Men and women in shorts are sexy

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If there are no sports there would be more war and strife. Mankind by nature is competitive.

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Because it does not take a lot of brains to follow sports news.

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I'm an avid sports follower - not in soccer, but in American sports - namely baseball, basketball, and American football. The reason why I always check out the sports news first thing every morning to see how my teams are doing is because it is more relevant to me. I have formed a personal attachment with my sports teams, which is stronger than the attachment I have to the country I live in or the planet I live on. Now, that's for me. For some others, I can think of another reason why to check whether they lost or won the bets that they placed. If there is a financial stake involved, it's more important than any other news.

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Sports can be considered to be a fantasy world, somewhat detached from the harsh realities of the real world; quite similar to peoples' fascination with celebrity gossip.

Other news is usually dry (economic and political issues)compared to sporting news, where the person experiences emotional ups and downs; depending on the performance of the teams they support.

Interest in gambling also serves to promote the interest in sports new; as gamblers aim to make the best possible choices based upon the best information they can obtain on the teams they wish to wager on.

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Escape. Drawback to childhood fun

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Its the only section of the local papers where the news is PROBABLY true

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I agree and I think it is because males are predominantly achievement / result driven individuals. The competition in sports and the immediacy of the results appeal to a basic conquest instinct.

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Yes agreed. Basically I'm female and I have similar habits, like flipping through life section first then sports then news. I suppose the lack of interest in politics and world news plays a big factor. My opinion is that people are more interested in their hobbies than hard news. Unless of course, their hobby happens to be current affairs.

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Yes. Partly to be in with the crowd - to know what people are talking about, to be involved in conversations. Partly because reading sports is like watching a drama - we see their trials & tribulations, they hope and dream, and eventually succeed or fail; only to try again next year.

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Not too sure if it's more than half. I guess to a certain extend, sports news are less morbid yet very happening. Very often things that happen daily in football (or soccer), like a last-minute wonder goal, multimillion pound player transfer, sacking of managers, player poaching, rumours and gossips, league table movement, gamesmanship and sportsmanship, new players, soccer betting, "my team is better than your team" mentality etc provide fans with a storyboard that the political arena cannot. Also, football teams play in domestic and continental leagues and cups, and national teams in world cups and such, so there is more or less a level playing field, as compared to, say, the vagaries of world news. But above all, sometime it is just the skills, finesse, vision, entertainment and a sense of hope that players process that politicians don’t =)

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Yes. It's been something that's been emphasised by society in the first place - the idea that guys must like sports and that guys must be masculine. It's been embedded in their minds since young and this continues throughout most of their lives.

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yes ... interest. BTW, most REAL sports fans would have known the latest news online before it is published.

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because it is a fantasy world. It is a world where money really doesn't mean anything anymore. It is a world where one can choose to associate with a winning tribe, or a losing tribe... the choice of a football team one supports is based on one's own perception of one's own identity.

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I agree. It has to do with the sports culture. Having been brought up in a social context where an emphasis on sports is often expected of young boys (I don't mean to imply an artificial external force), a larger proportion grow up enjoying sports and feel passionate about it. Another postulated reason - an (unconscious?) feeling of "duty" to keep up with sports news, possibly as conversation fodder.

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Most read only soccer news and only so that they can bet on the games. I think in general Singaporeans are not interested in the news, nothing especially remarkable about the fact that sports fans read less of other types of news.

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i am gay... you can say that i am not your 'artsy farty type' and i love football more than anything else. for your information 'soccer' is a term coined by the US and the rest of the world talks football. so i see that you are also clueless. i can talk about football like any straight guy out there. yes... i turn do agree that most guys turn to sports pages first and likewise for me.

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Yes. It's boy talk. Other news may be too depressing or politically incorrect to talk over coffee, so sports is the easiest to agree or disagree upon without killing the mood.

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Agreed, which is why TNP is able to survive in the first place. For those who flip first to specifically the sports pages, current affairs are probably of little if any relevance to them. Sports news is exactly why they buy the paper in the first place.

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I don't do that, must be from other half.

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Here in Switzerland it’s more or less the same. Most people, generally males, are more interested in sports than anything else. One reason, of course, is television. This medium has virtually transformed sports into a spectator event rather than an activity where one actually participates. And spectator sports require little thinking or reflexion ; it’s easier to follow Liverpool playing Juventus than asking oneself why there is this senseless war in Iraq or who really attacked New York in 2001. And not forgetting the patriotic aspect; when people are not killing one another, they seem to get no end of pleasure when their team vanquishes an opponent. It is no longer unusual seeing Presidents and Prime Ministers attending sporting events like conquering kings, like Chirac in 1998 when France won the World Cup.

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Yes, I agree that the sports pages are among the most widely read sections of newspapers, because they appeal across the spectrum of readers, transcending demographics, even more so now that more women are getting into the game.

