My Interest in Sports is Waning

Here's my Labour Day confession. My interest in sports is waning.

I used to follow and consume a lot of sports material. Loads of Jays, Raptors, Leafs, NFL, Argos, TFC, tennis, golf, and whatever else captured my fancy. First to drop off my plate was golf, a sport I stopped caring about when Tiger Woods stopped contending for grand slams. I've had no interest in golf whatsoever for years.

I had already become a "playoffs only" football fan. I'll completely ignore the NFL regular season, then start tuning in for the playoffs. I've been doing this for almost 25 years now. As for the CFL, I now only watch the Grey Cup and Argonaut playoff games.

In many ways, I think this "playoffs only" approach to football was a personal test to see if I'd find that experience just as fulfilling. In fact, I've learned when it's only high stakes, I can actually give a shit, and when I don't give a shit, I don't want to give the sport my valuable time.

This year, I'm applying "playoffs only" to Blue Jays baseball. I have not watched a single minute of Blue Jays baseball on television, nor have I tuned into the radio call in 2025. I have attended two games at the dome, as a guest, but in total I probably watched 9 complete innings. So that's 9 innings of Blue Jays baseball thus far in 2025. And yes, I'm aware they're having a great season. I'll likely tune in for the playoffs.

Even that's not guaranteed, because I actually loved not giving a shit about the Blue Jays. I think this was my favourite summer ever, full of long bike rides, kayak trips, and time with loved ones. Perhaps if I had a child who enjoyed baseball, things would be different, but nobody in my family cares. And now I've joined them. It's liberating!

I suspect I'll watch very little Raptors and Leafs this coming regular season, but will tune in for playoff action. High stakes only! Perhaps this is why I love watching the Olympics, and I thoroughly enjoyed the recent Four Nations Cup. Perhaps this is why I love watching the FIFA World Cup.

I saw online that Félix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to the quarter-final at the US Open, and that got me wondering what it would take for me to watch tennis again. I believe the answer is a Canadian in a grand slam final. Victoria Mboko recently got a lot of attention for winning the Canadian Open, but even that didn't draw me in. Grand Slam, Olympics, or bust.

This is where I'm at this first day of September 2025. Who knows what the future holds, but for now I'm into sports I enjoy when the stakes are highest, and regular season action just doesn't cut the mustard.