[kulak]

To my ears, this "cultivated disinterest" label comes off as something of a cheap stereotype. Simply put, not everyone who lacks interest in professional sports nurtures a "cultivated distinterest" in the subject, nor are we driven by some need to display this disinterest as some kind of marker of class rank or intellectual superiority. We simply lack interest in the subject, period.

And when pressed on the subject, I never use language that conveys any sense that I think others are stupid or shallow for being interest in professional sports. If anything I just say, kind of sheepishly, "You know, I actually don't follow professional sports", or something to that effect. And surprisingly, this kind of honesty has, itself, sparked interesting conversations with people, on several occasions.

[jliptzin]

You hit the nail on the head. I've lived with football fans most of my life and have been exposed to it plenty of times. Even when I try to pay attention to it, I find it so boring that I zone out and begin thinking about other things without even realizing it. I have no problem with people who enjoy football and professional sports in general, but it's just not something I have an interest in.

[arjn]

I feel the same way. I've absolutely no interest in football even after trying a couple of times. I've also lost interest in other sports over time. It may be something to do with growing older and having other priorities.

[incompatible]

I was interested in certain sports as a teenager, but grew out of it. I can think of a couple of reasons. Firstly I moved around a bit, to different cities and countries, and parochialism seems very silly. If you don't care which team wins, a lot of interest in sport disappears. Secondly the sports themselves are extremely repetitive. Once you've learned the rules and seen a few games, there's not much more to learn, it's just variations on a theme.

Edit: I'm referring to spectating, not active participation. I'm sure there's a lot more to learn, understand and enjoy if you actually play.

[anextio]

> nor are we driven by some need to display this disinterest as some kind of marker of class rank or intellectual superiority.

Not to disagree with you, but I was under the impression that most research on social signaling has shown that it is not a conscious phenomenon.

You don't do X because you think it will signal Y. You just do X, whether because of unconscious social signals you have received or because the information that X might signal Y is contained in the genome rather than in the brain.

Can anyone clarify?

[lg]

I think you'd need some reason to believe people are unconsciously signaling it. The author seems to be quite conscious of his own signaling. Personally I was never into watching sports, even as a little kid when I don't think I was doing much intellectual posturing. Probably it's because my parents didn't make a big deal about it whereas it was a big part of family bonding for other kids.

[stephenboyd]

The reason can be as simple as identifying with others who aren't into sports. People take on the interests and values of the people they identify with, whether they realize it or not.

[sirmarksalot]

I know a lot of people who take their lack of interest in sports as a point of pride. I've been in bars where everybody immediately starts cheering after some amazing play, and my table gets up and ironically yells "FOOTBALL!" I still think it's amusing, but there's definitely an element of elitism to it.

[wutbrodo]

I've seen what you're talking about, but when I've seen it, it usually seems more like an acknowledgement of the amusing mild awkwardness inherent in being surrounded by people who are REALLY passionate about something and not being able to partake. I can see it having elitist intent in some cases, but in a lot of cases it's just poking fun at oneself for being so out of touch with whatever all the people around you are into.

[toby]

I think what he's referring to is people who are proud of their ignorance, which it doesn't sound like you are doing. You've certainly encountered people who believe saying things like "Oh, I don't even know who Kim Kardashian is" or "I haven't read a book since college" is bragging.

[jpindar]

Or the disingenuous "oh, is there a football game this week" - which they are only saying as a response to hearing people talk about the game all week.

[WalterBright]

Or my favorite "say that in English".

[guard-of-terra]

I really enjoy "I'm not into Pokémon".

[pkulak]

I had a good reply lined up, but then I noticed there's a decent chance we're related. If only there were some shared cultural event happening this weekend that we could talk about as an introduction...

[javert]

I feel the same way as you, but I think the article is perfectly accurate. A lot of self-styled "academic" "intellectuals" (e.g. humanities professors, etc.) really are that second-handed. i.e., so concerned about their perceived "status" and, in general, how others perceive them, that they'd rather pretend to be what is wanted than simply be an authentic person.