Can't watch sports because I feel envious...

[SomeoneSomewhere]

... of all the attention and the success the sportsmen/women have.

I'm not a real sports guy, I don't play any sport nor do I ever watch any games or anything (the only ones that I do watch is WWE - occassionally) but when someone else in my home is watching a sport and I can't do anything to turn it off or when once in a blue moon, I actually get interested in watching it myself, I just can't. I just can't tolerate it and it keeps bugging me until I go to a different room or start arguing until they turn it off.

I get envious of all the attention and the success the sportsmen/women have. I mean, if they are playing something on the level that they are (on T.V.), it means that they are successful and made all the right decisions, worked hard, did what they loved doing, etc. - something that I could never do.

I know it's a self-esteem issue but is there someone else who feels like this? Have a cure?

 

[duff]

... of all the attention and the success the sportsmen/women have.

I'm not a real sports guy, I don't play any sport nor do I ever watch any games or anything (the only ones that I do watch is WWE - occassionally) but when someone else in my home is watching a sport and I can't do anything to turn it off or when once in a blue moon, I actually get interested in watching it myself, I just can't. I just can't tolerate it and it keeps bugging me until I go to a different room or start arguing until they turn it off.

I get envious of all the attention and the success the sportsmen/women have. I mean, if they are playing something on the level that they are (on T.V.), it means that they are successful and made all the right decisions, worked hard, did what they loved doing, etc. - something that I could never do.

I know it's a self-esteem issue but is there someone else who feels like this? Have a cure?

I play golf and watch a lot of it on TV.

Obviously it's a dream of mine that somehow I got good enough to be as good as them ! It's more fantasy really, hardly realistic. Can't say I feel jealous though.

If I improve by 4 shots I could in theory qualify to play in the British Open ! That would be a dream !

 

[Senamian]

Kidding me? It isn't even sports for me. It's anything. I can't sing, I don't dance (my posture is so stiff, that I am basically a wall. Not a dancer.), sports are not even my thing, and even now with the fact that I am pretty dang good with dog training (I'm not mean to dogs!), NOW there are "hippy" (not to offend) versions to treat your dog which don't allow about 98% of proven methods. The other 2% were always bad to start with

So now, between being bashed for what I CAN do, and not being able to do anything else... I'm in the same boat. It's ridiculous. Does not help with how people see themselves...

 

[VanillaCreme]

Not all of them get the world-wide success. Maybe the team does, but it's not always the individual. Out of maybe - let's say - 15 people on a team, only say 3 or 4, maybe 5, really get the attention.

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

Sports suck. I hate them.

You'd be much better feeling envious of people with actual talent.

 

[MTrip]

Realize that what you're seeing on TV is not just athletic talent, but the result of a support system that only well-paid athletes have: The top trainers, the best food, nutritional supplements, etc. Those who demonstrate the best potential in their chosen sport--& who are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time--get all that. If you pursued a sport with singleminded dedication, you could well end up on TV one day also. That goes for anything that attracts attention & monetary compensation: Chess, cycling, hell, even competitive eating (which I think is disgusting). Once you've hit the big time, though, you might find out that lifestyle has issues of its own.

---

Kidding me? It isn't even sports for me. It's anything. I can't sing, I don't dance (my posture is so stiff, that I am basically a wall. Not a dancer.), sports are not even my thing, and even now with the fact that I am pretty dang good with dog training (I'm not mean to dogs!), NOW there are "hippy" (not to offend) versions to treat your dog which don't allow about 98% of proven methods. The other 2% were always bad to start with

So now, between being bashed for what I CAN do, and not being able to do anything else... I'm in the same boat. It's ridiculous. Does not help with how people see themselves...

Which dog training methodologies would you say are good ones? Does it depend on the dog; I'd guess that more dominant breeds or individuals would require acfirmer hand than, say, a typical Shih-Tzu....

 

[VanillaCreme]

Sports suck. I hate them.

You'd be much better feeling envious of people with actual talent.

That's really harsh and extremely ignorant to say. Hate them or love them, some of these people who participate in sports are great at what they do. Many of them give up a lot to do what they love.

 

[ladyforsaken]

Sports suck. I hate them.

You'd be much better feeling envious of people with actual talent.

There are sportsmen or sportswomen who do have actual talent in what they do. And a lot of times they work their ass off to be that good, even with talent. Actual talent doesn't only have to be from one area only.

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

I just really don't like sports. It's my opinion, please respect it without personal attacks.

 

[LoneKiller]

It's not uncommon to envy pro athletes. They are successful, wealthy, and adored by many. There are many, many people who work their guts out every day, obey the law, practice incessantly, and are as driven as a Mack truck, but still never make it to the pros. Athletes such as Michael Jordan or LeBron James for example, fall under the category of exceptional.

