History Main / SnootySports

* In ''Film/FallingDown'', a wealthy golfer is one of Foster's AssholeVictims.
-->''Guess what? You're going to die wearing that stupid little hat. Now how does that make you feel?''

Compare UpperClassEquestrian (the notion that owning horses is for rich people). They can overlap in cases where UsefulNotes/EquestrianSports are considered to be for the wealthy. See also TheGrandHunt, another pastime of the upper crust. (Significantly, tennis,[[note]]Most especially "court tennis" or "real tennis", the Renaissance-era game from which modern "lawn" tennis is descended[[/note]] polo, horse racing, and hunting are all traditionally called "the Sport of Kings".) Equestrian sports and hunting also bring up issues of animal cruelty, which also increases the resentment toward the upper class. WealthyYachtOwner overlaps in the case of sailing (although that trope also covers ''motorized'' yachts).

* Rugby is mentioned in the song "The Eton Rifles" by Music/TheJam as a game played by the Eton students that the working-class protagonist of the song gets into a fight with.

* After Marcus Brigstocke took a break from ''Radio/TheNowShow'' for a skiing holiday, he admitted on his return that this might be in conflict with his left-environmentalist credentials, but "I'm sorry. I'm posh; I like sliding!"

* In ''VideoGame/SimCity 3000'', if you unlock the "country club" reward, which features a golf course, your zoning advisor will advise you against approving it, saying it takes up too much room and the space should instead be used for low-income housing.
* Charles from ''VideoGame/SpaceColony'' is an OfficerAndAGentleman with an upper-class background and is also an avid golfer.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Tropico}}'' one of the many buildings the Capitalists may ask you to build are golf courses. They're categorized as luxury entertainment buildings catered towards the well-off or better, and give you a temporary bonus to the Capitalists' relations, who are often snobby and self-absorbed.

* Golf-related comic strips are a frequent source of SnarkBait from ''Blog/TheComicsCurmudgeon''.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' features a fight between Creator/AndreAgassi and Tiger Woods, which was described as the "War of the Wussie Sports". Before and during the fight, Nick and Johnny crack a lot of jokes about the snobbery associated with both tennis and golf, such as saying Agassi and Woods are "as thirsty for blood as they are for fancy bottled water".
* The 1949 ''WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}'' cartoon "Tennis Racquet" has a lot of jokes about how unpopular tennis was at the time. A long line of cars that appear to lead to the court is actually going to a flower show. The tightly packed spectators actually take up a small portion of the bleachers. The groundskeeper is seen cutting down six-foot-tall grass before the match as if it hasn't seen action all year; and is seen tending the court ''during'' the game, oblivious to the players running around him.

** "[[Recap/PhineasAndFerbShesTheMayor She's The Mayor]]": The rich mayor Roger Doofenshmirtz plays golf with his downtrodden brother Heinz, who finds the game so boring he creates an invention to speed up Roger playing just to get through it quicker.

->''"Golfing is a arrogant, elitist game which takes up entirely too much room in this country. Too much room in this country! It is an arrogant game on its very design alone, just the design of the game speaks of arrogance."''

* ''Anime/BirdieWing'' is about the dichotomy between a pair of young teen prodigies at golf. One the rich daughter of two professional golfers who run a multi-million dollar sports equipment company, who is on the junior pro tour, the other is a wrong-side-of-the-tracks underground hustler who uses the money she makes to support a family implied to be illegal immigrants.

* In ''Film/ViolentSaturday'', the golf club is exclusively the province of the upper class characters; some of whom (like Emily) don't even enjoy golf.

* ''Series/BlueMountainState'': "LAX" introduces BMS Lacrosse, which is a radical departure from BMS football's lifestyle. The members all wear sport coats and ties when not playing, their fathers are all insanely wealthy old-money types, and their house is a mansion with more high society gatherings in comparison to the football house's more casual frat-style parties.

* In ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'', Nathaniel is introduced as an antagonistic character in the second season. He's characterized as being largely about business, snootily looking down at the small-town residents of West Covina. The one visible chink in his professional facade is the fact he's obsessed with his water polo career at his Ivy League school, providing a double-whammy of pretentiousness.

* Music/WeirdAlYankovic recorded "Buckingham Blues" which satirized the British royal family, namely Prince Charles and (then) Princess Diana. The second stanza paints the sport of polo as the sport of snobs: "Chuckie wants to grow up / And be a polo star / And ride his little horsies / All around the backyard." Considering the upkeep on a horse is a money sink, this view is close to the truth.

* Central to the British sports-comedy movie ''Blackball'' - The snooty sport in question is Lawn Bowls[[note]]... which is kind of like Curling without all that exciting broom-related action[[/note]], while the protagonist is LowerClassLout Cliff Starkey, a stunningly talented bowler who isn't allowed to play at the local club because the membership committee are all snobs... and because he's a lout. Bizarrely, this was VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory.

* ''Series/TedLasso'': Lampshaded when Jack turns out to be great at minigolf:

* ''Manga/{{Bakuon}}'': Onsa doesn't think highly of cyclists calling them idiots while she views motorcycling as more awesome and convinces Onsa to get a motorcycle instead of riding her bike which leaves her all sweaty when getting up a steep hill to go to school.

