For someone who sets out to change their social interactions, the author is surprisingly not very aware of dynamics at work here. The 'disdainful academics' are maintaining social boundaries just as much as the fans of a local team. Of course they go to great lengths to explain that to each other, they are actively maintaining that boundary. Whether or not you personally like or dislike sports, (or 'the other team') is very different from social displays which assert your allegiances. I do think there's something to be said for refusing to conform, however - whether that's telling your fellow academics they're missing out, or telling folks at the bar that professional sports are a lot less fun that throwing a ball around in the park.