Don't think that just because they're so successful that you can't be.
Jordan would destroy me in a game of 1 on 1. Chances are, I could blow him off the chess board or beat him in a fight. My point is, we all have skills. Sometimes they're hidden and we must discover them. There are many levels of success in the world.

As long as you give it everything you have, that's what matters. Look at all the college level athletes who are so dedicated and work so hard to make the pros only to get passed over. Can you imagine how crushed they must feel after all of their hard work? They don't give up. They work harder for next year. You do the best you can in everything you do. You cannot ask anymore of yourself.

 

[Lady Gaga Snerd]

We aren't celebrities or professional athletes. But, sports or watching some popular show,etc is a BONDING opportunity with other people. It is great talk at the water cooler. An ice breaker to find some common ground. And, if you are with people who love sports, you can PRETEND to be a fan. Allow yourself to be swept away in the fun of watching the competition. You might surprise yourself. I took my kids to a minor league hockey game. I have no clue at all about hockey rules. Well, for 2 hours i whooped and cheered for the home team and didn't have a clue whom i was rooting for or whatever. We had a great time. Then, i went home and forgot all about the game.
My point is that life becomes more engaging when you choose to engage yourself in it. You don't have to love something to just allow yourself to have fun with it in that moment.

 

[VanillaCreme]

My point is that life becomes more engaging when you choose to engage yourself in it. You don't have to love something to just allow yourself to have fun with it in that moment.

Very well said.

 

[Unbinilium]

Same reason I hate watching videos of other people play piano. It makes me jealous how well they can play and how much emotion they can put into their performance.

 

[Lady Gaga Snerd]

Well, in life, there are very few things anyone can be good at. If you can't learn to enjoy and appreciate the skills and talents of others, you are missing out.

 

[lostatsea]

I understand what you mean. I come from a fairly successful family of highly educated, skilled, people. Everyone in my family has done amazing professionally. They aren't professional athletes of course but you get my drift. I also look at close friends I used to have who have done just as well and are now moving on to the next stage of life in marriage and children.

It is an absolute curse to constantly compare yourself to everyone. Especially when you mix that with a lowered self esteem, so that you will always come up short on the measurement.

The smart advice of what you need to do is obviously stop comparing yourself. Everyone lives life at their own pace and needs to find enjoyment and fulfillment in what they do. Even if what they do, and do best "isn't very good" when compared to many others.

Obviously that is far easier said than done. In the end it is all based in raising one's self esteem.

 

[TheSkaFish]

I feel this way, not about sports but especially at concerts. I feel like I can no longer enjoy them, because when I think about what I am doing, I am paying to watch someone else have a life and not have one myself and it feels sad to me. I am not saying that that is the way it should be, especially not for anyone else. I only speak for myself. But it makes me feel like I wasted my life, seeing someone who is able to spend their life making good songs and really bringing the energy, really doing something with their existence, having experiences and memories, really being SOMETHING....and me having to go back to some dull ordinary job the next day staring at the clock, making meaningless small talk, doing something I'm not interested in at all, kills my mood, and is only taking me further away from the person I want to be. I tried being an ordinary person for 6 months, I was bored out of my mind. I hated my waking life and was so disappointed and frustrated with who I'd grown up to be. Nothing was exciting or fun to me, I didn't look forward to anything except drinking beer and going to sleep. It was lousy. But I'm already 27. I wish I could get off this track of being an ordinary person, but I worry that even if it isn't a question of innate talent, do I have the time to get it?

 

[jaguarundi]

the skafish writes

I am paying to watch someone else have a life and not have one myself

Do successful sports stars/entertainers/actors (etc) have a life?

 

[TheSkaFish]

the skafish writes

I am paying to watch someone else have a life and not have one myself

Do successful sports stars/entertainers/actors (etc) have a life?

I would argue yes, their passion, 24/7. It's not the fame or attention or adoration that I would want...it's the fact that they are living just for them, not helping to enrich a boss or board of directors, but getting to be you and making you into SOMETHING. You never hear these people glumly waiting for 5 o clock, Friday, happy hour, or retirement. They're living all the time. They're doing what they want to do, being who they want to be, not something they don't care about that they are forced to do just to barely meet the bills.

 

[GirlwithCuriousHair]

If you're envious of sportspeoples' abilities, you should start watching Fulham.

 

[nicccs3]

I can't enjoy any kind of art or music. I've deluded myself in to thinking that I could be as big as the artists without even trying to do anything about it. We see these success stories but we forget that they started from somewhere and they probably had doubts about their abilities and got to points in life where they thought they were getting nowhere.

It's hard to really appreciate someone else's talents when envy is in the way.

I guess the only way to get through this is to try to do/find some things that you like or think you might enjoy. What is it that you love doing?