* ''Series/TheWire'': People are surprised when they learn that the street-smart, African-American detective Bunk played lacrosse in college.

* In the GrandFinale movie of ''LightNovel/HowToRaiseABoringGirlfriend'', Akane Kousaka uses golf as a metaphor for how boring Tomoya's script is.

-->--'''Creator/GeorgeCarlin'''

-->'''Amy:''' I'm not used to these things. Not everyone grew up going to country clubs.
-->'''Jonah:''' I feel like you just think of me as this like, spoiled rich kid who spent all of his time playing tennis and golf.
-->'''Amy:''' All right, well, what did you grow up playing?
-->'''Jonah:''' Mostly tennis and some golf. Uh, and I was a pretty decent skier.
-->'''Amy:''' Ugh.

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* In ''{{Videogame/Tropico}}'' one of the many buildings the Capitalists may ask you to build are golf courses. They're categorized as luxury entertainment buildings catered towards the well-off or better, and give you a temporary bonus to the Capitalists' relations, who are often snobby and self-absorbed.

->'''Jonah:''' I feel like you just think of me as this like, spoiled rich kid who spent all of his time playing tennis and golf.\\
'''Amy:''' All right, well, what did you grow up playing?\\
'''Jonah:''' Mostly tennis and some golf. Uh, and I was a pretty decent skier.
-->-- ''Series/{{Superstore}}''

There are many different sports that exist in this world. There are worldwide sensations like American Football, Soccer, Hockey, Basketball, and Baseball, which millions of fans enjoy them. Then there are the sports that people who are considered to be of higher standards enjoy, such as golf, Polo, Racquetball, Fencing, Field Hockey, Croquet, and Sailing.

* ''Manga/{{Bakuon}}: Onsa doesn't think highly of cyclists calling them idiots while she views motorcycling as more awesome and convinces Onsa to get a motorcycle instead of riding her bike which leaves her all sweaty when getting up a steep hill to go to school.
-->'''Onsa:''' Why is it that every jerk riding a bicycle acts like such an idiot?!\\\

There are many different sports that exist in this world. There are worldwide sensations like Football, Soccer, Hockey, and Baseball, where millions of fans enjoy. Then there are the sports that people who are considered to be of higher standards enjoy, such as Golf, Polo, Racquetball, Fencing, Field Hockey, Croquet, and Sailing.

Various other reasons may include them being considered too slow or boring, not being considered a real sport by most of the populace, the players not being very good at it, the ImpossiblyTackyClothes that are often worn (especially in golf), or the rules do not seem to make sense to a non-player. Golf, in particular, meets all these criteria, which is why it has a bad reputation. It's expensive, hence its association with snobby old rich people, and according to many stats and polls, [[https://www.glencorgolf.com/blog/is-golf-the-most-boring-sport-to-watch/ golf is voted the most boring sport]] [[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-11/chart-of-the-day-boring-sports/9749146?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment in many countries]].

Contrast with any bowling tropes as bowling is a sport largely considered more of a blue-collar sport, and low brow. Contrast also with any ball games which are usually available to everyone since they only require balls. (But contrast with SoccerHatingAmericans for another sport being a common target of mockery.)

-->--''Series/{{Superstore}}''

There are many different sports that exist in this world. There are worldwide sensations like Football, Soccer, Hockey, and Baseball, where millions of fans enjoy. Then there are the sports which people who are considered to be of higher standards enjoy, such as Golf, Polo, Racquetball, Fencing, Field Hockey, Croquet, and Sailing.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snooty.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:All expensive.[[note]]From top to bottom: ''Series/CrashLandingOnYou'', ''Series/NewGirl'', ''Film/DieAnotherDay''.[[/note]]]]

In general, sports that are perceived as upper-class but which are more active (such as tennis) tend to be met with less disdain than more sedentary-seeming sports like golf or croquet. Which sports are perceived as snooty can vary by country as well; while in most of the world, the stereotype of rugby is that RugbyIsSlaughter, in Britain it often carries connotations of a player having an upper-class, public school educated background. Another way sports can be seen as snooty is if they're primarily played in college or otherwise considered "preppy", such as lacrosse or field hockey.

Contrast with any bowling tropes as bowling is a sport largely considered more of a blue collar sport, and low brow. Contrast also with any ball games which are usually available to everyone since they only require balls. (But contrast with SoccerHatingAmericans for another sport being a common target of mockery.)

'''Note:''' This isn't just about a wealthy person playing a sport of the upper-class. It's about the snootiness associated with the sport and the people playing it.

* In the ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'' episode "Adam Ruins: the Suburbs," as Adam explains to [[AudienceSurrogate Ron]] that his suburban neighborhood is an example of modern day racial segregation, Ron tries to deny it, but labels yuppie neighbor practicing his golf swing across the streets as "[[NotHelpingYourCase a bad example.]]"

