this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2025
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[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 246 points 2 days ago (10 children)

I've no difficulty understanding lads being thirsty and attracted by a lovely lady who appears to be into gaming and hey, you can even interact and try to get her attention!

Now, explain to me lads getting super invested in some lads running around a field chasing a ball. Like, literally having their lives revolve around it, their identity entirely centered on it. Now that's a complete mystery to me.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago

On the contrary, I think baseball obsession is more 'grounded'. There's no illusion that the players are your personal friends, they are a team and the social part is cheering them on with fellow fans.

[–] josefo@leminal.space 3 points 1 day ago

The male ball chase cult is not even into women's sports. I always found contradictory that the crowd that qualifies itself as the manliest and straightest, enjoys looking at sweaty males that grop each other celebrating scoring. The whole thing reeks of suppressed sexuality.

[–] PhilipTheBucket@quokk.au 88 points 2 days ago

I actually understood sports fandom for the first time because of watching streamers play video games. I was like ooooohhh, this is a very challenging skill, and I'm watching someone do it very very well, and I'm fucking hyped and I want to see more.

I never in my life had that for basketball or anything. But it made sense when I saw it for video games.

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 51 points 2 days ago (4 children)

As someone who was born into the ball chasing cult, there are three things:

  1. The social aspect. It's the one thing that brings my family together, each week, to watch the game. For away games, you have a cookout with some family friends, buy some drinks and then you watch the game. If it's in the evening, then you go out afterwards. For home games, you gather the same group, but now you're gonna meet more people in the arena, people you know because they're also in the cult. You have a drink, you have a laugh and you catch up with them. Our team is a second division side with some okay players and a great goalie, so the game is almost relegated (heh) to play second fiddle.

Oh and don't get me started on the choreos.

  1. Hometown pride: This team has been here since the 19th century and for me, going to the games or even having just a passing interest in the team is part of being from that town.

You tag lamp posts in your town with their stickers and you do the same in the surrounding smaller cities. By looking at the stickers in any given town, you can see to which city their youth gravitates, which tickles my brain in ways I can't explain.

  1. It's fun to watch: Arguably the weakest reason, but God damn, sometimes even second division footy just looks so good! When you see someone pull off a sick trick or make a clean tackle or catch, you get that sweet dopamine kick, it's insane.

I'd never beat someone because of their allegiance. Those people can kick rocks.

[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fair-play to you for a thoughtful answer. Much appreciated and it certainly matches my personal experience.
As I said somewhere else : seeing my mates being all up in arms about ManU when they live in fecking Donegal was always funny to me, but I totally see the social aspect.
So much banter at the pub! If there is a thing the Irish love, it's a good banter.

Shame about the assholes who use it as an excuse to get into fights. Fecking idiots the lot of them.

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Thanks for the kind words, I really have to take every excuse to practice writing in English ^^

Yeah, I definitely forgot about the banter and storylines.

I think what contributes the most to the sports ball hype is that a lot of people play sports ball themselves. And just like gamers watching streams of people playing the games they want to play or are playing, ball cultists wanna see guys do the shit they do on some backwater pitch. You know, for the "damn, I know that's difficult" or the "I could do it better" - factor.

[–] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Man, the "damn, I know that's difficult" is strong in every sport. I can appreciate a sport so much more if I did it myself, even just a few months. Fencing? No idea, people waving some sticks around. ~~Soccer~~ football? Sick volley shot, man, I saw a mate to the same thing back in 2006...

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah, I think it's also "I saw like 10 of my mates shit the bed trying to do that".

Thanks for avoiding the s-word btw ^^

[–] scytale@piefed.zip 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Hometown pride

Do you also refer to your city’s sport team using “we”, “us”, and “our”? I’ve always found that weird, because while I’m a fan, I don’t consider myself being a part of what the team accomplishes. I’m just a spectator. I just refer to them as the team name.

[–] rooroo@feddit.org 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Not the person you replied to but yes I do. I used to think it’s weird but there’s a few things that made me change that feeling.

One, I’ve been at games decided by fans. Players said they couldn’t hear anything on the pitch. Home sides shat their pants during warm up. I wasn’t on the pitch and didn’t touch a ball but I was part of one of the reasons we went home happy.

