Sports is something that is loved by almost everyone around the world. Whether you’re an avid fan of traditional sports such as soccer and NHL or enjoy more modern sports like eSports and skateboarding, there are loads of choices for you to pick from. Everyone has their favourite and they usually cross over into other sports because they’re so much fun to learn about and even try yourself.

Unfortunately, due to there being so many sports, it can be an incredibly time-consuming hobby. In fact, a lot of people find themselves sticking to just one or two sports. They often get to know the game, the players and even the big tournaments and leagues. They’ll follow the games, they’ll watch it on TV or online and they’ll dedicate a lot of their time to it. After all, it’s a hobby so you should expect to spend quite a bit of time on it.

But what if you want to learn about more sports? What if you want to watch some insane sports or learn more about something that your friends are starting to get into? How can you make time to enjoy all kinds of different sports without dedicating too much time to it? In this post, we’ll be covering exactly that. Here are 9 ways to enjoy sports without needing to dedicate too much time to it.

Include it with your other hobbies

Most people have several different hobbies that they juggle. For instance, they might enjoy playing video games, working out or even reading in addition to their passion for sports. A great way to enjoy sports with less time is to include it with your other hobbies. As an example, you could play video games that involve sports, you could consider playing a sport as working out, and you could read books about sports. By combining multiple hobbies like this, you’ll be able to enjoy both hobbies at your leisure.

Get into fantasy sports

A popular way to enjoy sports nowadays is to play fantasy leagues. These are essentially web-based games where you make a fantasy team based on real players in a sport. They are often categorised into power rankings that help you determine the overall strength of the players and teams. When your fantasy team plays well in the real match, it determines their performance in the league. It’s a fun little game that you can play with a small group of friends, or even on your own and compete with people all over the world. There are often incentives for paying as well to help motivate you to learn more about the game and cheer for your players. This is also a fantastic way to learn about different players and their strengths. This knowledge can help you get a better understanding of the sport and also give you an idea of upcoming talent.

Catch the latest highlights and clips

Watching a full game of a sport is a lot of fun, but it can also be extremely time-consuming. For example, NHL games usually last up to 2.5 hours when they’re on television. This can be a lot more time than someone is willing to dedicate to a single sport, and games go on throughout the week meaning it can demand a lot of attention if you want to keep up. Thankfully, there are plenty of television shows dedicated to showing you the highlights and clips of the match. These are often shown after the game or later at night in a show or segment dedicated to the sport. In addition to showing clips and highlights from the game, it talks about the sport in general such as the latest developments. If you find that watching a full game can be a little daunting or time-consuming, try switching to watching just clips and highlights.

Try to shake the fear of missing out

If you’re in a group that regularly participates in sporting discussions then it can feel like your responsibility to keep up with the talks. In some cases, you might even dedicate your time to watching games and highlights just to ensure your knowledge is relevant. We understand that this can be difficult to cope with since you’ll eventually develop a fear of missing out. However, it’s important to remember that you should never force yourself to watch a sport or try to learn about it just for the sake of fitting in. It’s perfectly fine to not know much about a sport. It often makes for more interesting conversation since others can educate you about a sport and its players. In short, shaking the fear of missing out can help you enjoy a sport more since you won’t feel pressured to dedicate lots of time to it.

Learn more about sports through audiobooks and podcasts

Podcasts and audiobooks are a fantastic way to learn more things without actively reading. Reading can be rather time-consuming since it requires you to sit down and dedicate time to it. However, if you have someone reading to you, it means you can effectively read a book while doing other tasks. For example, you can listen to a book about the history of your favourite sport while on your commute to work. While some people don’t mind reading on the train or bus, it can be a little more comfortable if you listen to an audiobook instead. Similarly, you could listen to podcasts about sports while you’re working out, such as going out for a morning run.

Try to learn about newer developing sports

There are lots of people who dedicate their time to learning about the latest and greatest sports. Many of our favourite sports have been around for well over a century and they’ve been refined to their current state after a lot of trial, error and general developments. However, there’s a lot of fun in learning about the latest sports as well. A great example of this is electronic sports, also known as eSports. This is essentially competitive video games and while that can sound a little strange, there are many well-known sporting legends such as Shaq and Rick Fox who have wholly embraced eSports. While it might not require the same level of physical prowess as a traditional sport, it certainly demands teamwork, a strict training routine and incredible talent to succeed.

Explore the world of YouTube’s sports content creators

YouTube is a brilliant platform to learn more about sports and stay up-to-date with the latest happenings in the industry. There are plenty of sports YouTube channels that cover everything from highlights to the history of a sport or even deep dives into strategies and tactics used by legendary teams and players. It’s also a great place to learn more about sports that you’re unfamiliar with thanks to the many informative videos out there. There are also sporting personalities that dedicate most of their content to covering specific teams and critiquing decisions made by managers and players in the industry. This is a great way to learn more about how the industry operates and it can also keep you updated on the latest sports news.

Dedicate some time each week to indulging in sports with friends and family members

Whether it’s getting together to watch a big game or meeting up with friends and family to go play a sport, it’s a great idea to start scheduling your sporting sessions. It gives you something to look forward to every week and it helps to keep your passion for sports in check. If you dedicate a certain amount of time to it every week, you won’t feel as bad when you indulge in it with close friends and family members for several hours. You can even make a day of big events such as the Superbowl. It’s actually fairly common for people to host big parties with lots of food and celebrations when there are famous sporting events going on.

Get involved with online communities to meet new people that enjoy the same sports

Sports is something that can be enjoyed alone, but it’s always better to enjoy it with friends. If none of your colleagues at work or family members enjoy the same sports as you, then you always have the option of going online and joining some online sports communities. You can learn more about new sports that you’re not familiar with, you can flex your knowledge of certain sports and players, and you can keep up to date with the latest news and discuss things that are happening within the industry. Joining an online community is a great way to indulge in a sport without spending too much time on it. You’re essentially just reading comments and discussions which is something you can do in your spare time, during a commute to work or even during a break.