Have you ever yelled at a professional athlete through the TV, fully knowing they can’t hear you? Have you ever punched a wall, thrown a remote or shed a tear after a particularly disastrous performance? Or, like a friend of mine — a Steelers fan, unfortunately — have you experienced what was described as a ‘depressive tailspin’ after yet another playoff loss?
If you have, I’m here to tell you that you may be entitled to federal compensation.
Well, not actually, but I may be able to help in another way. With the NFL and college football seasons ending, millions of Americans are bracing to experience one of the worst possible human emotions: playoff disappointment.
It’s a feeling of emptiness — one that only comes when you know the season is definitively over. Sure, you can try saying that it was a good season and move on, but the sorrow is unavoidable.
There’s even some science behind this phenomenon. According to a study published by the Medical University of Vienna just before the 2014 World Cup, watching sports activates the brain’s “mirror neurons.” These are the same brain cells that make us automatically smile back at a happy face or feel sad when we see someone crying. In sports, it’s the same idea: The more we invest ourselves into each game, the more our brains lead us to believe that we are the ones playing. So, when we watch our teams lose, we not only feel let down by the athletes on the field but also partially personally responsible.
Unfortunately, this also means that the more sports one chooses to follow, the more likely one will have to endure this pain. As someone who watches everything from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague basketball to the Campeonato Brazilian Série A — with a favorite team in almost every league, to make things interesting — I willingly subject myself to frequent crushing blows of defeat.
Yet, I am also opening up the possibility of experiencing the euphoria of victory — when it all pays off. Similarly, I figure that the more teams I choose to support, the higher the chance that I will be able to cash in on my support each year in the form of my teams’ success.
However, this introduces a challenge. Supporting a greater number of teams — or individual athletes, such as tennis players — not only increases the potential for disappointment but also detracts from one’s ability to fully commit to and invest in the passion for a single team. If I’m so busy keeping up with Korean baseball’s Doosan Bears or Luke Littler’s performance in the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, how am I supposed to truly care about other teams and players that I want to like?
This is not to say that we shouldn’t explore all that is available in the wide sporting world, for I believe quite the opposite. Still, there may be ways to prepare ourselves for the inevitable highs and lows.
Accordingly, I present a simple 2-step plan to optimize sports fans’ experience. First, it’s important to identify what you care about most and ensure you devote enough attention to it. Thus, you can fully enjoy the satisfaction that comes when your team finally wins it all. (Or, if you’re a New York Jets fan — when your team finally makes the playoffs.) After that, all you can do is understand that being a fan will always be more difficult than pleasurable — and therein lies the beauty.
So, I implore all my dedicated readers to enjoy the journey, even when the road takes you somewhere you don’t want to go.
