[pohl]

I'm with you in the abstract, but where I live there's toxic culture around sports that made it unpalatable for me as a kid. Back then what turned me off was belligerent parents on the sidelines yelling at the children, but the symptoms actually go way beyond that one little thing. (Conflating excellence with dominance is another example.)

[Retric]

I have noticed team sports tend to be vastly more toxic than solo sports.

Climbing for example has a wildly different atmosphere. Just listen to the crowd in this or read the YouTube comments, people are supportive when several women have disappointing results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfhGW6Bwyks

People will complain about the route setting or camerawork not the athletes, that’s a shocking amount of empathy IMO.

[bobochan]

One of my favorite sports memories was going to my son's first big cross-country running meet. There were hundreds of kids lined up for the race and parents lined the course to cheer them on. The crowds clapped loudly for the leaders, it died down for the long stretch of mid-pack runners, and then grew to a roar for the kids working their hardest at the back of the pack. Everyone there seemed to understand how hard it is to get started in endurance sports, but also how transformative they can be to a kid's confidence, especially if they have not felt welcome or successful in team sports.

[hef19898]

Funny enough full cobtact sports are somewhat similar. Sure, you actively fight and beat each other in the ring or on tha mats, but outside ofbit things are surprisingly civil. Of ciurse over aggressive exceptions proof that rule.

[Dudeman112]

>toxic culture around sports

I was rather fond of practicing team sports as a kid, but I found the culture off putting for the same reasons

Some people just can't behave, adults weren't even much better than your regular kid

[the_only_law]

> adults weren't even much better than your regular kid

If life has taught me anything, it's that the notion of adults being emotional mature is a joke.

I've seen numerous grown people suddenly turn into a character from Mean Girls instantly after a petty slight.

[theptip]

This is a valid observation, however I wonder if the best frame is to consider if that toxic culture is preferable to a warmongering society.

It may be that some level of toxic behavior is inescapable when humans release their tribal competition instinct. And if team sports is construed as a war-replacement, perhaps it is a better (though not perfect) mechanism to absorb that toxicity.

Maybe there are better-still options to absorb tribal toxicity, bit I can’t think of any off the top of my head.

[frozencell]

The future might robot competitions: compete with zero-ego robot beings, the robot is always kind.

[coffeeboy27]

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