Sports news is always active, visceral and in flux, unlike perhaps news stories which might stagnate in stasis sometimes. Also, the bright pictures and unpredictability and frequency of matches are natural attention-grabbers. Sports is also very accessible as a topic, for conversation or reading.

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Of course I agree, seeing that I'm a fan of soccer myself though I'm not quite sure as to why men find 22 beefcakes chasing after one ball so interesting. Sports is one of the few happier stories (unless you were supporting the losing team) as opposed to the tragedies reported on the newspapers so often that grips our imagination.

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Yes, coz guys like to read their fav club / team

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herd mentality. it's popular to be seen as being interested in sports, probably cos it's seen as a 'guy thing'

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It's a welcome distraction from other events going on around the world. Not to say that political analysis or reports on high suicide rates are not important, but reading the sports pages goes to remind us that there are still other important things in this world like the love of sports. As my classmate once put crudely whilst reading The New Paper "people die everyday but it isn't often that Liverpool win Champions League Titles."

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I agree. I think that it is conditioning. Plus there is probably alot of betting going on. I think that there is a general lack of interest in other news.

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Half or more of males in Singapore ardently read the sports pages of newspapers - agree. Many flip to the sports pages first before reading other news - don't know. The evolutionary psychology perspective offers one possible explanation men compete for resources to attract mates. In the past, this tended to mean competition in the physical sense. However, most competition now takes place on an intellectual level (getting the most 'A's in school or climbing the corporate ladder the fastest). Hence, there is a fascination with sports, which is an avenue of physical competition. On another note, I think there are also elements of social conditioning involved. Parents may treat their children differently since young, encouraging their sons to engage in outdoor play and do sports, while encouraging their daughters to take up more 'ladylike' interests. Subconsciously, interest in sports may be seen as a defining factor for masculinity. It becomes a conversational topic and social bonding activity for males.

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Yes. Because that is the only item in the newspapers that interests them, unless they come up with a new section in the newspapers called "babes". Notice how sales of newspapers drop once the EPL season is over.

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no,i don't turn to sports pg first, one of last, even after life,

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sometimes read sports sometimes read from front page......becos we interested we read lor

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Hey, how did you get the figure 0f half or more? I am female but I flip eagerly to the sports pages too, though not always before reading other news. I like reading sports news, esp football news, cos the matches are generally unpredictable and dramatic. And the pics are usually very exciting.

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I cannot say for sure but sports tend to provoke passionate responses in people, are generally entertaining and really, do not require too much thought when you are a spectator.

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Half or more of males" -- I'm not so sure about that, and where did u derived this from?

Anyway, I think this applies mainly for TNP readers. In the first place, for people who do take the trouble to fork out money to buy TNP during lunch or on their way home, it is more possible that they're already sports fans, or more precisely, soccer fans.

For these people, as they are ardent soccer fans, they will more possibly be interested in soccer news as compared to other news, thus flipping to the sports pages first.

For readers who want serious news, most possibly they will buy the straits times or Lianhe Zaobao, which then they will not flip to the sports pages first.

They reason they are interested in sports news is the most are football fans, and of course want the lastest news in football, i.e. the transfers, the results and other misellenous news.

It's a well known fact that more guys are interested in sports while girls are more interested in perhaps fashion and entertainment news. Guys generally have sports genes in them, and most play soccer, thus following professional football matches as well.. Watching sports provides that adrenalin rush in guys, and creating a common topic for them at the same time.. it is a form of entertainment to break away from the mundane life.

Singapore has a culture with people care about entertainment and their own lives more, and they are not really interested in serious news. Singaporeans will sometimes dicuss 'big' news, but are generally not so interested in what goes on around the world, even the bigger issues on Singapore. Although this trend is perhaps subsiding, but still, there are more people apathetic about the serious news than the people who care. Therefore, sports, as a form of entertainment, is what interests them, as opposed to the 'boring' current affairs stuff.

It is of no doubt that TNP provides the best soccer news coverage in Singapore, when u compare in the mainstream media.

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Agree.

Sports is physical competition, and men always have something for that. Also there might be significant betting going on, in which case the sports page operates similarly to the business page.

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I guess i have to agree on this one, since on a daily-basis, i do notice males on the trains, in the buses, and in the office fixed on the sports pages, and yes, males in my office read the soccer-news first. I gather that the males in the office read sports/soccer news first, because they are not interested in any other news (ie world news, home news) - with exceptions for gossip/ entertainment news.

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Team sports are a form of male bonding, hence the interest. And then comes the competition bit, the law of the jungle. If they can't outdo one another, hey why not let the favourite teams/ sportsmen do it instead?

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This is one area whereby not only are facts reported but strong opinions are given with judgements made. There is more objectivity here. All other pages especially local Home news seem to be a lot of government propaganda to carry on the so called national agenda. One somehow suspects that our government has a set theme for each day and week and month using our local newspapers as the main medium of communication.

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Most are reading soccer related news and soccer is the most popular male-sports in Singapore.

