How do you feel about the often repeated claim that athletics are for children?

[Kblaze8855]

You’ve probably heard or read it 1000 times. They’re playing a child’s game. It’s said of everything. Basketball football and baseball. Whatever. It said often dismissively by people who don’t like how much money they get paid to do it or that it draws so much attention from things deemed more important or worthwhile to be doing. Sometimes it’s even said by the people who play the games(often to score brownie points with the idiotic public or to downplay the pain of losing).

We can go ahead and ignore that both basketball and football were created and first played by adults. The first basket ever scored was scored by a 25 year old. I felt like I should mention it but it isn’t really central to what I’m asking.

What I am asking is this…

What makes getting off your ass and doing something active with other humans childish? Because we call it playing? Do you consider any other physical activity done for its own sake inherently childish? What makes physical exercise childish? Should adults only move around as much as required by work?

When I go to the gym am I being a responsible adult looking out for his health when I’m warming up on the treadmill and lifting weights but being a child when I walk over to the court 30 feet away?

That would be ridiculous. Getting off your ass and staying active for its own sake is one of the more responsible things you can do with an otherwise lazy afternoon.

so what exactly makes it childish? Are we so beat down by life and the expectation of misery that we should all embrace it and try not to enjoy anything active we do because it’s “playing”?

And if people like watching it, what makes it a less worthwhile avenue of employment than say….figuring out what to add to sweet potato waffle fries to make them crisp up in the air fryer? What makes putting a ball in a basket or hitting one less respect worthy than coming up with a new font for the advertising of some company? Why is it a less worthwhile pursuit than having a career putting tint on car windows or selling cigars or making soy wax candles, or any of the other million things people do without being called childish?

You can say the world doesn’t need sports…but does the world need vanilla beans? Ear rings? The piano? Does the world need bagged grass seed? Scented lotion? The world got along just fine without every single app that exists but we don’t call creating them a childish pursuit. The world doesn’t “need” 90% of the shit in it but the people at the top of providing most things aren’t called out for it.

The issue is the money I assume. People are bitter so many people(often including themselves which is hilarious to me) support these people they can get rich off it without giving what they consider an equal return to society. That’s where most of the hate comes from. But I feel like you should be able to express your problem with it better than to say the whole idea of athletics is childish.

I don’t see why playing basketball is any more immature than than sitting at a bar with the same friends. Neither of them is of any value to society but one is of value to the body.

Why respect one more as as activity for adults than the other?

[Wardell Curry]

It's a combination of different things for different people. People getting old and physically unable to compete, people growing up and losing interest, growing up and getting jaded, and the fact that children are basically the only ones playing @ sub 30 years old.

I care considerably less about watching sports than I did when I was 20.

This topic also reminds me though of something I've often pondered. How much does alleged maturity correlate with a loss in energy and zest for life? In other words, if you could magically give the youth of a 15 year old body and energy level to an 80 year old, how differently would the 80 year old behave? Certainly not the same. Hard to say.

[Kblaze8855]

Kids are the only ones playing at sub 30? So people don’t play ball 18-30 or did I misunderstand your point?

I feel like I had to because that was a way more active time to play for me than after 30.

[Wardell Curry]

I was trying to say that I think that people under 30 are children, generally speaking. Obviously it's different for everyone and some people grow up super early but I think today's American experience is that of someone not being an adult until they're 30. A man's brain doesn't even finish forming until 25 or something.

[Wardell Curry]

The average age in the NBA is 26. That's a kid, regardless of how their body looks. Just my experience.

80% of the NBA is under 30.

[Wardell Curry]

The NFL is even worse I think with approximately one roster's worth of over 30s.

[Kblaze8855]

I….am not calling a 28 year old a child(unless I’m intentionally insulting one). I don’t even like when teens around me use their age as an excuse for behavior. If you’re old enough to form an argument based on your youth as an excuse you’re old enough to know not to be a dick.

