Has Your Fandom in Sports Grown or Dropped as you Age???

When I was a kid, I lived and died with my teams. Probably because you go to school with everyone in your city and they all have various interests, especially college. When MSU scored the Spartan Bob TD, I was like visibly sick the whole night. 

As time has gone on, my emotions just aren't as intense. I think the Lions gutted my interest in pro football. The Wings and Pistons have been very stale lately. I still get bit time into the playoffs, especially NHL. 

However, Michigan will always get my passion. The Kentucky bomb in 2014, I was crushed. Louisville winning in 2013, horrible feeling. And of course last year, I almost skipped dinner after the MSU last-second play. 

Personally, it just takes too long to get to those "big time moments." Trudging through an entire Tigers season for nothing, waiting on the NHL/NBA playoffs. 

It reached its apex somewhere around the end of college. I'm finding myself watching less and less sports as the years go on. I find myself detaching from the TV during things I would never miss 10 years ago, because real life is more interesting, or doing things with friends who don't watch sports seems more fulfilling. I don't care as much as I used to. A Michigan loss no longer causes me to want to spend my week in an angry rage. It's actually pretty nice.

My enthusiasm for Michigan will never wane - I won't allow it. I was pretty numb from 2008-2015, even with UTL 1, beating osu and beating msu the following year.

I feel alive again, thanks to 2015. I started to rant and rave at home in front of the tv, and I got butterflies attending home games. Hadn't felt that way in quite some time.

As for following other teams, I'm rooting like hell for my Cubs. Beyond that, I really don't care as much as I used to.

Also, holy verb conjugation, OP.

32 here.  Michigan football up.  Everything else down.  I used to watch 5 Tigers games a week. Now I just keep track of their record, or did until 10 days ago. I think part of that is a decrease in talent and a shuffling around of new players who came in after I left Michigan, giving me less emotional attachment to the team as a whole.

 

But I more closely follow Michigan football than ever before.  Recruiting, injuries, Harbaughmania, etc.

My fandom has grown. I felt the same after the MSU game last year (sick to stomach that night, back to normal the next day), but guys we had been used to disappointment and loss for the previous 8 years so I think we got calloused to it in a way. 

Now, with 1.5 seasons of Harbaugh, I am going to be EXTREMELY distraught if we lose a game this year. the last time I had a loss affect my life in an extreme way was ARMAGEDDON 2006 when I was 21. That late hit out of bounds call was bull...

Michigan fandom has grown. Everything else has waned.

I don't follow Michigan Football quite as closely as I once did(mainly due to being drunk on gamedays), but still I'm extremely devoted to it. I watch the Lions on Sunday mainly because there isn't much else to do once the weather begins getting colder. I watch most Michigan Basketball games, but that's mostly because it's during Winter with little else to do.

Other than that, I barely watch Red Wings games(was a die hard as a kid), and don't care a single iota(NBA in general is straight garbage) about the Pistons(was a moderate fan as a kid).

I try to catch a road game once every year - I want to be the 80 year old guy going apeshit

I'm getting up there in years and my fandom is as strong as ever.  What I have been able to do is get some perspective.  I used to toss and turn most nights after a loss.  I no longer do that.  

Grown. Back in the day, I had a lot more 'unstructured' time leading up to the game and during the aftermath. Lots of other distractions. Now, with a demanding career and a family, Michigan sports IS the distraction. Also, back in the day we had the daily newspapers (always a day behind), the game, Michigan Replay, then Sports Final Edition on Sunday nights. That's about it. No real-time updates, no hot takes, no fan forums. Back then, it was easier to 'get away' from the content (and immerse oneself in other activities). Now, the content is 24/7, so I'm a lot more into it simply because there is more to be into.

Not 35+, but mine has grown for Michigan and college football and dropped for everything else. The intensity with which I follow Michigan/college football seems to have grown every year of my life.

I grew up enjoying the NBA and now can't stand to watch 5 minutes of a game. Same with the NHL. Even MLB is hard to watch if it's not the Tigers.

College football has a near-total monopoly on my fandom at this point.

Not 35+, but mine has grown for Michigan and college football and dropped for everything else. The intensity with which I follow Michigan/college football seems to have grown every year of my life.

I grew up enjoying the NBA and now can't stand to watch 5 minutes of a game. Same with the NHL. Even MLB is hard to watch if it's not the Tigers.

College football has a near-total monopoly on my fandom at this point.

Sounds like most of us have generally the same response. College fandom has increased and pro sports fandom has decreased. I have to watch Saturday football. If I don't watch football on Sunday...oh well. Maybe it's because my wife will give me one day of football and to avoid repercussions I don't take two...?

For a man whose username is Carlos Spicyweiner, you are demonstrating a surprising amount of maturity...

After all the strikes and lockouts I have lost almost all interest in professional sports. Might watch a few playoff games but nothing like when I was in my 20's and watched every game I could.

