Comments on: Introverts and Sports

By: Gluon the Ferengi

Gluon the Ferengi — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:55:52 +0000

It’s cool that Sebastian is a talented athlete, and as I’ve pointed out, most outsiders would jump at the opportunity to at least have a secure place in the in-crowd.

But each hobby or discipline disproportionately attracts a certain breed.

Sports attract an overwhelmingly Loud, outgoing, collectively minded community.

Realistically, Sebastian is going to find himself an outsider on sports teams and other outsiders are going to mistrust him for being involved in team sports. He’s in a bit of a bind and there’s not really any easy answer, a clear right or wrong in his situation.

In your case, why exactly would being noisy on the field be such an important thing? Is it about being a better player or is being noisy just a trait that noisy people like and encourage?
After all, it’s what they like to do anyway and it’s an easy way they can distinguish themselves from people who aren’t like them.

Might you have been more willing to try new things on the field if you didn’t feel insecure about your place in the group?

After all, how motivated are we to take risks if the group might cast us out for failure?

Humans are instinctually group creatures. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good player if you don’t fit in well with the group. In which case, other people who fit the ethos better will be favored over you no matter how hard you try.

Here’s a way to simplify things, I suppose:
Do you feel the group wants you to become someone else or does it affirm who you are?

If you answer this question, you might have some idea whether they’d ever help you if you were no longer useful to them.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:26:45 +0000

I empathise with Sebastian to an extent. I myself have recently come to terms with the fact I am an introvert. It an ironic scenario for me, as I have just completed an undergraduate then Masters degree in Physical Education – so my entire uni experience (heavily involved in dealing with/socialising with real people) has, perhaps, gone against what I naturally should feel inclined to do as as an introvert and I have had to develop a form of ‘Camouflage’ to best fit in. I also played premier rugby throughout my time at uni. I guess in reflection, many a time I have felt an outsider in Rugby, I am big, strong, fit and fast – so do okay in the sport itself as an individual, however, not so much in the social scene of things – that’s where the outsiderness came in. To be honest I believe the lack of social skill (if I ever did okay socially it was probably faked) to best fit in meant I never really reached my potential in the sport – I lacked the confidence to try new things in the game and was generally much more quiet on the field as a player, which wasn’t a positive thing – according to the coaches and fellow players – despite the fact I was hitting every ruck and working like a workhorse. This has made me a little cynical of the sport on the whole for that reason. One can be a good team sport athlete, but if they are quiet and introverted they are stigmatized and don’t do as well for that reason alone. Its a crying shame really – I wish there was more understanding of introverts in sport.

By: Gluon the Ferengi

Gluon the Ferengi — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:07:41 +0000

I don’t deny that every rule is going to have its exceptions. There’s going to be some introverted people in team sports.

But what is your overall impression of the team sport community?
Is it a community that’s friendly and welcoming to people like you?

By your own admission, you feel spiritual conflict with the culture around you and feel the only reason you’re given a place is because you can give them something they want.

You enjoy your status, who wouldn’t. But perhaps ask yourself: If you woke up tomorrow and could no longer perform the physical feats that entertain them, how would they treat you?
Are you really one of them?

Imagine your life without your athletic talent and you’ve begun to see the world from the point of view of the outcasts who lump you in with the jocks.
In their circumstances, how would you feel about the jocks who everyone adores for throwing balls around while you are despised?

Every group affiliation we make in this life says something about what we want most, what kind of people we want to associate with, and where our loyalties really lie.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these outsiders do sense you have a lot in common with them.
Yet can you blame them if they conclude that for you, being popular and being far more likely to get laid comes first?
I’m sure they don’t blame you – most would probably do exactly what you’ve done if they had an opportunity to leave the social ghetto.
But under these circumstances, can they trust you?

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:49:31 +0000

I’ve been reading various posts in different sections of your site, and I’ve found myself very pleased. I myself am introverted. I’ve understood this for about two years now, when my psychology teacher became fascinated upon it. Just recently have i begun doing some browsing. I’m extremely athletic, in fact, i feel like my athleticism is the only reason i’m anywhere in the society. Countless times, I’ve listened to people tell me how intimidated they were by me because of my status. Only to find out, I was more like them than they thought. My introversion is a walking secret, instead of being pushed out by peers in the way you were throughout your childhood, I’m being pushed out by the people i would actually connect with because of a Loud assumption. So I know where your opinion of sports is coming from. My only reason for this comment is for you. To let you know, that team sports and sports in general are not poisonous to the subtle. It just kills me to hear the despise for sports from fellow introverts. Three quarters of the way through this post, i realized how silly this post would be. But i’m sticking with it. If you’re ever flipping through the channels and see a College hockey game or Nhl game, just stop to think. There’s literally may be a kid out there, that when he gets back to the bench each shift, has every movement and decision re-analyzed. Introverts are not opposed to sport. Think about the thought our brains are built for. We’re always lost up there. Our brains can comprehend near perfection much more willingly than the loud jock. You don’t have to be apart of the society to be apart of a sport.

By: JW

JW — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:41:32 +0000

‘It is a bitter irony to listen to extrovert’s first advice on how meet more people: “Why don’t you join a club?”’

Great observation.

By: unclegluon

unclegluon — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:40:00 +0000

I definitely had my weight lifting phase. It’s great exercise for someone who’s been outcast. It really soothes a burning inferiority complex like none other and blows off all that pent up tension!

Mostly cross training now. I still make room for deadlift, clean and press, and bench. None of that isolation stuff I used to do.

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:33:40 +0000

Thank god for weight training!

By: unclegluon

unclegluon — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:50:35 +0000

I went to the all the pre-meet potlucks and tried to make friends whenever I was on cross country teams. I was sooner or later the outsider nonetheless. I too
was never outgoing and orthodox enough to make it. Same old story in other organizations.
It is a bitter irony to listen to extrovert’s first advice on how meet more people: “Why don’t you join a club?”

I eventually quit sports and spent all that extra time with my actual friends instead. I continue pursuing fitness(as opposed to sport) to this day.

By: JW

JW — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:10:19 +0000

Reading this entry reminded me of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, in which the word “I” is basically forbidden.
Aside from that, I think I never tried to join a sport activity or other team related activites when I was in school because of the very points that you made. I never felt comfortable working within a team, because I always noticed that even though the team was supposed to be focused on doing an activity of some kind, most of the people within the team tried to make it about socializing and being socially accepted within the team. So after a short while, I felt that everyone else had become friends and I was the outcast of the team because I didn’t talk as much and wasn’t outgoing like the rest of the group. I stood out like a sore thumb and felt like a reject. At that time, I didn’t know that I was introverted, though.