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With regards to the question "Do people care as much about sports as they age?" in
answering I will make a distinction between participatory sports and non-participatory
sports.

Non-participatory = NO:

The prime reason for a lowering of interest level is available time combined with other
distractions. Work, family and just life takes priority. I am 55 and can remember as a kid

knowing the entire Yankees line-up from top to bottom along with various stats such as
home runs, RBI's and innings pitched. My baseball card collection was immense and
reviewed often. Today my concentration on baseball is limited to the World Series and I
can probably name 3 current Yankee players.

Some individuals may retain the deep love of a "home team" and continue their support
and game attendance. Growing up in Nebraska left me with little Professional team
affiliations and unfortunately the one bright sports team, the Cornhuskers, have fallen on
hard times. I still try and watch Cornhusker football games but like with the earlier
mentioned Yankees, my knowledge of rosters, coaches, schedules etc. is just a shadow in
terms of the depth of knowledge I could have mustered 30 years ago.

At the non-professional sports level, if you consider life a series of phases, then a focus
on non-participatory sports probably spikes during kids growth ages. Going to see
children play sports is a great part of life and is enjoyed by many. This spike however is
temporary typically and ends for most as children approach their early twenties.

Participatory = YES:

For many participatory sports become a hobby, perhaps their chief hobby as they grow
older. Exercise is an important part of aging gracefully and maintaining good health.
Many people pick up old sports activities that had been sidelined during key earning and
child rearing years.

At 55 I have re-started a tennis infatuation that was largely dormant since high school. In
2007 I played over 100 singles matches, something that keeps me mentally and
physically in shape. The competitive nature of these matches has not lessened with age,
my opponents come to play and give each match their all.

I am not alone, co-workers in my age bracket talk about the next upcoming 10k or
triathlon. Golf is a passion for seemingly most aging Floridians, just count the number of
golfers over 55 out on a given Sunday. Ask them how much they care about their chosen
sport? No matter the choice of sport I see no decrease in passion among my peers.

Certainly there are a number of people post-55 that do not enjoy participatory sports,
maybe they never did. They are missing more than they know. Life is about passion and
feeling good about yourself both emotionally and physically, sports participation can be
an important part of being the best you can be.

Learn more about this author, Michael in Florida.
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