Last night I was home with friends over watching the Chiefs and Steelers play. It was fine except for one thing. More than half of the people over weren’t sports fans. They didn’t know the rules of football. They were just over to hang out. But because I was watching the game, they all just gravitated towards the couches in front of the TV.

Watching sports around people who know nothing about sports sucks.

I remember watching the NBA Finals last year with non sports people around me. I was so focused on the game but all they did was make comments about anything they saw on TV. They asked questions about what are fouls and why the clock keeps moving. They would laugh at things that seemed funny but to a sports fan, is normal actions during a game.

The worst part is when they try to interject their own opinions on a play and say what they should have done. They are wrong because they don’t know what the situation is. 

It’s frustrating to try to watch sports as a sports fan and be distracted. The focus is on the game and the strategies within the game. Being surrounded by people who don’t understand anything that is going on and interrupting the atmosphere is no fun.

I can’t enjoy the game if the environment doesn’t allow it. Having my friends learn about the rules of the sports and who the players are is great and I am willing to teach. But when it’s clear they are just there to make random comments, add no real depth to any of the conversation, it’s no fun.

You’ve probably been in these situations before. There is no win-win scenario when this happens. The only solution is to replace them and get new friends who like sports.