Why do NTs scream at the t.v. during football?

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Every time a football game comes on my family sits in front of the T.V. and are very loud and obnoxious.
They scream very loud and curse at the T.V.. They look very stupid screaming at the t.v. as if an electronic box can hear them. It really scares me and I can't get away. You can hear throughout the entire house. I put on my headphones and turn my music on loudly and I can still hear them. I don't know what to do. I panic and, cry and have trouble breathing. I have my dog in there with me and he seems to be the only living thing that cares about me.
I try to explain to them how I feel but they don't understand. They tell me "It's gonna get louder!" It makes me so angry.
They complain about me no interest in football and not joining them. How can I have interest when they are screaming?
I can not help it if I have no interest in a loud,violent,competitive sport. Their team won and I told my mom that I am happy that her team won. She said "it's your team too" She said it in a tone that sounded offensive. I asked her why she was mad. She told me that It was offensive to my family that has loved that team for 50 years. I explained to her that I really did not like football and that I had no emotional connection with the team. This was 2 weeks ago.
Today another football game is on the t.v. so the experience is similar.

Loud noise is like oxygen to NTs. They wouldn't know what to do without it.

I thought NTs never get interested in anything and especially not go mad on anything that may excite/interest them? (That's according to WP).

Some people do this, some don't. Some of those who do are autistic, some of those who don't are autistic. Same goes for those who aren't on the Spectrum.

Hey I'm AS and I always scream at TV when Manchester United play, I don't know why I'm just passionate about seeing them do well.

By exception (as I'm not a sports fan), I once watched a match in either the World or European Cup of football ('soccer' in the US, artrat), at an autistic gathering. Two female aspies were quite vocal in their enjoyment of the match, it surprised me! However, it wasn't like they got angry at the players or at the match when the Dutch team wasn't doing that well, either, so it was just good old-fashioned cheering.

I didn't join in the cheering though.

The last sports game I got super excited about was the World Baseball Classic. I think I was a bit loud at the TV during it. Of course I watched it in my room by myself occasionally talking on the phone. My friend got me to tune in, and I was just glued to the TV during those games. It was crazy, the final ended up being Japan vs Korea. That's like the battle of the century. Oddly, to me, people I knew had ZERO care about the game at all. It's the f*****g world championship of baseball, the real world series, involving literally countries from all over the world. And nobody cares. Very frustrating. But then people will care about football for some reason. Meh. Oh, and US as a country didn't care about the game at all, we had so few A list players from pro teams on our team, apparently even MLB players didn't care about representing their country on the world stage. Pathetic.

My dad used to yell like that. He yelled even more when I hid all the batteries in the remote...

artrat, I don't know your family but I too sometimes watch football and end up shouting at the telly. I would say it was shouting rather than screaming, although you may think that I'm splitting hairs there.

I have no interest in league football and do not support any team but I do watch international tournaments (European and world championships) with great enthusiasm.

If the match is exciting I get really "into it", and that's when I get a bit carried away with either enthusiasm or despair, depending on how the game is going. That's where the shouting comes in. It is a physical expression of in-depth involvement, you try to cheer on your team as if you were in the stadium (despite the fact that you're not) and it needs a physical outlet. if you're really involved in a match it would be pretty much impossible to suppress this noise.

Imagine being in a stadium with thousands of others, also cheering and shouting. Not a pleasant thought for you I would guess. But your parents sound like true fans. That is not something I have first hand experience of. It's their special interest. Like (I'm guessing) art is yours. Which is not a noisy hobby unless it involves music.

I guess a lot of people consume alcohol while watching footie, which cranks the volume up further due to disinhibition.

I'm sorry that the noise is upsetting you. I too am not overkeen on noise and generally keep a quiet house. Any chance of leaving the house and going for a walk if it becomes too intrusive for you? It depends how much football gets watched in your house of course. Ideally your parents would have season tickets and go to the actual game but that is an expensive hobby.

So I'm afraid I can't offer much of a solution but it seems clear your parents do not (yet) fully understand your sensitivity to noise. You may need to discuss it again unfortunately.

