Hi, my name is Johanna, and I have a secret. I only know about one rule and maybe three terms for every sport and nothing more. I'm 18-years-old, and I have no idea how to watch any sports game, except maybe a swimming match.
I know what it feels like to be hit by every type of ball, baseball, dodgeball, basketball, you name it. I don't think anyone ever had an evil intention of hitting me, but I somehow attracted lots of bruises in PE class.
I'm not completely incompetent when it comes to sports; I know the difference between a touchdown, a goal, and a home run, but I don't understand all of the lines or penalties, fouls, or different point amounts.
I didn't grow up watching and playing normal sports like basketball, baseball, or soccer. Instead, I danced, did gymnastics, and practiced judo, a martial arts. So, sports have always been confusing to me.
I thought that getting into sports in high school would help, but being on the lacrosse team didn't give me the ultimate knowledge of football like I had hoped it would. Instead, I just ended up being confused while lacrosse balls flung at me. My goal was to unlock the secret sports code that many humans know, like "Did you see that stellar pick?" and realize that they were not, in fact, talking about guitar picks.
The one thing that frustrates me the most about sports is why no one can seem to explain them to me. Anytime that I show interest in, say, the World Cup or the NBA finals, I really try to make an effort in watching. However, since I don't know many rules or proper terms, I get easily confused, and the sport just looks like a bunch of grown men or women throwing and kicking balls into big holes.
I wish that people around me would stop telling me to "pay attention and you'll learn something" and just teach me about the game. I wish that people would stop assuming that I don't care about sports because I'm a girl. This is me trying to connect to you sporty people, but it's kinda hard to do that when you don't give me a chance.
So, this is me formally asking for help.
