The Psychology of Sports Fans

This week, we’ll be taking a different route with sport and psychology. We’ll be taking a look at the psychology of sports fans, specifically, me, a major sport fanatic.

The relationship sports fans have with their favorite teams and athletes can be described as somewhat unhealthy. A team’s win or loss has the ability to change a fan’s mood, for an entire day or even a week. This can be drastic, especially if a team or athlete performs differently from their norm. For example, the Golden State Warriors, a team who has won three championships within the past five seasons are currently at the bottom seed in the Western Conference. I can say, from what I’ve seen on social media, Warriors fans are having a rough time.

This example can also be used for athletes. I think of Russell Westbrook tearing his Meniscus during the 2013 NBA Playoffs. As an Oklahoma City Thunder fan, it was a really unfortunate situation, which was very saddening. Simply thinking about it hurts, especially, reflecting on Russ’s career with the Thunder, knowing that said era has come to an end. 

I also think of Kobe Bryant’s retirement, his final game on Wednesday, April 13^th, 2016. Memories of that day remain fresh in my mind. It was quite emotional for me. Kobe dropping 60 points that game made it even more so, that I even shed a tear. Why? Because it also made me reflect on Kobe’s career, or the parts of his career I was actually alive to witness, at least, and realize that it was done.

Since these examples are personal, I can certainly say that sports fans' emotional investments in their favorite teams and the careers of their favorite athletes, has an effect on their psyche, be it negative or positive.