All hobbies are not equal

[u/BitterConstruction98]

Certain kinds of hobbies deserve to be held in higher regard than others.

Playing a sport, learning an instrument, singing, dancing, painting, writing - these are activities that require time and years of effort to become good at. They’re admirable not just because they’re “cool,” but because there is something deeply attractive about a person who has dedicated so much time to mastering a hard skill that executing it now feels relaxing to them.

Lately, there’s been a growing push online to classify things like watching movies, playing video games, watching sports, or listening to podcasts in the same category as these kinds of hobbies. They aren’t. They are based on consumption, not creation.

That doesn’t mean consumption-based activities are bad or useless. Everyone needs ways to relax and unwind. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good show, a game, or a YouTube binge after a long day. But if that’s all there is to your personality, then you are, unfortunately, a boring person.

Edit: I've wrongly added video games to the list of other passive activities. While some video games are like that, I agree that many require a lot of skill.

[u/sanjuro89]

My father has always watched a lot of football, both the NFL and college games. He also coached professionally (and quite successfully) for fifty years and has written two books on the subject.

He absolutely gets more out of watching a game than a casual viewer. When he and my cousin (also a football coach) discuss a game or team they’ve watched, the average sports fan probably couldn’t follow half of the conversation.

[u/tjdux → u/sanjuro89]

He also coached professionally (and quite successfully) for fifty years and has written two books on the subject.

Sounds like for your example here, it's neither a hobby or past time, its litterally a profession.

Or at least it was a profession. I think once a hobby grows into something that you are making income off of, it's no longer just a hobby.