[Wardell Curry]

You're right, of course. But legally we define a child as up to 17 years and 364 days old. And at 18 they're adults? Not in reality. It varies from person to person. 21 year olds can legally start to drink, but they are absolutely not adults.

30 is just the nice round arbitrary number of having that brain fully formed and just enough life experience to not act a fool hopefully.

[iamgine]

Because it's something lots of kids like to play.

The same are said for pro gamers. They're playing kid's game (while earning $$$).

It is what it is.

[Kblaze8855]

If being an adult is determined by your behavior or mind state, there are 70 year old children, and that just isn’t a path worth going down. When you’re grown, I hold you responsible for your actions. Continuing to be irresponsible way past adulthood doesn’t actually make you a child. It makes you pathetic, but it doesn’t make you a child.

[Wardell Curry]

If being an adult is determined by your behavior or mind state, there are 70 year old children, and that just isn’t a path worth going down.

There are 70 year old children. They're rare, but they're out there.

I'll leave it at this since it's obvious the outcome of this conversation is just us disagreeing but do you think a 50 year old man sleeping with an 18 year old 'female' is sleeping with a woman or a girl? 99.99% of cases or more, an 18 year old is a child, regardless of the law.

[Kblaze8855]

Because it's something lots of kids like to play.

The same are said for pro gamers. They're playing kid's game (while earning $$$).

It is what it is.


this is one of those things that sounds true, but if we could get the real numbers, I’m not sure it is. Kind of like reading comic books. I can see why someone would think it’s an industry supported mostly by kids but I don’t actually know any kids who read comic books. the big-time gamer kids I’ve known continue to be as adults. It’s entirely possible and maybe even likely there are more video game playing adults than there are children.

It isn’t 10 year olds arguing the morality of using unfairly effective dribble combinations on 2K if you look it up on Twitter.

[Kblaze8855]

There are 70 year old children. They're rare, but they're out there.

I'll leave it at this since it's obvious the outcome of this conversation is just us disagreeing but do you think a 50 year old man sleeping with an 18 year old 'female' is sleeping with a woman or a girl? 99.99% of cases or more, an 18 year old is a child, regardless of the law.


I “feel” like my 18 year old niece and her older sister are children but my feelings don’t determine anyone else’s adulthood.

and no, there are not 70 year old children. There are 70 year olds who behave irresponsibly, and perhaps childishly. Doesn’t make them children anymore than unusually mature 10 year olds are adults. I have 50 year old family who acts just like they did at 15 and have never so much as held down a job. He acts like a kid but if he actually were…it wouldn’t be acting. I wouldn’t expect him to be any different. Not actually being a child is why he’s so pathetic.

I obviously understand your concept, and I’m sure I myself have made such statements speaking figuratively, but it doesn’t feel like you’re trying to do that right now.

[Wardell Curry]

Consciousness isn’t an on or off thing. There are levels to it. And people arrive at different levels of it at vastly varying ages if they ever arrive at all.

[Im Still Ballin]

Basketball isn't an essential service but entertainment is an important part of mental health. Essential services are the systems that we rely on for our everyday needs. They include but are not limited to, electricity, communications, water, and transport.

Supply chains, being the distribution of essential goods and services across the country, are critically important to our economy. Working supply chains deliver petrol to service stations, fresh food to supermarket shelves, household waste to landfill, and essential pharmaceuticals to hospitals.

[Im Still Ballin]

If a public servant like a firefighter or public school teacher said it I think they'd have more of a point. But if it was someone not directly tied to an essential service, it's more likely to be jealously as you alluded to. A social media manager at a digital marketing agency isn't someone who should feel above an athlete.

[warriorfan]

Op, Anyone who comes through with that take is a dipshit who obviously never participated in sports or they tried and just were bad and failed.

There are so many positive things about sports for kids growing up and then carrying it on to adulthood. Not going to even go into it in detail about it right now, but sports is life.

[Kblaze8855]

Op, Anyone who comes through with that take is a dipshit who obviously never participated in sports or they tried and just were bad and failed.

