Startling statistic reveals Australia's declining interest in sport

You might know of one. You might even be married to one or work alongside one.

Your mate might even be one, although it’d be hard to see any friendship lasting the distance once the admission was made.

We’re talking about people who are not into sport.

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Yep, it’s hard to believe but these people do walk amongst us in Australia.

And now there are the stats to confirm the existence of the living dead.

A YouGov survey has revealed 28 per cent of respondents didn’t care for sport, rising to 35 per cent among females.

Think about that for a minute. Imagine a life where you didn't lose your shit over a free kick that wasn't given or obsess over Tom Trbojevic's hamstring.

Imagine not looking at your team's draw every time your partner invites people over and suggesting the visitors arrive at 9.30pm because that'll be full-time….ah, I mean a better time to eat.

Or not sneaking a look at your phone every 90 seconds when you’ve been summoned to a wedding between two people who clearly have no clue that September is NOT the month to declare your love for anything but finals footy.

Sydney University senior sports lecturer Steve Georgakis can confirm there are people who are just not into anything that requires physical exertion – either as a fan or participant.

While Georgakis stopped short of saying we need to purge these people from our lives, he does understand why the numbers of sport's non-believers are on the rise.

"The majority of those people are saying I couldn’t care less about sport," he told Yahoo Sport Australia.

"It's pretty clear that for a lot of Australians, sport doesn’t have that symbolic meaning.

"Anecdotally you can tell and these figures show it.

"Sport has lost its influence in the school setting. There's definitely not as many people playing sport in schools as there once was and if you're not playing it, why would you really be engaged in it?

"Clearly there has been a decline of sport in the school system."

Sport helps people feel part of a community

Dr Georgakis also confirmed what most of us already know. Without sport, life can be empty.

He said: "We know that. That's an absolute given. The big word now is wellbeing and one of the major wellbeing devices was sport.

"Getting involved in sport is not just about weight loss or having fun.

"If you participate or engage in sport in some way, you are being part of a community and it's important to have passion for your community.

"It's that tribalism we talk about…being part of something."

One last thing while we've got you, Doc Georgakis.

Just checking it's still okay to look up the cricket score while you’re at a funeral?

"As long as it's quick and discreet," he laughed.

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