Hello, there!
MUCH earlier in the semester, we all created research presentations on different aspects of the sports world - economics, social class, rivalries, etc. My presentation was on the psychology of the sports fan. We seem to be coming back to some of these topics fairly readily in the script, and so I thought it would be a good idea to explain a little more just what we’re talking about.
Let’s start with some science words. (Have you had your coffee yet? Good!)
There’s a certain aspect of neurology associated with fandom (not just of sports, but of anything, really) involving something called the mesolimbic system - which, basically, functions as a link between the opiodergic system and the dopaminergic systerm.
The opiodergic system controls our enjoyment of external stimuli. (Notice the root is similar to the word opiate, opium, etc?) When you really like something, it’s because these little things called opiods are finding lots of opiod receptors in your brain and latching on, creating a pleasant chemical reaction.
The dopaminergic system governs our want-to function. We receive a certain stimuli (like the smell of fresh cookies) which we’ve learned to associate with another stimuli ( the taste of fresh cookies) and, therefore, we are drawn toward that stimuli (or, pushed away, if the association was unpleasant.) This is the part of the brain that make Pavlovian conditioning (remember the dogs and the bell?) possible.
Combined, these two systems make up the mesolimbic system, which evolved to drive us toward things like food and sex, but other stuff sometimes gets caught up by it. When someone is a REALLY big fan of something, it’s because their opiodergic (liking) response is spilling over and causing a big reaction in their dopaminergic (wanting) center.
Another funny little brain function that contributes to fandom is something called a mirror neuron. A mirror neuron is partly responsible for our ability to sympathize with others, because it gives us the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Have you ever read a book and imagined yourself as the main character? You can thank your mirror neurons for that. Have you ever caught yourself behaving like that character in real life (maybe pretending your pencil is a magic wand, or quoting a line of dialogue in the context of your everyday speech?) You can thank your mirror neurons for that. A sports fan’s mirror neurons allow that fan to put him/herself in the place of their favourite athlete, sometimes so much so that they feel wins, losses, and good and bad plays as keenly as if they were actually a part of the game!
Finally, I’d like to talk a little about testosterone. You’re probably familiar with this as the “male” hormone, which contributes to things like aggression, sex drive, and the growth of body hair. You’d be correct, but don’t forget that, just like estrogen, testosterone is present in both sexes. It may seem like a no-brainer that people watching a sporting event experience elevated levels of testosterone... but it may surprise you that this surge follows the same pattern as male animals in the wild fighting over a potential mate. That’s right - watching sports makes you horny (IF you’re a fan.) The more you identify with a team, the hornier their success with make you. In fact, studies have shown that the level of arousal experienced by an avid fan watching their team win was comparable to that same fan being shown erotic images!
That’s all for now - catch you on the flip side.
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