I have never understood the transference of one's own emotions onto a television, whether a sporting event, show, or some other program.

I would understand more if they were actually at the game but it is on the television. The act like the are speaking to someone. They scream at the television and get no response.

I think the experience of football in America is much different than in the U.K. and it is a completely different game.

My parents do this... and it makes ME scream at the screaming!

The only thing I can figure is that they scream at the TV for the same reason I scream sometimes... they're frustrated about something they can't change, and the emotions build up and have to come out somehow!

Every guy I know and quite a few women do that. Moreso for college football than pro ball. College football is taken as seriously as religion where I live. People have been shot over it. Really.

On Saturdays, during football season, usually my husband, my daughter's fiance, and lots of friends come over to watch the game. Everyone has their own beer or bottle of liqour and mixers and I usually make a snack. This year we don't have cable so we can't watch it so that goes on here at my MIL's house. We drive about 70 miles to watch television. Really. It gets loud. Very loud. One of the boys who comes over to watch it with my husband is extremely dedicated to the team. (read rabid). He gets drunk and if his team loses, he becomes violent. That drunk type punching walls and kicking tables and screaming in the yard, violent. He doesn't hurt other people. Just destroys things. He's had to fix a lot of things at my house until I told him he couldn't come back if he doesn't calm down. The girls scream at it as much as the boys. It's rowdy and loud and goes on until the game is over, then they have to discuss the game. Usually a poker game happens after the ball game.

I do not care about football either way, except for a very few games a year. The Auburn game tomorrow, and the LSU game a few weeks ago, and if we get a shot at the National Championship, I care. Otherwise, I go to my room, or a bedroom here at my MIL's house, and read a book, or do this. While watching the LSU game a few weeks ago, here, my MIL who is in her mid 80s watched the game, from her chair. It had to be turned all the way up because she can hardly hear. She yelled at the game too. Where I'm from, even little old ladies who can hardly walk will scream and curse at football players and wish doom on the coach's family for generations. I may watch the Aurburn game tomorrow, but it depends on my mood and if somebody goes to the store for beer and little weenies and stuff for RoTel dip I can make beforehand. They should though, because that's what you do.

The reasoning behind it is simple to me. They are crazy.

People who have never attended a particular college, and in some instances any college at all or even 10th grade, will feel a fierce alliegance to a school and believe that their own personal honor is defended by the football team on the field. They take it personally. No, they can't hear them from the other side of a tv. They can't even make out individual screams if you are in the stands. That does not stop my husband from standing up and mooning the television and screaming obscenities at the players/coach/referee. They know this, somewhere in their brains. It's like a group hysteria. They get caught up in it. I've gotten caught up in it. Even though the logical part of your brain knows that you can't make any difference at all in the outcome of the game, unless you were on the field with them, and if I was, I'd surely make them lose, you feel that the louder you scream, the more you cheer, the more you shout yourself hoarse yelling "RUN BOY! RUN!! !! ! THERE YA GO! TAKE IT HOME BABY!! !! !" the better they will do. I don't know why this is.

True story. A few years ago I had taken my adult son to the emergency room. He was about 19 years old. He had severe abdominal pain. We thought it might be an appendix. It was on the evening of the LSU game. He saw the nurse and was put in a room. A doctor had seen his chart, but not him yet, and ordered a shot of morphine. WITHOUT SEEING THE PATIENT YET. The game was on. They turned the game on for my son in the little ER room. He of course watched it, before and after his morphine. In pain he was screaming at the television. You could hear sick people screaming at the tv up and down the halls of that ER. We were in that room waiting for over 2 hours. He told me "I bet we don't see the doctor till after the game. There's sicker people for him to look at during half time" He was right. About 10 minutes after the game was over, here came the doctor. Everything is put off as long as possible during a ball game for men and boys and some girls and little old ladies down here.

So, I hope that answers your question. It's just something that people do because they are crazy or get caught up in the whole thing. The drunker you get, the more convinced you are that in some metaphysical way, you are helping them by screaming at your home electronics.