My sports zealotry took a nose dive in my 30's (right with my T levels, amirite?). I still love all things Michigan and follow my Detroit teams with a furious f5 rate but I've passed peak fandom while pursuing other life goals. 

I would be curious to have my blood pressure monitored during big games (MSU, OSU, etc). It has gotten worse with age. My fiance, an MSU alum and fan, is hoping UM wins (except against MSU) so I am not in a terrible mood the rest of the weekend.

Definitely grown. As life slows down the family and job push me to the couch and ultimate sports package on my cable. I watch a ton of college football from the MAC to the PAC.

Michigan football has grown (I now somewhat follow recruiting. I never used to.)
Lions football has dropped. I just don't care anymore.

I have almost completely stopped watching NBA, NHL, and MLB even if Pistons, Red Wings or Tigers are playing. I'll always root for them but there is much more to life than obsessing over a television most nights of the week. Besides, Denver and Colorado in general have so many things that keep me busy besides sports. Saturday/Sunday is for Michigan football and watching the Lions try their best to lose. Other than that, if it's not World Cup/olympics/championship of some kind, I'm just not interested.

45+

Dropped for sports not dealing with Michigan football, though I casually follow them.  My kids are grown now, but parenting never really ends. Overall, you get older and more realistic about priorities. Things need to get done. 

The MSU loss last year was the first game that negatively affected my mood in a long time - and even then I found a way to deal with it (went for a run). 

I am 31 and married. I am no longer able to watch nearly as much sports as I used to which has actually increased my fandom because the only sports that I can watch without having to make excuses as to why I am chosing that over something else is the teams I am a fan of (Michigan, Packers, Clippers, Dodgers)

i mean, it's still pretty high as it relates to U of M and college football (posting here), but pretty much every other sport/team is a non-factor.   TV unplugged 8-9 months/ year this last decade or so, which of course would not have happened in my younger years. 

Dropped by a lot.

Kids.

I follow Michigan Football and that is about it.

Even then I don't always catch the games on Saturday since the weekends are my kids time.

Also with the advent of social media and inside coverage, learning about all these unsavory things associated with CFB, it becomes increasingly difficult to support.

Still burns hot. Losses eat at me pretty bad, and the devastating ones will probably ruin the next 2-3 days. Everything else has stayed the same or dropped significantly. I want the Pistons to succeed, but it doesn't kill me if they lose. The Lions have just made me numb, when they lose, I just say whatever. Where I've really noticed the drop is the Tigers and Red Wings, the two pro teams that used to rival my Michigan love. I want them to win and all, but I just don't get into them like I used to. I've maybe watched 3 full tiger games this past season, and one or two Wings games. One, I don't have the time to devote to them and two, although this contradicts my Michigan experience with tough losses, it's just a game and I have no control regarding the outcome.

Great topic/question. I think about this often.

My overall fandom for all of my childhood favorites has absolutely lessened over the years. I was a monster fan of all things Detroit and Michigan growing up. My teams haven't really changed much, just added the tarheels due to grad school.

Michigan football is pretty much where it was while growing up. I will say though that the lows are not nearly as low as when I was a kid. I think the first time I realized this was after we lost to OSU one year maybe 8-10 years ago. I recall leaving the bar around noon quite depressed. But as I biked home in 75 degree weather passing palm trees on my way home, realizing that I had a fun UCLA game to go to that evening, life is too short to let a game ruin your day/weekend/etc. I do think I'm still able to enjoy the highs though, which is great.

Everything else has really waned. Pro sports in general has nearly completely fallen off. I do still follow the Tigers pretty closely. But I hardly watch the Lions or Pistons at all these days. I think the money that they make coupled with the attitude they show their fans ruined it for me. I could point to a few events over the years that contributed to this. One was when Dominic Raiola flipped us all off while getting smoked by the Cowboys at home years ago. The NBA lockout/strike when one of the players (Ewing?) said that he has trouble feeding his family, or something similar. 

My father was pretty decent at basketball, played small college ball, coached us over the years, it was his favorite sport. I recall once asking him if he was excited about some late 80s Pistons/Celtics playoff game and he basically said no. I was shocked, I couldn't understand how he didn't care. He told me, "they make too much money, I don't really care to watch them". Now I get it.

I can't say my interest has dropped, but my time and emotional capacity for it has dropped.  I no longer obsess about losses, or fly high over wins.  I think that is a perspective with age, as much as anything.  Most of my time is spent on chores around the house on weekends because I have about 1.5 hours with the kid on a weekday before he goes to bed for school.  I'll try to finish things early on Saturday, so I can watch Michigan - usually DVR'd.  Sunday's are spent checking an NFL score when I can, if at all.  I'd like to watch more NFL, but it's just not a priority for me.  I also stopped playing the NFL fantasy league I was in for 16 years due to the interest vs available time equation.

All that said, my fandom of college football stayed high for Michigan, but waned on the big picture.  With my finding MGoBlog in January, my wide screen view is growing again, and my interest in all Michigan sports is also on the rise.  In fact, with the limited time I have to read internet news, MGoBlog so thoroughly dominates my time that the rest of the internet may as well be Rutgers...