There are so many positive things about sports for kids growing up and then carrying it on to adulthood. Not going to even go into it in detail about it right now, but sports is life.


Whole lot of this

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2310041916280325.jpeg

[Kblaze8855]

Consciousness isn’t an on or off thing. There are levels to it. And people arrive at different levels of it at vastly varying ages if they ever arrive at all.


Just a cop out to me. Children can be excused for acting like children. A 40 year old acting like a child…is not a child. He’s a grown man who would do society a favor by falling into a wheat thresher.

[Norcaliblunt]

How many adults do you know who actually play ORGANIZED TEAM SPORTS?

Not pick up games, not solo sports like golf, bowling, boxing, or surfing, but real team sports played using real facilities in an organized fashion with real referees and shit?

And out of all those people you know who have a work softball team how many are actually competitive and give a shit? Lmao.

[Kblaze8855]

Not pick up games, not solo sports like golf, bowling, boxing, or surfing, but real team sports played using real facilities in an organized fashion with real referees and shit?





You realize all the things you said “not” to are athletics right?

There are probably more adults playing some kinda sport than children even though they aren’t playing high school football.

There are more than 30 million people who play pickle ball in America and there are only 70 million kids and most don’t play sports.

Adults in sports probably lap kids a couple times.

[HylianNightmare]

Run into this allot as someone that's still skateboards and plays basketball in their 30's. I've noticed the people that ask me about growing up are often potato shaped individuals who spend their time watching the latest show on Netflix and are usually offended when I ask them their 1 mile run time

[Norcaliblunt]

You realize all the things you said “not” to are athletics right?

There are probably more adults playing some kinda sport than children even though they aren’t playing high school football.

There are more than 30 million people who play pickle ball in America and there are only 70 million kids and most don’t play sports.

Adults in sports probably lap kids a couple times.



No one is tripping on athletics.

It’s the children game part.

Which is team sports.

[Kblaze8855]

No one is tripping on athletics.

It’s the children game part.

Which is team sports.

You’d be surprised. All school(including college) kids playing ball combined aren’t enough to match the number of adult basketball players in America. It’s basketball regardless of the specific setup. The first games were 9 on 9. 3 on 3 is in the Olympics now.

Most basketball games are not high school or college.

[Norcaliblunt]

No one cares if average adults play sports or work out. Lmao.

The “childrens game” comment is almost 100 percent made in regards to professional athletes playing team sports and making tons of money.

Is it right? IDK.

[WhiteKyrie]

I was trying to say that I think that people under 30 are children, generally speaking. Obviously it's different for everyone and some people grow up super early but I think today's American experience is that of someone not being an adult until they're 30. A man's brain doesn't even finish forming until 25 or something.

100% agree. I think it checks out too. I thought many of the same things. Is maturity really just like you said, losing a zest for life. Things don’t get you as excited and entertained as they used to. I too, am considerably less invested in sports, even from a viewership standpoint as I was in my 20s. Obviously, I still like them and enjoy them but it’s not like appointment viewing all the time or obsessing like it used to be.

[Norcaliblunt]

I would actually like to see the numbers.

Which age range plays sports more regularly?

5-25 vs 26-46?

[WhiteKyrie]

I would actually like to see the numbers.

Which age range plays sports more regularly?

5-25 vs 26-46?

Is gold and now pickle ball included? That might make it competitive :oldlol:

[Kblaze8855]

I would actually like to see the numbers.

Which age range plays sports more regularly?

5-25 vs 26-46?


more regularly has to be children. They go to school and have recess. Total number is adults, because there are so many more adults than children in the age range to be playing sports.

[WhiteKyrie]

Whole lot of this

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2310041916280325.jpeg

It’s accurate though

[Kblaze8855]

When I saw you had replied, I figured it was either talking about how you play as an adult or agreeing specifically with that tweet for reasons that don’t need saying after all these years.

