Spectator* sports is meaningless, but fandom gives it meaning. We all want to be part of something bigger. When we find something that connects and uplifts us, does it matter how trivial it might be when reduced to essentials? Singing in a choir. Worshipping in a church. Partaking in a LAN party. In the end, what makes them any less trivial than tailgating before a football game, or watching March Madness with your buddies?
The next time that you’re tempted to mock another’s hobbies as a waste of time, ask yourself if someone else might say the same about your favorite activity.
* Clarification added after Jim pointed out that playing sports is a meaningful activity for the participants, even without an audience.
True that no hobbies are intrinsicly more important or meaningful than others. They're meaning is derived by definition by the fact that they are someone's hobby.
However, I'd disagree that fandom alone gives sports meaning. I play sports for the value it brings me in playing with friends, setting and achieving goals, and because it simply is fun to do. I don't need someone watching or "fans" for it to have "worth" or "meaning"
Good point, Jim. I will clarify that I'm talking about spectator sports. Actually playing is its own reward.