Michigan fandom has increased as I got older.

When I was younger I used to follow intensely all four of the major sports, including my local teams. Now, I just don't have the time for that. I'll occasionally watch a Tiger or MLB playoff game. Same with the NFL. I'll put it on if I have the tv on around that time, but that's about it.

I try and watch all U-M football and basketball games live; and if not I always DVR them.

I've been a fan since I was twelve (so eleven years) and I'd say it's grown or been maintained. I pay a crap load of attention to recruiting, which I didn't do until five years ago. If I can't watch a game live, people know to not give me updates, as I watch a replay the moment I get a chance. I don't have much passion for any other sports. I'll watch basketball, but don't really enjoy it and the same can be said for hockey.

My fiance made an interesting comment recently, however. I am also a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, my family is originally from Indiana and I sure as hell was never going to cheer for the Hoosiers or Boilermakers (fuck Notre Dame), and my fiance says that I am clearly more passionate about UM than I am about Indy. She says that my attitude is drastically affected by the result of Michigan games. If the Colts win or lose, I guess I'm just kind of "meh" either way. She also said my passion has only increased since Harbaugh took over. So overall, I guess my fandom has grown, but I expect things to change a bit once we're married and start our family, but I hope to maintain a decent level of fandom.

Used to watch all major sports, watch anything and everything on TV, reguarly attend games as well. That was twenty years ago. 

The only thing I care to watch at all now is Michigan football and basketball. I have little to no interest in pro sports other than cursory interest in how x-wolverines are doing.

I use my TV for 13 Saturdays a year and about a third of the basketball games and I try to make it a point to attend one football game a year. Looking forward to my trip next year to Camp Randall in ....November.

I say dropped a bit. Like most, I've chilled as I got into my 30's. I still watch most games, but it isn't mandatory anymore. Kids pretty much put an end to football Saturday's.

I would say mine has grown.  Unlike most that have responded, I don't have kids, so having a good job has provided me with much greater means to enjoy my fandom.  I can attend special events like bowl games etc.  I can attend far more away games as well as home games since I don't live near AA.  When I was in my early to mid 20's these things were not really options due to a lack of funding.

I've only ever been a Wolverines fan.  Only applied to one school for undergrad and grad school. I know a lot more about the team than I used to because of the internet and this blog.  There is also content available all year round every day which hasn't always been the case. 

Thanks to Hoke and Rich Rod, I no longer get ill for days when they lose so does that mean that I am losing my fandom?  Don't think so.  That must be what happens to rabid fans everywhere. 

 

I've been living in Central VA for 7 years now, after having grown up in Flint for the first 18 years. Even while I was in Michigan, to most of my friends I was the biggest UM fan they knew, with few exceptions. When I moved down to Virginia for college, I latched onto my teams (including Detroit teams too) even more, because that was my connection to home. However, I couldn't turn on FSD and watch a Wings game. I chose to prioritize UM games and playoff games for Detroit teams, and that's gone pretty well. Due to just time restraints, I have yet to watch a game live this season, but I feel like I am more diehard now than I've ever been. It's still my link to home, though Amherst County, Virginia is becoming more and more like home to me. I do hope to catch the Iowa game (of all things) on TV because all of my roommates are Hawkeyes. Great question!

has definitely diminished. I only watch college football anymore. 4 kids that play sports will do that.

Pro down, UM same.

Born and raised in Michigan, but no longer live in the state.  I follow the Detroit pro sports teams, but do not watch them regularly.  I was once a rabid Wings fan who watched 99% of games using NHL Center Ice, but I let that expire over 5 years ago.  I just didn't have the same passion - maybe winning Stanley Cups after a few decades of futility allowed me to mentally back off.   Hardly ever watch NBA or the Pistons.   I'll catch a few Tiger games on a national broadcast.  Lions are a different story - I catch them whenever possible and still have a morbid interest in them.  My theory - they haven't won a championship in my lifetime, so they're my final pro bucket list team.

UM is a different story.  Football Saturdays are still a borderline religious experience.   The only difference iin recent years is my preference to DVR games (as others have mentioned above).   I'll watch big match-ups live, but borderline or uninspiring games are usually watched in tape delay fashion.   This strategy helps balance weekend family time committments, while still allowing me to digest games in pseudo real time.   

I also find myself immersed in Michigan basketball much more than 15 years ago.   I never miss a televised game.   I would definitely be a season ticket holder if I lived in SE Michigan.   Maybe lack of championships over the past 2 decades has inspired my increased fandom in Michigan hoops. 

 

 

I still love M and the Tigers, and college football in general. I no longer care about the NFL and NBA, both of which I used to watch regardless of who was playing. I very rarely watch golf or hockey anymore, both I used to love. I have enjoyed Premiership Rugby on NBCSports the last few weeks.

I have perspective... the losses don't ruin my week.  I don't rub in victories.

But I pay much more attention to the quality of play, the coaching and the minutiae.