BTW, after the LSU game, my husbands one really rowdy friend broke his hand. He doesn't remember what on, but I suppose he sure showed the other team who beat his team by drunkenly punching an object! ::eyeroll::

Just be glad you aren't into that and stay in your room with a book. Get earphones or something and listen to music. Or if you want to really have some fun, go in there and scream for the other team.

Frances

I just reread the original post, then my post, and I didn't sound very understanding, and I wanted to correct that. Well, I wanted to clarify. Sometimes it bothers me too, really bad. I have had talks with my husband about this. I know I sound like I don't mind and I'm into it and all but that's just how I've taught myself to act. Key word, act. Sometimes I really do mind. Here is my syggestion about how you can handle the situation.

The biggest thing for me to remember was that I can't have things the way I want them to be all the time. I do ask my family to make certain allowances for me, and if I make some for them, it's easier for them to make them for me. It's give and take.

Read my other post over again and try to understand it from their point of view. This stuff is important to them. It's really big to them. It's like their special interest to them. They literally start mentally gearing up for it the day before. Sometimes longer. They go to the store and get food for it and beer. They arrange work schedules when they can, so they can be home and watch it, and sometimes home the day afterwards to recover from it. It really is important to them.

This means you need to start talking to your family about two days before game day. Write it on your calander or something so you remember. I never remember when the ball games are, except for the fact that my husband shouts out a countdown several times a day "12 days baby! TWELVE DAYS!! !! !!" You want to catch them while they are calm. Once it's started, or it's the morning of, you have no hope of reigning them in at all.

Something along the lines of "Listen, you know how I can't stand really loud noises well? I know you love the game and I'm glad you can watch it. I'm only asking if you could keep the loudness down a few decibles most of the time. Not all the time, but if you could turn it down a few notches for most of the game, I'd really appreciate it." Then you insert a bribe. "If you do that for me, I'll - insert your bribe here - for you"

Do not expect total compiance the first time. If they remember to stay quieter for the first quarter, that's a great start for you! Expect them to get really loud at tense moments during the game or during spectacular or unexpected plays. But, if they stay quieter overall, instead of shouting at every single play, then thats a good beginning.

NT's like positive reinforcement too. Even in ways that we give it like "Thank you for being quieter. I felt much better. I'm glad your team won/sorry your team lost" is helpful for them. If they push you to root for their team, simply say "I'm Switzerland. I'm neutral. If you have a skiing team, maybe" and leave it at that.

Don't expect total compliance or ever a normal sound level during a game. But you have every right to ask them to tone it down SOME, so you can hear your loud music without their rabid screaming over it. Constantly. It truly would be unfair to ask them not to ever get really loud at all. This is, after all, their special interest. They are extremely caught up in it at that time. Your goal is to get them to tone it down.

Most of them know they get loud. REALLY loud. The loudness somehow shows team spirit to them. Being loud on purpose is part of it to them, so don't expect them to give that up totally. Asking them to respect your preferences re; noise, but not asking for them to not do their yelling, is a compromise.

Please let me know how it turns out. If that doesn't work, I can think some more and maybe come up with something.

Frances

A similar thing happened to me at Thanksgiving last night. Well, actually it happens every Sunday (maybe Monday nights, too). You want to know why your family is screaming at the TV? It's because they think they can encourage the football team they want to win (usually the local team). Mostly they shout, "Go! Go! Go!" whenever whenever a running back or wide receiver is running down the field towards the goalpost. But if the quarterback gets sacked, the kicker misses a field goal, the ball is intercepted by the other team or the ref makes a bad call, the screaming will turn into bunches of expletives. When this happens, don't cry or be afraid - they're never yelling at you. They just want to feel good about the community where they live. And what better way for NT's (or football fanatics) to feel good about their community than the local football team bringing home the Super Bowl ring.

I hate it when I hear my brother watching football or rugby. I hear "come on... come on... come on..."

silence....

"YESSS!! !! ! AAAHHHHH!! !! !!"

*dies of heart attack*