Why we obsess over sports

The NCAA tournament is slowly upon us and it seems like everyone is hosting their own bracket competition. In my three years at Duke, no one has played with my heartstrings or stressed me out more than Duke basketball. My friends are still deciding if our bracket loser should be forced to sign up and take the SATs or take a two-hour shower—we are a creative bunch…

This all got me to thinking: why do we obsess over sports so much? Where did this all begin and just how did our obsession grow so big? I hardly stress for an exam, but when Duke is down with anything less than five minutes to go, my heart is suddenly pounding at 100 miles per hour.

Let’s start with the scientific reasons. You might have guessed that watching your team perform well will lead to an increase in testosterone levels, but dopamine and mirror neurons arguably play a greater role in our obsession. Dopamine not only fills us with a sense of euphoria, but also increases our memory and learning, which give us a greater desire to recreate the excitement we just can’t seem to forget. Moreover, mirror neurons often make our brains mimic the players’ we are watching on the screen or on court, making us feel like we were the ones to score that game-winning basket—I mean, LeBron James and I were basically the same person from the years 2010-2014.

Beyond scientific reasons, watching sports is akin to a Hollywood movie. Without even considering the beautiful acting performances by the best floppers in the industry, sporting events have become theatrical performances. They even have their own set of heroes, villains, back-stories and underdogs. In some ways, its even better than Hollywood. Unlike films, sporting events don’t have any pre-destined outcome and there is no guarantee that the average watcher will leave feeling satisfied. The “better” team doesn’t always win and the “good guys” don’t always get what they deserve.

It is inspiring to watch such raw emotion, amazing athletic feats and a pure determination to win. There are few other places that society deems an “acceptable” place for grown men to ball their eyes out—but then again, that’s a whole other issue. The most popular professional sports tend to be those we played as kids, and thus have formed a connection to for a very long time. After spending four years in high school running, I’ve definitely noticed this in my enjoyment for Olympic Track & Field.

So, why else do we obsess?

One of the biggest reasons is the fact that we are tribal creatures who are constantly searching for belonging by nature. I’m not saying this group mentality is a good thing, but it definitely helps explains the cults that form around a successful sports team. We feel stronger and more powerful when connected to a larger body of people. Becoming a part of team’s fan base and sharing in its common colors, traditions and enemies become a very powerful binding force. However, much like the blue and black, white and gold dress phenomenon, being a part of fan base sometimes blinds us to certain alternative perspectives. This is probably why everyone seems to hate on the refs.

Unlike politics or other pursuits, the barriers to entry in cheering for a sports team are quite low. The rules aren’t incredibly difficult and it’s pretty easy to just cheer when others do. I absolutely participated in what some might call “bandwagon-ing” behavior when cheering during soccer games in Barcelona this past semester.