While fans of sport might point to ideas of the community as benefits of watching sport, and exercise when it comes to getting physically involved, are there any benefits to adding yet more sports to the list of those you spend time watching?

As with anything new, it can be difficult to force yourself to watch a new sport, especially if that interest isn’t there organically – and in that case it might be a pointless exercise. However, if the potential benefits of watching a new sport cross over with another interest of yours, then you might have found a good reason to try something new.

An Introduction to Other Cultures

The sport that you might be interested in now might be one that you got into because it’s popular where you live. In that sense, it’s an aspect of your culture that you’re experiencing, and others who come to it might see something of that culture reflected in it, even if it’s not large or especially noticeable. Therefore, turning your attention to other sports can be a good way to learn something about those other places – even if all you’re learning is that a certain sport historically made an impact there, it can help you to ask why and how.

At other times, as with sports like rugby, this culture is more obvious – with New Zealand famously incorporating the haka onto the pitch. If you’re interested in getting started with rugby, finding an element of commonality with how you currently watch sport can help you to get started, such as by looking at rugby union odds.

A New Tempo

Perhaps the sport that you’re currently interested in – as in the case of something like football – features a famously animated crowd. There are jeers, shouts, chants, and expressions of dislike or praise. The crowd is a large part of the game, and they can have a big impact on the experience of playing the game, which is an element of why playing at home or away can affect player performance so much.

Turning your attention, then, to something like tennis, can illuminate a whole new side to sports viewing. Here, the emphasis is much calmer – there is still investment, but it becomes about quietly and attentively watching the game and allowing the players to focus.

The Associated Activities

Different people have different mileage when it comes to watching sport. While you might only like to watch games on TV occasionally, your friend might also like to watch some of the games live, and their friend might also like to play with their local team. There’s no right or wrong answer to this, but these associated activities can be bridged to other activities. In the case of the person who plays the game as well as watches it, they’ve found a way to exercise that aligns with their interests. Similarly, if you get into video games associated with a sport (like FIFA), you might have a way of socializing with your friends across vast distances.