Greetings!
Talking about how people become very passionate about watching sports, I think it has many facets, but in the end, it all boils down to INFLUENCE.
What do I mean by influence?
Using myself as an example:
Way back when I was in high school, I wasn't crazy about football. In fact, the only tournament I watched, partially, was the World Cup, and my dad led me to watch such tournaments because he didn't and still doesn't joke about it.
When I was very little, sports centers weren't as common (or maybe there weren't many). Whenever there was a World Cup, especially when my country's team was playing, my dad would bring out his TV into the compound and arrange chairs for friends and neighbors to come and watch....compound a football centres and there were usually loud screams.
There were times when matches were played late at night or early in the morning, like at 2:00 AM. My dad and his friends would camp in our house to watch the matches, and with all that noise, there was no way one could sleep. So, I began to join them in watching and enjoying the scene, seeing the jubilations and shouts of 'goooaaaals!' whenever we were winning.
From there, I developed a great interest in watching international tournaments such as the World Cup and the Olympics, and I don't joke about it whenever Nigeria is playing.
I remember, I started to show much interest in league football such as the Champions League, La Liga, and Serie A about four to five years ago when my friends would beg and drag me from home to join them in watching Manchester United matches because all of them were Manchester United fans. They would pay for my gate fee. What started as a joke, after a series of follow-ups and learning how the league tables are calculated, turned into a big interest. I began checking the records every weekend to see who's losing and who's winning...and I wasn't supporting any club then, I was so much interested in laughing at clubs that were loosing.
You see? It all started with influence from my dad and my friends, and today, as I'm writing this, I'm someone greatly addicted to watching football matches. The addiction has boundaries, though. I'm very much interested in international football and less interested in the leagues. I love seeing various football club stars come out to represent their countries.
I'm very passionate about watching sports that whenever a favorite tournament is coming, I plan it well to have the fullest experience and make the loudest noise. Oh! People in my WhatsApp contacts can attest to this. Lol.
The recently enjoyed show for me was around February and March 2024 when all the Africa nations gathered together to compete for one cup, and that's called the Africa Cup of Nations. I so much enjoyed every part of it, even to the point when my country lost the final match on the last day. The most enjoyable part was when my country won against South Africa via a penalty shootout. Africa/Nigeria was at its peak of passion for football that day, especially on social media.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Weekend Experiences prompt, week 210
Images are mine