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They probably have so much passion for sports that they throw other news aside and have to keep up with the latest sports updates - just like how people want to keep up with stock prices or the latest happenings in their favourite comic.

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Yes. Testosterone-motivated.

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I'm female but i do believe that is true that males are pretty much sports or football focused more than they may be about social issues or political issues comparatively. I believe this has got to do with upbringing in singapore context, boys are brought up to play and do man stuff and not be socially aware or environmentally aware.. etc.

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I don't do that. I only flip to the sports pages at the very end. I won't speculate how others read the newspapers coz those opinions will be just insinuations.

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I agree, and the phenomenon is more prevalent among the straight man as opposed to the gay community. For many straight men, sports brings to mind masculinity, and the association with sports or activities related to sports appeals to the minds of men, gay or straight alike.

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I don't read newspapers regularly nor do I pay attention to those people reading the newspapers, so I cannot say much. But if they believe in sports news than others it because sports news has become such an entertaining aspect of reading newspaper.

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No, I don't agree. They look out for news on their favourite players & teams. Life is tough, some sports news to relax and spur them on.

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Nope. Not all. I am one of the exception that does not read the sport pages at all... unless something caught my eyes

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Maybe because it's high on emotion and easy to digest. Maybe it's something other people do so they got to do it too? I have no idea really.

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I think most males do ardently read the sports page, but I don't necessarily think they read it first. from what I've observed, my father reads the paper in order, as do male relatives. However i do find that some male friends, those around my age(I'm sixteen) flip to the sports pages first, especially when they buy the new paper, which has more sports stuff than the straits times, i think ? in this case, i think they just have more interest in sports(mainly soccer) than current affairs and the local going-ons.

Regarding the second part of your question, i think it is just an innate interest in most males to follow sports more ardently than other things. i think it is just a greater interest in sports than other news, because maybe they are fans of certain teams.

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Hard to tell. It is not just sport that commands the attention of males, but politics also. One is inclined to guess that the answer isn't too complicated – it's just a boy thing. Sport, like politics, runs on a ruthlessly competitive spine, rather than a social one.

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You got me there. I guess it's just like porn. Even though most body looks about the same, with the upper parts differing only in size, somehow man never quite got sick of it.

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common intrest

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Re the proportion of Singapore men who read the sports pages - I have no idea - I've never read or conducted a survey on the subject. Re why some/many men appear more interested in sports news than other news - in my opinion, sports isn't news! Sports is just entertainment, like the gossip, lifestyle, entertainment and comics pages. Many people with little interest in ('serious') news still read newspapers because of these pages. The question is, why do the sports pages draw more men than women, in contrast to the other non-news pages. I think there have been sociological studies which try to suggest that sports has replaced war, in some way. Some of the appeal of war/hunting to men (e.g. the thrill of contest & physical violence) is met, in a more civilised way, through sports. I wouldn't know how true this is, but it seems plausible.

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Yes. It's the same rationale as to why females are more likely to flip to the fashion and style pages first. It is more liely that guys ofen indulge in sports talk, so they want to catch up on the latest news in sports so that they can discuss later.

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cos they are lame lifeless zombies conditioned to derive pleasure from somekind of primitive association to one of the teams

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I personally don't read the sports section but I can hazard a guess why they are so interested in the sports, either because of the betting games they are involved in, or because they are interested in the sports themselves,.

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Yes. Sports news are definately news that the male population in Singapore discuss about. They are generally more interested in sports than politics, current affairs or entertainment news. Thus it makes sense to know the latest happening in order to have enough depth to carry out a conversation on it.

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I guess I agree that at least half read the sports news first. In a way, that explains why I'm sure if a survey was done, the majority readership of the New Paper (with an emphasis on entertainment and sports news) tend to be men.

Probably interested because (and again, my hypothesis) is that men like belonging to a group/an organisation. Being in a membership of sorts by identifying with their fav football team takes predominance over being an advocate of a major cause or being aware of local politics or international occurences. Perhaps, some Singaporean men tend to think about SELF more than their living environment.

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I'm male and I ignore the Sports pages.

Everywhere, though, men are buying into the hegemonic constructions of masculinity. What they consume is whaat they have learned to consume.

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Surrogate warfare / nationalism / tribalism?

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sports is leisure and everyone likes leisure regardless of its content... many teenagers and young adults only read the life section of ST... is it so surprising that guys read the sports page first?

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Because it's fun, and easy to digest before running off to work. The rest of Singapore flips to the comics page, which is about the same. Also, reading the sports allows conversational material for the rest of the day.

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I think that would depend upon which newspaper they are reading. This is probably only witnessed when you see a male read "The New Paper".

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Yes I agree.

For me, I prefer to finish my paper from the easiest part to "digest" to the hardest. I find that sports news are more easily "digested", and for info purposes only and as such start from the sports section.

As to why the supposed "half or more males in sg" are so interested, i would hazard a guess that they aren't very interested in the other local/foreign news articles.

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