Being a sports fan can be good for your health, helping create a sense of belonging, happiness and fulfillment that can ward off depression and boost self-esteem.
That's according to Susan Krauss Whitbourne, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who conducts adult personality development research, and has recently focused on how one's dedication to a sports team can affect life and health.
"Identification with any cause larger than yourself is beneficial for mental health. When it comes to your team's winning, obviously it's good for your emotions when they win, but some people actually like rooting for the underdog, it fits with their sense of wanting to be different so their identity is wrapped around being the underdog supporter," she said.
"It is better when they win and our mood is boosted, but some people just really don't care about the winning, they care about the whole experience."
Krauss Whitbourne, author of The Search for Fulfillment, also found that those who follow a local sports team as opposed to one based in another city have a greater sense of belonging and fulfillment because they feel connected to their community.
Of course there can also be negative outcomes in the lives of those whose emotional wellbeing is tied directly to a sports team's performance. Turning frustration with a team's performance into a verbal attack on a coach, lashing out at opposing fans or coming home in a foul mood after a game are all harmful forms of behaviour.
With that in mind, Krauss Whitbourne offers these five tips for the relatively unenthusiastic partners of dedicated sports fans:
Join the fun: There is bound to be conflict between two people in a relationship when one is a dedicated sports fan, and the other is not. So, Krauss Whitbourne suggests the non-sports fan make the effort to learn the basics of the game their partner loves.
"Go online and learn about the rules of the sport and start reading the local paper, websites, or fan blogs. This will at least give you some familiarity such as knowing there are four quarters in U.S. football, 9 innings in a baseball game, and two halves in soccer," Krauss Whitbourne wrote in a recent blog for Psychology Today.
Get your own hobby: If you simply can't find a way to appreciate your partner's obsession, find your own! Stick around and knit, catch up on emails, or read a book during the game.
"While you’re doing this, you may find that through osmosis you do learn more about the game and perhaps even start to enjoy it," she wrote.
Get inside their head: Chances are, the sports fan in your life didn't develop their obsession by chance. They didn't choose their favourite team based on the colour of their uniform or the fact they happen to have a deep affinity with the animal used on their logo. Often their attachment comes from previous generations -- a father or grandfather who took them to games as a child. Or perhaps their city's only claim to fame is their team's success (or lack thereof). Understanding the roots of the attachment, Krauss Whitbourne wrote, will help create an understanding of where the fandom comes from and why it matters so much.
"Once you recognize that it’s not 'only' just a team, you will not only be more patient with his or her partner’s devotion, but also gain insight about what makes your partner tick.”
It's not about you: Don't get jealous of your partner's devotion to their team. Realize that their loyalty likely has nothing to do with their feelings for you. Instead of forcing them to turn off the game in the vital dying minutes, to have a romantic dinner instead, try to plan ahead and come up with a compromise that works for everyone -- an early or late dinner, or switch up the night to avoid a conflict with the game.
"Keep in mind that your partner’s love for the team may not seem to you to be as 'important' as this other obligation. However, it is important to your partner."
Understand that losing sucks: While it's true that some fans revel in supporting a losing team, it still hurts to lose and often the result is a grumpy and irrational post-game fan. But eventually the "there's always next year" mantra -- one familiar to Toronto Maple Leafs fans -- will kick in.
"Whatever you do, don’t use this as an opportunity to try to convert your partner to a non-fan. Treat your partner with a little extra kindness during that phase. By understanding why your partner feels so strongly about the team, you’ll find that this to be much easier to do."
Tips from a recent blog written by Krauss Whitbourne