Two, and more importantly: when I think of the club I don’t think of the players and the managers. I think of my friends, I think of the crowd in the stands. My team has a crazy successful time right now (Football fans will surely be able to guess by now) but it wasn’t much different when we were playing 2nd division. Players leave all the time—currently my team has like one player who was part of the team for the whole successful run—but the club isn’t defined by the players, but by the people in that stands. They don’t change. And while football is certainly an enjoyable sport to watch, I wouldn’t care about it half as much without the fan culture surrounding it. Over the years I’ve become part of that as well, so fuck yes I say “we”.

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I am with you: I've been there when we played in the 4th division, outside of professional football and within my lifetime, we made it back into the top flight, with one player scoring in each division on the way. He was the first German player to do that, and while I know of another German who got there 2 years later, I don't know if this happened anywhere else.

[–] rooroo@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Now I’m curious. It sounds like SVD?

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nope, I'll give you another hint: we had the most chaotic promotion match in the history of the Bundesliga

[–] rooroo@feddit.org 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I’m stumped. A club that played 4th division that actually has fans?

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

I have pretty deep roots within the city, and I could not imagine not rooting for my team (within limits, I wouldn't tolerate bigotry, but as of now, they behaved pretty good on that front), so yeah, I use "wir" and "uns" :)

ball chasing cult

lol yeah :D

[–] TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I appreciate the summary and I think i get why people like sports ball.... but I really enjoy having a sports ball free space to talk about how absurd it is the way our society obsesses over it. on the internet, you're the weirdo, not me!

[–] belastend@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago

It's weird to be both somewhat of a nerd and a sports ball person since birth, so I get your comment :)

[–] WALLACE@feddit.uk 39 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Most of the time it's the social aspect that is infectious. It gives you something in common with other fans that would otherwise be strangers to you

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I never understood sports fans until walking around Key West with my Navy buddy who wore a hat for the Browns. Random dudes kept cracking jokes at and/or with him the whole day. Still ain't enough to get me into the cult, but I get the appeal now.

[–] Photuris@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sometimes I think I should spend a few minutes each day reading the sports headlines, just so I know what’s going on enough to banter with people about the latest goings-on.

But, ain’t got time or energy for all that.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Did you see that ludicrous display last night?

[–] AdamBomb@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What was Wenger thinking, sending Walcott on that early?

[–] lessthanluigi@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 2 days ago

Thing about Arsenal, they always try and walk it in.

[–] rooroo@feddit.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As a dude who’s sometimes socially awkward and struggles to connect with men, becoming invested in football seemed like a serious cheat code to me tbh. Sit with random strangers at a bar? They’re wearing something that makes their club affiliation obvious, or they spot yours? You’re there talking how is the season going, is their keeper recovered, when will your striker score again? And maybe throw some well-meant insults while saying cheers.

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

As a guy who is socially awkward with other men, the longer I'm around them, the more difficult it is for me to conceal how very different I am from them.

[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Aye, like wearing a cool metal shirt and getting the horns from a complete stranger. We do like our tribe(s), don't we?

[–] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 days ago

As long as we get to pick our tribes, realize that it is all good-spirited tribalism and banter, and are able to tolerate if people pick a different tribe, I'm cool with it. Hell yeah, brother 🤘

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 12 points 2 days ago

Practicing masculinity, delighting in skilled human action, and bonding with peers.

Not my thing, but I get it.

[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Each to their own pal. I’m sure there are things you do that others find a mystery.

[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Hey, no hate on people loving sports!

My point was it's super clear why a teenager wants to thirst on a pretty woman playing vidya.

Now, my irish mates all having their club and being all very serious about it, when they'll curse the English in the same sentence has always been hilarious to me.
And I'm talking people from fecking Donegal, who lived through the Troubles and shit. Never understood that one.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Why?

Their mad at the English government, not the English people. An English football club is entirely separate from the English government.

[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Good point, cheers!

It’s cool.

I’ve never really understood it either to be honest. I’ve gravitated to solo sports and more admiration at the ability than the winning per se.

I’m from Manchester, UK, so been around a lot of Irish people. Had a lovely time in Port-Stewert once. (Port-Stewart?) At the same time I’ve put countless hours into Minecraft, Factorio, Running, or climbing and people wonder why.

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

That is a magnificently executed thought-terminating cliché, but if I may offer a rebuttal: nuh-uh!

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

its like joining a cult, you swap your weaker identity with the stronger cult identity

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Expanding on the penis in vagina theme for a minute...

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Now that's a bit of a stretch

[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world -3 points 2 days ago

Holy fuck I wish lemmy gold was a thing i could give you. Sport fans always seemed like cultists to me.