The Big Picture: A Nerd By Any Other Name

[Xander_VJ]

Such a great episode.

You're absolutely right. I've been making this very same questions myself for a long time, actually.

And if you think about, it's not only limited to sports. Don't forget which probably is the biggest "nerd fandom" in the female population: Fashion.

Actually, a friend of mine said like this:

"Everyone in the developed world is a nerd. The question is about WHAT."

Maybe in some topics the nerdness is bigger than in others, and of course inside the same topic it also varies from person to person.

But when you go down right to it, it's not so far from the truth.

 

[Uzigawa]

i dont see nerd as a classification of certain behavior more of as a way of life, its become essentially a categorization of a certain subclass of our culture.

 

[walsfeo]

I just wanted to say, Bob, that this was easily the best of this column's editorials so far.
Your thesis was sound and interesting, your essay was on-topic, and your conclusion was appropriately inspiring.

Well done.

I agree! I've felt this way a long time. Until recently I'd never really liked sports unless I was playing, a friend was playing, or I was attending in person so I could experience the grandeur of the event. (Seriously, I HATE baseball on TV but I'd jump at the chance to attend a game with friends. Live in the ballpark is such a different experience.)

My family and I have talked about my disdain for being sports fans before, and it used to lead to "sports doesn't matter, it doesn't introduce new concepts or make you think, you can't learn from it, and I find most of the characters involved offensive."

Now that I have an 11 year old son I like sports for what it really can teach you - team work where it matters, discipline to hone skills that can be used to find a career, and as an example of how to behave if not everything goes your way. It's not cerebral, but kids that age need every good example they can get their hands on. Modern sports is one of the venues where they can see personal successes and failures played out in public, over and over again, in just a few hours.

 

[vanthebaron]

Bob I think you may need to enplane the difference between sports nerd and JOCK STRAP

 

[JordanMillward_1]

Rage much bro?

If you'd go back and read my comment I explain that sports organizations try their damnedest to make fans buy into the "we" and "us" mentality of being involved in the team. Hell, my local football club has billboards all over the metro area that say "We are not fans. We are FC Dallas!" Get over yourself and realize it's a culture you don't know much about so you should stop judging it and raging over it, bro.

when did i rage, i just said i hate it because its stupid? you realise thats not me in the video right?
and i know plenty about it, both schools i went to were heavy into the whole sports team culture thing so i've had plenty of exposure to it.

you know why they have those billboards and encourage it? they make money off you. other than that they couldn't care less about you.

But milkkart, you could be in that video if you really like it. Obviously he didn't, so he was one of the people who had his face melted by the wrath of God.

Also, "bro"? That annoys me too. It's suggesting you have some sort of familial link to the person you are talking to, and makes you sound incredibly condescending, which suggests your opinion is superior to ours.

 

[Nick Sauer]

i know of one place that both sport and fantasy nerds can come together that is larping games

 

[postblitz]

that ended brilliantly. nice work bob!

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Let me just break out into a rendition of "Ebony and Ivory"

To me the difference between hardcore gamers and sports fans is simply one it accepted in society more than the other. In the way different sports are embraced by some cultures more readily than others and it becomes more normal to devote your life to Football (American or otherwise) in certain places than say, water polo or Guinea Pig racing. That there are national Starcraft tournaments that people actually care about in Korea is a case in point.

 

[smirnof100]

"it doesnt matter who wins the game"
NOT TRUE.
Try asking any of the local gambling establishments if they agree with that statement

 

[smirnof100]

Ok why did it double post?

 

[Gmosphere]

I'm a nerd i also have aspergers syndrome. but its not hard living with aspegers ,its living with people who don't have it.

 

[Gmosphere]

I'm a nerd i also have aspergers syndrome. but its not hard living with aspegers ,its living with people who don't have it.

 

[KapnKerfuffle]

This may have been brought up already, but I always thought that tabletop role playing would be the last bastion of true nerdliness. But as we well know, we have seen hot porn stars play it. Do you think table top role playing ever be co-opted by the mainstream like comic books or computer games? Just something I've wondered about after watching "The Dungeons and Dragons Experience."

 

[Safaia]

Bob we're fighting now. I <3 my Yankees.

Haters gonna hate.

 

[runnernda]

As a nerd and a rabid sports fan (I'm a Philly fan), I am living proof that there can be harmony. I have to admit that I'm still the only one I know of who loves nerd culture and sports culture equally, though...I have no idea why there aren't more of me.

 

[AgroKK]

I watched this by accident and I quite liked it. Well done Bob.

 

[fleischwolke]

Very nice installment - keep it up

 

[sageoftruth]

Honestly, I had to repeat your comparison of football and Godzilla several times. It was so beautiful.

 

[sageoftruth]

I'd suspect that this has already been said but I really can't be bothered to check.

The fundamental difference is mostly to do with each fandom's culture. Nerd culture is mostly introverted and very protective of itself due to the public scorn it receives, whereas the sports fans are the exact opposite.

I could illustrate this by mentioning that when you put the words "sports" and "nerds" together I found myself surprisingly offended for a moment as if they're not worthy to set foot on our territory.

We're very similar, sure, but we're diametrically opposed and have been for years, the two fandoms can never be compatible because whenever a nerd thinks of a sports fan he or she will instantly think of all those miserable P.E. lessons and every jock who teased us at school because of our nerdiness. The same can be said of the sports fan, they might be similar but when they're introduced to anything on our side of the fence and anyone who appreciates it they will automatically think of the nerdy kid that always let their team down and never showed any enthusiasm for their particular passion.

I'm willing to admit that they have some form of nerdy behaviour and the parallels are present but us nerds can't even settle differences in our own camp, let alone with one that we'd generally never want to be associated with.

There are parallels I could draw between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 since they both have a very similar games catalogue, but if I ever typed that one was better than the other you'll instantly see where people's allegiances lie. It's pretty much the same thing

I don't think I've managed to articulate my reasons as to why it's highly unlikely for sports fans and nerds to cohabit with each other in perfect harmony. I'd even agree that it can happen in some cases, but hopefully I've outlined some contributing factors. We're just too psychologically, socially, culturally and intellectually incompatible to form a satisfactory cohesion.

I think I see what you're getting at. Both groups are nerds, but as you pointed out, different sub-groups of nerds really don't get along very well.

 

[sageoftruth]

I just realized, I think I ninja'd Bob there. About two weeks ago, our forums had a visitor who liked posting blogs about groups of people and needed a new suggestion. I suggested sports fans and put forth a similar argument. He said he'd have it up tonight (But has lots of side-factors that usually delay it). I think it was called prejudiceblog or something like that.