* In ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'', Nathaniel is introduced as an antagonistic character in the second season. He's characterized as being largely about business, snootily looking down at the small-town residents of West Covina. The one visible chink in his professional facade is the fact he's obsessed with his water polo career from his Ivy League school, providing a double-whammy of pretentiousness.

* ''Series/KimsConvenience'': In "Tennis Anyone?", Mr. and Mrs. Kim pretend that they're rich in order to play at a private tennis court in an upper-class neighbourhood. They play with a well-off couple and become friends, but the Kims feel that they need to keep inflating how much money they have to maintain their charade, assuming their new tennis friends will look down on them if they find out the Kims just own a small convenience store. Eventually the Kims build themselves up so much that the couple thinks the Kims are too rich and snobby for them.

* A lampshaded aversion: During the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, John Niven wrote in his column in the Scottish ''Daily Record'' that golf was the perfect social distancing sport, and said that if the Conservative Government had allowed it to continue over lockdown, all golfers in the country would have voted for them. He then said that when he mentioned this on social media, he was beseiged with English people saying all the golfers in the country ''did'' vote for them, and he had to explain that the "golf = posh" association doesn't really exist in Scotland, which may have some absurdly exclusive golf clubs, but also many municipal courses with relatively cheap green fees.

* TruthInTelevision; A lot of people really hate golf. It's a relatively slow paced sport that, for most of its history, could not be played by certain groups, and to this day is mostly associated with wealthy men. There's also the fact that golf requires a lot of land and a lot of water, making golf a form of ConspicuousConsumption in many parts of the world, such as in the American Southwest where droughts are a common occurrence. For example, during drought conditions in much of Europe in 2022, water-use restrictions in southern France specifically exempted golf courses. This led to widespread criticism of golf being a waste of water and good land on a hobby for the wealthy, even to the point of activists sneaking onto courses at night and filling the holes with concrete.

Compare UpperClassEquestrian (the notion that owning horses is for rich people). They can overlap in cases where UsefulNotes/EquestrianSports are considered to be for the wealthy. See also TheGrandHunt, another pastime of the upper crust. (Significantly, tennis, polo, horse racing, and hunting are all traditionally called "the Sport of Kings".) Equestrian sports and hunting also bring up issues of animal cruelty, which also increases the resentment toward the upper class. WealthyYachtOwner overlaps in the case of sailing (although that trope also covers ''motorized'' yachts).

Compare UpperClassEquestrian (the notion that owning horses is for rich people). They can overlap in cases where UsefulNotes/EquestrianSports are considered to be for the wealthy. See also TheGrandHunt, another pastime of the upper crust. Equestrian sports and hunting also bring up issues of animal cruelty, which also increases the resentment toward the upper class. WealthyYachtOwner overlaps in the case of sailing (although that trope also covers ''motorized'' yachts).

* ''Series/TheGildedAge'': One early scene takes place at a fantastically wealthy BlueBlood croquet party.

%%* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': TheGrandHunt is made so because the stag King Viserys 'hunts' is tied so it can't defend itself or flee when he strikes. %% How is this an example? Explain better.
* In ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'', the gang has bugged someone's apartment with a baby monitor; when they hear nothing but TV coverage of golf tournaments they think that there must clearly be something wrong with someone who voluntarily watches golf games for hours on end on TV.

* ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask(1977)'' depicts croquet as a snooty sport. It's being played on the immaculate palace lawn of King Louis [=XIV=], with the King himself as a participant, along with some of his nobles. Colbert steps up to drive his ball through the final wicket when Duval discretely inquires, "Can you make it?" Colbert's response is, "And risk another royal tantrum? I shall miss by a league." Immaculate lawns are few and far between in war-ravaged, starving France at the time.

* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': TheGrandHunt is made so because the stag King Viserys 'hunts' is tied so it can't defend itself or flee when he strikes.

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' had a recurring sketch called "Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly"; in one episode, there was a guest "American Tennis Hooligan" played by Creator/DavidHydePierce who wore tennis whites and whose "hooliganism" consisted of shifting in his seat and coughing (as opposed to the Scottish soccer hooligans' headbutting, throwing darts at opposing fans, burning effigies, pitch invasions, etc). Eventually, the Scottish hooligans beat him up.

* ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'': In the episode "Election", David Horton, in his role as district councillor, has "generously" got the council to provide Dibley with a public golf course, on the assumption that, as the only posh person in the area, this would basically be his private course. Geraldine threatens him by getting the entire village to start playing golf until he fulfills his campaign promises.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': In "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE6TheTerribleTrio The Terrible Trio]]", [[MillionairePlayboy rich playboy]] Bruce Wayne is shown to be quite proficient at skeet shooting, and entertains his rich guests with it at a party. This is especially notable given his own hatred for guns as Batman.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Adrien and Kagami both come from rich backgrounds and do fencing.

->'''Jonah:''' I feel like you just think of me as this like, spoiled rich kid who spent all of his time playing tennis and golf.
->'''Amy:''' All right, well, what did you grow up playing?
->'''Jonah:''' Mostly tennis and some golf. Uh, and I was a pretty decent skier.