This blog is intended to make you think. What are your expectations about people who do these various things?
Card Games
I’ll start with three well-known card games.
Euchre
Euchre is played in Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Upstate New York, and the Midwestern United States. It is often associated with blue-collar culture, particularly in the Midwestern United States, where it has long been popular among families and friend groups. Its roots are in working-class communities and its role in bringing people together for social interaction contribute to this perception.
I found no data on the ratio of male to female players, so assume it is roughly equal, given that it is often a family or couples game.
Bridge
Bridge players are often stereotyped. Common stereotypes include: a tendency towards higher education, and the game attracting a relatively high proportion of atypical individuals. (Bridgebase.com, macewan.ca) Bridge was initially a game for the upper class, but later gained popularity among other social classes.
A common stereotype is that bridge is an old person’s game. In 2019, the World Bridge Federation used Survey Monkey to gather data about American bridge players. They limited the survey to people 45+ with some college education because, “We are confident that the vast majority of bridge players fall into this category…” About 16M (out of 75M)—i.e., about 20%—reported that they know how to play bridge. 10M+ have not played in a long time, 3M+ play a few times a year, 2M+ play regularly (monthly/weekly/weekly+).
While roughly equal proportions of men and women play bridge, men tend to outperform women at the elite level. (Bridging brains: exploring neurosexism and gendered stereotypes… )
Poker
Poker is a man’s game—at least at the professional level. According to recent statistics, around 95% of professional poker players are men. However, among online poker players, research shows that nearly a third of new player buy-ins are female players. This makes one ask why male players still dominate traditional tournaments. One explanation posited is that because it’s male dominated, there’s likely an intimidation factor in in-person play.
Many historical factors have shaped modern poker: cultural expectations and gender norms, targeted advertising, and marketing campaigns. There’s nothing masculine or feminine about the game itself. Medium and Personality-Psychology have published some poker stereotypes based on players’ tendencies:
- NITs (tight players)
- TAGs (tight-aggressive players)
- LAGs (loose-aggressive players)
- Loose passive players
- Calling machines
- Maniacs
Other Table-Top Games
Of course, cards aren’t the only games people play around the table.
SCRABBLE
Most competitive SCRABBLE players are women. Indeed, when regular people are asked about whether they would expect more male or female SCRABBLE champions, the intuition seems to be that women should be more common. As it turns out, within the highest-performing competitive SCRABBLE divisions, 86% of the players are male, while only 31% of the players in the lowest-performing divisions are. In fact all 10 of the last world champions have been male. Psychology Today has a lengthy article trying to determine why this might be.
FYI: Nigel Richards is the widely acknowledged GOAT for SCRABBLE. Originally from New Zealand and now based in Malaysia, he has won the World Scrabble Championship five times. No other player has won more than once. His national-level titles include five in North America, twelve in Singapore, fifteen in Thailand, and many others around the world.
Monopoly
As of 2015, the game had sold approximately 275 million copies worldwide. Clearly, lots of people play Monopoly, but I found virtually no information about them. Lots of information about its history, racism, whether it’s detrimental to family relationships, but otherwise…
One tidbit: Monopoly game token choice can reveal aspects of a player’s personality. For example, players who choose the car are often male and passionate, while those who choose the hat may be introverted but strategic in the game.
Mah Jongg
Mah Jongg – a Chinese tile game of skill, strategy, and calculation similar to rummy—was developed in the 19th century in China. It has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. Rules vary by location. In China and Japan in particular, it is a gambling game, often played by men in Mah Jongg parlors.
Travelers first brought mahjong to the United States in the early 1920s. It was an instant hit among white Americans. People in the U.S. soon came to think of it as a game for women.
At least the perception of mahjong as a women’s game is founded in reality: American mahjong players are at least 95% female. Male players likely comprise less than 5%.
In my opinion, there are two bits of history that contribute to this.
The first was the Wright-Patterson approach, started by spouses of Air Force officers stationed at Wright Field in Ohio. The Wright Patterson method was intended to regularize rules so that when military men were transferred, their wives wouldn’t have to learn new rules for every place.
In 1937 a small group of Jewish women in New York City standardized the rules for the game. Generally referred to as American Mahjong, today it is the most common version played in the U.S., and has spread worldwide. In the U.S., one stereotype is that mahjong players are often older Jewish women.
Games of Sport
Some games are more physical than cards and table-tops.
Golf
Golf is subject to various stereotypes. For example, that golf is an elite sport, a game of cliques, or a sport for older people. Other stereotypes suggest that golf is expensive, complicated, or only enjoyable in the summer. (Golfshake.com).
