Sports offer both a way to keep fit as well as socialize. But some sports fail to pass over intergenerational boundaries. So what’s the problem here? The simple fact that what one generation considers cool is…well, not as cool now.
Some sports remain popular with baby boomers, yet millennials avoid being caught playing.
Racquetball
Image Credit: Canva.
Add a couple of tennis racquets, a ball, and two middle-aged guys in a small room. Now you have the exciting game of racquetball.
Racquetball
Image Credit: Canva
Something that is taken seriously by those baby boomers yet leaves the rest of us wondering what is so competitive about it. After all, it’s simply hitting a ball against a wall Yes, there is no net).
Millennials will opt for going to the tennis court to play a real sport.
Horseshoe tossing
Image Credit: Canva.
You thought that kids do this at the fairground to win one of those cheap-looking prizes.
Horseshoe tossing
Image Credit: Canva.
However, baby boomers enjoy the skill of taking an old rusty horseshoe and flicking it toward an equally rusty pole.
Pickleball
Image Credit: Canva.
If you are wondering what the obsession with racquetball is, pickleball will pickle your mind. It’s a jumble of tennis, ping pong, and badminton.
Pickleball
Why is it so popular with the older generation? First, there is minimal running, so it can be enjoyed by those who have joints that make one “feel their age.”
Lawn bowls
Image Credit: Canva
Baby boomers love to dress up for all kinds of affairs. When it comes to sports, playing lawn bowls gives them one reason to don a white outfit and head outside. If you want excitement and speed, lawn bowls will disappoint you.
Lawn bowls
Image Credit: Canva.
Yet, baby boomers gather at the local club to roll weighted balls at a smaller one on the other side of the field. It’s serious stuff with thoughtful mumbling, measuring of distances, and sometimes soft applause.
Bocce
Image Credit Canva
Take a small area and then place a little white ball in it. The players then take turns tossing their more giant balls at the white one. Sounds exciting? Well, for baby boomers, it is.
Bocce
Image Credit: Canva
Other generations may opt for the fast-paced world of 10-pin bowling.
Croquet
Image Credit: Canva.
Croquet courts are a standard fixture at most retirement homes and villages. It’s one of those games that the older generation enjoys.
Croquet
Image Credit: Canva.
How often have you heard your kid whine because “…you don’t let me play croquet.”? The answer to that would be “Never.”
Badminton
Image Credit: Canva.
This could be fun if there were more action. But there isn’t. It’s not a fast-paced game. Instead, two players are standing on opposite sides of a net, waiting for the slow descent of the shuttlecock. Then they can hit it back over and wait…wait…wait for the shuttlecock.
Badminton
Image Credit: Canva.
Millennials would get frustrated after 10 minutes of playing.
Swim aerobics
Image Credit: Canva.
Swimming is a great way to get fit. You use all your muscles to propel yourself through the water. But then someone decided to combine aerobics with swimming pools.
Swim aerobics
Image Credit: Canva.
It may be a fun activity for the older generation. Still, you’ll find millennials sweating it out at the gym rather than at the local pool.
Tai chi
Image Credit: Canva.
One thing about martial arts is that they are so cool. That’s because of the speed at which the movements are delivered. But then there is tai chi. Someone has taken a Bruce Lee movie and put it in 99% slow motion.
Tai chi
Image Credit: Canva
Parks are full of baby boomers gathering together for a local session of this art. Meanwhile, millennials are hanging out at a karate or kung fu dojo.
What’s fun for one isn’t that interesting for all
Petanque (a form of boules)
Image Credit: Canva
Petanque is a form of boules, a sport similar to lawn bowling and bocce. The game is played by throwing or rolling metal balls (also known as boules) as close as possible to a small target ball (known as the jack or cochonnet) on a dirt or gravel surface
Petanque (a form of boules)
Image Credit: Canva.
This is especially popular with boomers as it is a relaxed game and easy to play.
Boomers, Hold on to Your Horseshoes: 10 Sports You Love That Millennials Avoid
Image Credit: Canva.
Boomers have sports that define their childhood. They still embrace sports with a keenness that has millennials shaking their heads in wonder. But let them be, as the baby boomers are equally amazed at the crazy antics of the fast-paced sports millennials participate in.
We hope you enjoyed this Reddit discussion about Sports that Boomers play that Millenials avoid. This article is inspired by the internet and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Because Mom Says and is for entertainment purposes only.