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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MaxKaladin" data-source="post: 2387347" data-attributes="member: 1196">What's not to like?  Well, one thing I've never liked is the idea that there must be something wrong with me if I don't like sports.  Actually, to be completely accurate, I don't hate sports -- I just don't like them.  I really don't care one way or the other about sports.  They simply don't interest me yet fail to inspire any hatred in me.   What I hate is the fan culture surrounding sports.  The one that assumes that there must be something wrong with me because I do not like sports.  The one that finds it unacceptable that I simply wish to not be involved and tries to drag me in anyway.  The one that hounded me all through my school years to play -- evidently I was built right for football and people considered it some major sin that I wasn't interested in playing.  Some of the nonsense I have to put up with is a result of this sort of behavior.  Inevitably, someone will try to strike up a conversation about the finals and when I mention politely I haven't been following them they look at me like I just kicked their dog.  Some of them leave me alone at that point but you always have the "boosters" who then try to "pump me up" somehow.  Sometimes, they do this by giving me highlights and/or statistics that are evidently supposed to make me excited about the finals.  While I'm sure these are fine examples of basketball playing, I am simply not interested.  I'm not trying to put anyone down -- I'm just not interested.  Sometimes, they try to appeal to some sort of obligation to "support the home team".  I do not feel this obligation.  Then there is the merchandising.  There are vendors everywhere.  You just can't get away from it.  People go so mad over wearing team stuff and decorating things with team colors and logos and it drives a lot of the annoyance.  Everything is about having the right "stuff" for the game.  Did they go to the championships?  Buy a t-shirt!  Why don't you have team-merchandise in your cubicle?  Where's your spirit?  Did they win the championship?  Yes?  Then rush right out to one of the many roadside vendors or a store to buy more t-shirts -- and don't forget the mug and 10,000 other things!  Why aren't you wearing a team championship t-shirt?  Don't you have spirit?  It's like team spirit is manditory.  This is a big part of what drives me nuts.  Then there is the traffic disruption is when they win a championship.  The first time it happened when I lived here I was out and found myself surrounded by people driving recklessly honking horns, weaving in and out of traffic, hanging out windows waving flags or screaming and other dangerous behavior.  This year, more than 300,000 people tried to get downtown to celebrate and buy championship stuff causing a massive traffic jam for hours.  I make a point of being home whenever they play championship games in case they win.  I could deal with this if it were just one night, but it's really annoying when its just the culmination of days and weeks of hype and merchandising beforehand.  It's just omnipresent and I can't get away from it and people don't want to let me get away from it.</blockquote>

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