I had only a retrospective, academic interest in the subject.我对这门学问仅有思古和纯学术性的兴趣。It was a question of only academic interest.这仅仅是一个理论上的问题。Since the championship has already been decided, this game is of purely academic interest.既然冠军归属已经确定,这场比赛就只有形式上的意义了。