I don't pretend to be speaking for all sports-obsessed persons (heretofore
referred to as "sops"), but as a rabid (complete with foaming mouth at a
bad official's call or boneheaded play by someone I'm rooting for) sports
fan, I can explain why I spend so much time watching Sportscenter and
checking out ESPN.com. For me, there's an identification with the
competitive spirit of athletics. The drive to "win" even through a
substitute ("Yay! We won!" even while I sat on my fat rear watching TV) is
compelling. I can complain when "we" play poorly, and I can feel superior
when "we" win. Vicarious experiences can be very powerful. Or maybe I'm
pathetic. Either way, the emotional highs and lows of following sports are
likely no different than individuals who identify (overidentify? if sops
are guilty of same) with tv shows (Survivor is a great example) or movies,
or even books. We lose ourselves in a compelling story, and sports provide
stories with every game, and even between them.
I gotta go check ESPN.com to see if Bill Parcells (former NY Giants -- "my
team"-- coach) was hired yet by Tampa Bay.
David W.
At 10:43 AM 1/15/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Can someone please explain to me why/how presumably intelligent people
>become so obsessed with the activities of a professional sports team with
>whom their only connection is that the team plays 1/2 of its games in a city
>close to where you live or have lived. I just don't get it. And don't tell
>me about how much you appreciate the athletic ballet, etc. because the fact
>of the matter is you are happy when your team wins and miserable when they
>lose, regardless of how ugly was the quality of the play. Help me out here.
>
>Ed
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
>Graduate Coordinator, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
>Department of Psychology,
>West Chester Univ. of Pennsylvania
>Office: 610-436-3151; Home: 610-363-1939; Fax: 610-436-2846
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, bluegrass fiddler and
>herpetoculturist ( http://www.adcham.com)
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Shameless self promotion: The Mill Creek Bluegrass Band performs every
>Tuesday night at Dugal's Inn, Mortonville, 8 miles west of West Chester, PA.
>Call 610- 486-0953 for directions.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
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David T. Wasieleski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology and Counseling
Valdosta State University
229-333-5620
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski
"This is a song about the everyday occurrences
that make me feel like letting go
Yes I'd say we've got a problem
So much for the afterglow..."
--Everclear
"So Much for the Afterglow"
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