9 Aug 2020

I remember my mother-in-law once telling me that my soon-to-be husband would watch any sport on television, even if it was tiddlywinks. She has not been proved wrong over the last 36.5 years of marriage. We sit in the lounge on a cold wet Sunday morning watching golf. (Well I’m typing on my phone and ignoring golf, but the male commentators in the house are acknowledging the ‘action’ on the TV).

Apparently in 2017 (according to a golfing magazine) golf beat off competition from cricket, snooker and bridge for the title of most boring sport.

The list of boring sports also included dressage, darts, show jumping, soccer, ultimate frisbee, fishing and Formula One.

I really have to agree on the car racing. We are all urged in this house to rush to the television to watch the first lap of the Formula One races, for that is the time when something interesting may happen. After that, not so much.

It’s a tough choice deciding on my personal most boring sport though. Of course it’s always a subjective thing, because a sport that can viewed to help one person overcome insomnia may inspire others to a feverish excitement.

I have got used to the husband flicking through every channel available on the television, and watching whatever sport he can find. When we were first married I thought I was being clever, and told him that on a Saturday he could watch the sports on television as much as he liked, as long as he had the ironing board in front of him. It worked for a while, but the televised sport addiction remains.

I suppose when you think of addictions he could have, it’s not too bad. The difficult part is the assumption that everyone else shares his fascination with each sport and wants to listen to and discuss his opinions on what clubs so-and-so should use on whichever hole.

My addictions of coffee, grandchildren and dogs are surely easier to live with.

What sport do you find the most boring?