Zippia statistics has more details:
- Average golfer age: 36
- Male – 72%; Female – 28%
- Male Income $50,103; Female Income $47,840
- White – 72.8%; Black Or African American – 8.9%
Since the pandemic, more than 800,000 women have taken up golf. According to the National Golf Foundation, 3.7 million juniors played golf on a course in 2024, more than in any year since 2006. Thirty five percent of these were girls. This young segment is more diverse than the overall golf population and has seen a 48% increase since 2019, the largest gains of any age group.
The NGF also reports that 41% of off-course golfers are women. (Off-course golfers participate in golf-related activities that occur outside of a traditional golf course. This includes activities like driving ranges, golf simulators, mini-golf, and entertainment venues such as Topgolf. (LightSpeedHQ, NGF ))
Basketball
Basketball is the opposite of golf on many dimensions. Stereotypes include the assumption that players are tall, and that the sport is mainly for men. Some also believe that basketball is an African American-dominated sport. (gunnoracle.com) Additionally, the ‘jock’ stereotype portrays athletes as unintelligent, but physically well-endowed.
Basketball is perhaps the sport most available for pick-up games. It requires minimal equipment, equipment is inexpensive, and hoops are everywhere from driveways to public parks.
Expensive Games
Many sports require substantial monetary investments for the equipment, training, and space to practice. Utopia.org broke down the costs of the most expensive sports today.
Formula One Racing
The cars alone can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Rather than competing individually, racers usually compete under the sponsorship of corporations. Over $1000 is typically spent on fuel for each car per race.
Racing is also environmentally expensive. F1 racing generates 256,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, with 72.7% of those emissions resulting from transporting equipment and personnel.
Sailing
Sailing is one of the most expensive sports globally. It requires a lot of equipment such as life jackets, grippy shoes, and weatherproof sunglasses—not to mention the cost of the boat itself. A trailer is necessary to transport it to the water, unless you rent a slip at a marina or live on water and have your own dock, etc. Even smaller sailing boats, such as the single-person Laser, have a starting price of around $2000 for a used model. For many, there are additional sailing club membership fees and lessons.
Bobsledding
Bobsleds are expensive, starting at around $30,000, so teams often rely on corporate sponsorship to pay for the sled, protective gear, training, and track rental. Bobsledding also carries significant risks; “sled head,” or concussion in bobsledders, affects 13-18% of participants, making it one of the most dangerous Olympic sports.
Tennis
At first glance, tennis requires only a racket, ball, net, and a partner. However, tennis ranks among the most expensive sports, primarily due to the fees associated with renting tennis courts, which can range from $50 to $100 per hour. Additional expenses may include competition entry fees, lessons, and specialized shoes and clothing.
Pentathlon
The pentathlon, which includes running, swimming, horseback riding, shooting, and fencing, is among the most expensive sports primarily due to the extensive equipment requirements. There may be additional costs for lessons or classes in each discipline.
Equestrian Games
Polo, known as an elite sport (participants include members of the British Royal Family), is quite expensive. Any sport involving horses requires substantial funds, but playing polo also involves club and tournament fees on top of the costs of training and keeping horses. Nevertheless, equestrian events— show jumping, dressage and eventing—are all expensive. Owning a horse is expensive in and of itself, including costs for feed, shelter, winter care, shoeing, and veterinary bills. If you don’t own a horse, you can expect “rent” payments as well as covering many of the expenses listed above.
Additionally, equestrian competitions involve the costs of equipment for both the horse and rider, transportation (such as a horsebox), and riding lessons. Sports involving horses are universally expensive.
Swimming
Swimming is a favorite sport for many, and for most people it isn’t particularly expensive. But competitive swimming can be costly. Large pool rental costs per week add up, in addition to training, gym sessions, specialized diet, and even hair removal to maintain the sleekest body.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey expenses include the cost of gear and ice rink rentals, which can be around $250 per hour. In addition, ice hockey players often suffer injuries, leading to substantial healthcare expenses. Altogether, the annual costs of playing ice hockey run in the thousands.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is more expensive than it looks at first glance. Competitive gymnasts often start training as very young children, taking regular classes for years. Those pursuing a professional career may also invest in private coaching, space in a dedicated gym, and travel to train and compete. Specialized equipment, such as vaults, balance beams, and climbing ropes, can quickly add up to serious costs.
Please note: Utopia.org includes more details and suggests less expensive alternatives for these expensive sports.
Not surprisingly, how people spend time, and the places they frequent, imply a lot about personality, lifestyle, and values. Sport are no exception. Knowing a person’s sport and game choices—both the activity and the level of involvement—often sets others up to make inferences about socio-economic standing, level of education, and more, as well as traits like openness and extraversion, competitiveness, work ethic, organization, and motivation.
Bottom Line: Sports and other games definitely play a role in how people are perceived. What do your hobbies say about you?
