilot saying, "A kill is a kill"... we both just laughed..

I do not usually watch sports.. Some Tennis and big golf tournaments if the players are someone I like, then maybe if I happen to catch it.. But otherwise I have always been a doer not a watcher.. Competitive yes but probably to fair to many of my the local guys I take money off of.. I played with 6 today and gave everyone a stroke a hole except for the par 3s.. ( if they can't get on a green at 150 yards they got no business playing for money with me).. I won 9 out of the 14 skins out today which paid me enough to buy lunch and put a little gas in the car.. Plus being the humble guy that I am they all threatened to take my money next time.. I love the banter and Comradery some of the guys come up with... Myself I just take their money and say thank you.. I never rub it in just let my game speak for itself..

Golf, to most people, is like watching paint dry and I certainly understand that..

I never play against anyone only the thing they call the golf course.. If I am doing as good as I can it does not matter if they are worse or kicking my butt.. It is already as good as I can do.. Nothing else I can do....

I suppose that is why I don't care what others are doing on the course (although I do try to compliment a good shot) unless they are having problems and ask me for help.. I just compete against the golf course and at the end of the day I receive my rewards for a job well done or the agony of defeat because of something stupid I did. One and for sure two bad holes and double boggies out of 18 will put me out of contention due to having a low handicap so it is a mental thing for me..

I have never thrown a club or acted like some spoiled brat..It is just a frigging game and any mess-ups are my fault not the golf clubs... I prefer to not play with brats or people who cannot control their emotions.. There are times though when someone lets loose and everyone just cracks up.. One of my caddies today made a comment: I had hit a pitching wedge into a green from 110 yards out.. The wind was blowing into our face.. As the ball was in the air I was saying ute ute... which is stop in Thai.. My caddy patted me on the arm and said,"translation: Balls don't have ears and usually do not listen"! .. Not two holes later she was saying to a ball of mine go, go, .. I just looked at her and she said, "they listen to caddies sometimes", we both had a smile and a laugh. :roflmao:

Competitive shooting is another sport that can take years to perfect an a steady hand eye coordination. A very close friend was a skeet shooter and did quite well.. (hahaha he had to replace the fillings in his teeth every few years he shot so much)

Anything that will get you out of the house and give your body and mind something active to do when you retire is a good thing IMO... Otherwise many will stay home and die early.. I hate golf...it is like another job because I play in tournaments every month and prefer if I enter to at least have a chance for the grand prize.... Even though I say I hate golf, there are moments when it does bring a smile to my face.. (and money in my pocket) not to mention all the friends I have met and made due to being out and about..

I never met a non competitive fighter pilot for all those are dead or at the bottom of the ocean. IMO :cheers:

I have never understood sports fanatics. Really?? Its a GAME....and as we've found in recent years, it hasn't even been a scene with games played fairly for many many MANY years. Records set, and records falling...like they were nothing and in record time for it's own pace....and how? It seems everyone has some good dope to shoot up or eat up and become Super-Athlete...or Super-Scumbag, depending on perspective I suppose.

I tried sports a bit growing up..but figured out that wasn't a game, even then. If you weren't in it to win it, like it was a serious side line of work?? Don't bother applying.

Hell..I might enjoy sports if anyone played it for the enjoyment of playing..but I think my parents were kids the last time that was common to any degree.