Into the Mind of a Sports Fan

Will Denio, Lion's Roar Staff

LHS sophomore Chris Cooke remembers pacing back and forth, anxiously waiting for a miracle to happen. Game seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Boston Bruins versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins trailed four to one with twelve minutes to go in the third period. Boom, Nathan Horton scored with nine minutes to go. Eight minutes later Milan Lucic scored to bring the game within one.

With fifty seconds left, Patrice Bergeron hit a clutch goal to tie it up and bring the game into overtime. At this point Chris Cooke, an avid Bruins fan, was going crazy. His homework that he was previously working on was thrown into the air after Bergeron’s goal. In overtime, the Bruins completed one of the most notable comebacks in history. Bergeron got the rebound and scored the goal, and him and his teammates jumped on the boards and into history. As the Bruins celebrated their victory, so did thousands of fans around the world, and as if he was the Stanley Cup, Chirs’s dad hoisted him in the air. When looking at the psychology of a sports fan, a lot can be seen on the surface, but there is more to be seen than the common eye catches.

Being a sports fan is a very healthy activity, and cheering on a favorite team can be a very good way to cope. According to Daniel Wann, a professor at Murray State University, “Fandom connects us to other like-minded people, which satisfies our human need for belonging.”

For some, sports become an escape. Fans wait anxiously for Sunday football games, and under the lights baseball games. When you are waiting to see your favorite team play, it can make the day, week, or month that much easier. Sports become something to look forward to watching, but with this also comes a reverse effect. Take the National Football League for example, the majority of the games are played on Sunday afternoons, and when your whole week builds up to that day, it gets exciting.

But as we know, in every game there is a winner or a loser, and if your whole week builds up to one moment, and your team loses, it can be quite the let down. The great thing about sports is that everyone can find an aspect to love. Sports are super intricate and have many different sides. LHS sophomore Christian Protano remembers his favorite sports moment, one that hits a little closer to home. “My favorite sports moment was definitely when Colby Acciardo scored the game winner against East Greenwich with two seconds left of the LHS hockey team’s season opener.”

Being a sports fan can provide an outlet for those who love the sport. People that may not have been super successful as an athlete, can appreciate the sport as a fan and spectator. Opportunities stem from sports all the time, and fans gain a way to express themselves through their favorite teams.