As a lifelong sports fan, I know that when a Philly sports team wins a big game(which doesn’t seem to happen often) I am in a significantly better mood compared to when they lose. Some cities are lucky enough to have better sports team than others. This begs the question, does the outcome of your favorite sports team affect your mood? While I was thinking of this question, I could think of numerous stories of when the outcome of a sports game affected my mood, for better or worse. For example, when the Phillies won the 2008 MLB World Series, I felt much better the following days; compared to when the Flyers lost in the 2010 Stanley Cup. Even though all of these examples are anecdotes, I strongly believe that being a sports fan can play a role in how you feel emotionally.
Effect of Watching Sports
According to a study done by Knoll, Schramm and Schallhorn, they tested whether or not the outcome of a FIFA Men’s World Cup match affected the viewer’s self-esteem. They found that, “viewers of televised football(soccer) games were in a significantly better mood after watching their favored team win compared with before the game.” (Sage Journal) However, what would happen to a fan that just experienced their favorite team lose to a hated rival. According to Raney study done in 2006 titled, “Handbook of Sports and Media“, “enjoyment is thought to decrease the more the winning team is disliked by the viewer and/or the more the losing team is favored by the viewer.”(Raney) Both of these findings further prove that being a sports fan can be a emotionally roller coaster of peaks and valleys.
Role of Alcohol in Sports
Theses ups and downs of emotion can cause some people to make poor decisions. As many of us know from tailgating Penn State football games, alcohol goes hand-in-hand with most sporting events here at Penn State. To no one’s surprise, “48 percent of fans drink at sporting events.” according to a study done by Darin Erickson and others. After a tough loss and a little to much to drink, people can turn violent very quickly, also something that I’m sure most of us have witness(I know I have). By no means am I saying pre-gaming and tailgating before a sporting event is bad, but it can have some deadly consequences. This story of five 49ers fan beating up a Vikings fans in the parking lot after a game is just one of many stories that involve fights and alcohol at sporting events.
Healthy Side of Watching Sports
Despite the negative effects of mixing sports and too much alcohol, there can be many positive side effects of being a sports fan. For example, “Scientists have found that being a sports fan can be good for your emotional, psychological and social health.”(CNN) Furthermore, “Fans who identify with a local team have higher self-esteem, are less lonely and are no more aggressive as a group than non-sports fans.”(CNN) Not all sports fans are obnoxious people that will do anything to convince someone that their team is the best. Sports is a great outlet for people and allows them to not worry about the struggles of their everyday life and just focus on their favorite team. So despite the fact that being a sports fan could have some negative side effects, I will continue to sing, ‘Fly Eagles Fly’ and go crazy when the Flyers beat the Penguins.
I think the answer to the question “does watching sports effect your mood?” is an easy one. With people being so emotionally attached and obsessed with sports and their favorite sports team, it easy to see that depending on the outcome of the game/match, the fans mood can change from good to bad or bad to good. I live near Philadelphia, and the Eagles fans are probably the most passionate fan base in the entire sports world. They get extremely pissed when the Eagles lose, so its easy to tell that they are mad because of the loss.
Very interesting blog posts, growing up in a household that usually had sports on the TV, I agree that sports can be a mood changer. Sports are a great distraction from the real world, even if it’s just for a few hours. If you are stressed about school, work, or other aspects of life, I have found stepping away from those issues and watching a sporting event for a few hours can help you cope with those feelings. On the other hand, sports can also be a detriment to ones mood. For example, I know it’s also rough to wake up the next morning when your favorite sports team loses a game, especially when my beloved Steelers lose, it can almost make Monday’s after the game terrible and completely drain my mood
Hey John!
I found your blog really interesting because my family members are huge sports fanatics but I’m sad to say that they are die-hard Cowboys fans…sorry about that… But one thing that all sports fans have is their passion for the game. The aspect part of your blog which I found the most interesting was the alcohol aspect. Everyone in my family drinks while watching sports games and sometimes certain people have the tendency to get out of hand. According to this article Dr. Bruce Bartholow states “It’s not as though people do drunken things because they’re not aware of their behavior, but rather they seem to be less bothered by the implications or consequences of their behavior than they normally would be.” I found this highly accurate because I know from experience that people’s decisions once mixed with alcohol and football are far from normal. This would definitely be an interesting topic to look deeper into. I believe that there are significant reasons as to why people act the way they do when presented with the combo of alcohol and sports. More scientific research should definitely focus on this common correlation.
I definitely agree with this post that sports can affect a person’s mood. In our society sports is one of the biggest things that people will watch on TV or go to see as a live event. I even find myself reflective of this phenomenon, because I am so interested in sports and have several teams that I support and love to watch. I think an interesting way to continue to look at this theory would be to test what gender (male or female) is most emotionally effected by sports through their emotions. I would predict that males would be effected more, but the data may surprise us. Another idea would be to compare the ages of the viewers; if your age has any affect on how attached a person gets to sports & how that then goes on to affect their emotions.
I love this blog, mainly because I am huge Philly sports fan! I agree strongly that watching sports will affect your mood. I remember the 2008 World Series win as if it were yesterday – literally crouching behind my couch as Lidge was up anxious about what was about to happen next. Unfortunately, I also remember the 2010 Stanley Cup loss. Both defiantly took a different toll on my emotions/mood. The next day – into the week – after the World Series win, I was so pumped and energized and overall really happy! After the Flyers loss.. I was very pissed. With everything you stated – I also believe that watching sports can take a toll on future moods. For instance, I can’t stand the Blackhawks goal sound because it makes me so mad that we lost that. On the other hand – I went to the game where Lidge retired and it was so emotional. Overall, sports defiantly will change your mood, either for good or bad. Philly sports are life!! Beat the Giants!
I also agree that sports can alter people’s moods. An anecdotal example is my dad, being a huge Chicago sports fan is screaming at the TV screen as if they can hear him in excitement or anger. Something scary takes over him and makes him go crazy and I wonder why it could happen because if something good happens the mood totally alters to joy. I also agree with Sydney about how attendance and excitement is always higher on campus on Monday’s after a win compared to an ugly loss. It would be interesting to see if there was a correlation between sports and mood.
I completely agree, sports are an awesome outlet for people and provide not only entertainment but make a community feel smaller and more uniting. I think one of the biggest reasons why sports teams are divided based on where someone lives is for the sense of making people who live in the same region be able to unite and take pride in their hometown. Definitely just focusing on Penn State you can see that when we win a game everyone’s spirits are higher for the remaining week rather than when we lose. I like your mention of alcohol and its role in sports games. This article actually discusses that when a fan’s sports team loses, they are more likely to consume fats and sugars out of disappointment. Here’s the link:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/for-disappointed-sports-fans-defeats-increase-consumption-of-fat-and-sugar-2.html
I definitely agree that watching sports affects your mood. Most sports fans are so emotionally invested in their teams. I know, especially on this campus, that there is a huge difference in the mood of the students depending on if Penn State won or lost. I can always tell if Penn State has won, because students are yelling, and happy, and decked out in PSU gear. On Mondays after the game, i have noticed that students are more in attendance in class, and more awake. This is a very interesting topic and I would love to find out more information.