[tpols]

I feel like that's something women say because the large majority of them never could or didn't compete. Guys like sports because it reminds us of great times in life playing them and competing with each other before we got tossed in this corporate "adult" matrix.

[ILLsmak]

No offense KB, but I'm not gonna read the whole post, but I am going to give you a long response, cuz I kinda see where you are coming from already.

First of all, there are NBA players who say that, esp dudes who came from poverty, who have been working manual labor, etc, like man I get paid to play this kid's game. It's not really sensible because boxing, for instance, isn't a child's game. If you go way back, probably one of the first things people were doing competitively was fighting or practicing fighting with weapons, then kids emulated that. I feel like it all goes from there. Sports are just a more creative version of that.

I've said many places that I believe sports are necessary because humans have primal urges and a well thought-out sport ( read: like NOT rugby haha) allows people to compete and people generally don't get hurt as much as they would if they were competing on that level in something else. Is chess a kid's game because children play board games? No... I mean, people say that about art, too, or video games, even though movies aren't seen as 'created by' children, I bet they are seen more as 'aimed towards' them. The main idea I think is that it's not real work. It's something you can do best when you have a child's schedule, and that makes sense, but there are plenty of people who can live that life... entertainers, etc. If you can live that life, good on ya. Playing bball for a living even if you're only making nurse money is gg if you can survive.

It's definitely a much better job than a lot of things, at least in theory. Once you start realizing how hard some of those people work, though, you have to wonder, but they do have the set up, like personal gym, access to courts, personal chef, etc. Trainer...

Just like to be a pro board game player or even be a pro video gamer seems like it would be an awesome life, but when you really think about it, it actually would be hard. I'd say the most kiddie thing would be art, honestly, because you don't have to push yourself as hard. People put a lot of time into it, but board / card guys are probably studying most of the time, video game people are giving themselves carpal tunnel, sports people are breaking their body down, actors / comedians / musicians are working their ass off doing coke and speed to stay awake and performing constantly. You give a child a piece of paper, he might write a story or draw a picture. That'd be the ultimate child's thing... but hey, I ain't mad. It's hard in its own way haha.

-Smak

[iamgine]

this is one of those things that sounds true, but if we could get the real numbers, I’m not sure it is. Kind of like reading comic books. I can see why someone would think it’s an industry supported mostly by kids but I don’t actually know any kids who read comic books. the big-time gamer kids I’ve known continue to be as adults. It’s entirely possible and maybe even likely there are more video game playing adults than there are children.

It isn’t 10 year olds arguing the morality of using unfairly effective dribble combinations on 2K if you look it up on Twitter.
I'm not saying it's not mostly adults who plays it by the numbers.

I'm saying lots of kids like to play sports and video games.

That's why it's called kid's game.

It is what it is.

Oh and add things like pro card players (Pokemon/Magic the gathering cards).

[ILLsmak]

I also think we need to separate enjoyment of true competition from the intellectual growth that leads you to realize pro sports are not that. If anything, it’s not a child game but an entertainment meme.

Ppl ballin in prison or on pick up courts aren’t feeling like children as they scrape for everything. Its a shame we can’t get our best athletes to care that much.

-Smak

[fsvr54]

BS. So many grown men play sports into their 60s.

[DCL]

both jj redick and richard jefferson have joked that they got paid a lot of money playing a kid's game. if they call it like that thenselves, they're obviously fine with that notion. it doesn't bother me either way. kid's game or not, this is not a fight that must be argued for or against. lol

[GimmeThat]

as being the expert on accurately predicting the future, yet being completely ignored and not fully understood, I'd have to appreciate the fundamentals where reptition is what hones skills and knowledge

and so, I can only rely on athletics to prove my future to be exact, since that's suppose to speed up the cycle and provide concrete evidence.

[SATAN]

They are just saying most jobs suck basically. And they are right. They get paid a fortune to have fun and avoid or delay living a very average or below average life with worry of being old, homeless, unable to afford healthcare etc. They know it's bigger than what they do on the court.