Book review about sport journalism

EAC 955 NBA NBB Week 9

The Psychology of Sports And Its Sociological Impact II

Introduction

In this unit, we will examine some additional areas concerning both the psychology and sociology of sports. Specifically, we will:

· look at fanatical actions by fans;

· sports addiction;

· the emotional costs of franchise relocations;

· discuss whether it is possible to “divorce” your favourite team;

· examine the concept of superstition both by players and fans; and finally,

· look at the issue of “scapegoating” – the irrational “blame game” for crushing defeats.

As you know by now, EAC 955 is a thinking person’s course on the complexities of sports. Get ready to be challenged in your thinking on a variety of topics that are seldom contemplated upon. Why do we support teams with more loyalty than most marriages? Why do we put on lucky socks to help our favourite franchise win games? What happens to fans communities when their home team relocates to another city? And how did Aubrey Huff’s “Rally Thong” win the 2010 World Series? ;-) and why can’t it win more? I had you at thong. Right? O.K. Keep reading.

This lecture is divided up into 6 sections. The first covers at the concept of fan loyalty by examining some of the crazy things a certain segment of people will do for their teams including hilarious pranks against rival supporters.

As some of you know, the low key word “fan” is the short form derivation of “fanatic.” Most of us who cheer on our favourite teams or athletes fall under this softer version this word. Others though, clearly go overboard. Some for example, become so obsessed in their support, that they develop a clinical addiction that mirrors many of the same problems as those who wrestle with drug or alcohol abuse. Their emotions rise and fall with the success of their team or player. As a result, this addiction can lead to a variety of personal relationship or workplace issues. Some fans may also spend ridiculous sums of money to feed their habit.

Closely related to the topic of addiction, is franchise relocation. What happens to fans- both addicts and regular supporters alike when their favourite team moves to another city? Do they still cheer for their team? Do they stop watching the sport? What is the psychological and sociological impact on their communities?

And what about fed up fans- those who have had enough with losing records? Can they just walk away? Half of all marriages end in divorce and people make vows, usually to God that they will stay together. Fans make no such vow and yet there is virtually nothing that will stop them from cheering for the team that they grew up with. Yes, they will whine and complain, but find me anyone, and I mean anyone who totally gave up on a franchise and never came back. Heck people have no problem leaving the cities or towns that they came from. Sports loyality is really, really strange. My best explanation boils down to the concept of “imprinting.”

Next, we’ll discuss the concept of superstition in sports. Once again, some fans engage in some pretty ridiculous superstitious rituals to “help” their teams win the championship. Athletes do so as well. We’ll examine their rituals and assess the merits of superstition in sport from a psychological perspective. And finally, we will examine the topic of scapegoating. Fans like to blame a loss on a single event rather than all the other factors that went into a loss. If a player or fan somehow is responsible for a bad play, he or she should not be made the scapegoat- especially in team sports?

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, you will be able to gain a better understanding of:

· sports fanaticism from a psychological perspective;

· the psychological impact that the relocation of sports franchises have on fans;

· the addictive aspects of sports fanaticism;

· the psychological and sociological impact of sports rivalries, and

· superstitious behaviour in the games that we love and its merits.

Glossary

· Psychology

· Sociology

· Schadenfreude

· Franchise Relocation

· Imprinting

· Intermittent Reinforcement

· Sports Addiction

· Superstition

· Scapegoating

· Placebo Effect

Psychology And Sociology

For those of you unfamiliar with the terms psychology and sociology, the former normally focuses on the study of the mind on an individual level. The latter tends to look at the “collective mind” of larger numbers of people. If you are in a business program think of psychology as being analogous to “microeconomics” (the small picture) and sociology as “macroeconomics” (the big picture). There’s more to these definitions that what I have provided but for our purposes, you will see how both of these disciplines apply to sport and how oftentimes they merge.

If your computer is capable of processing online video, please watch the following videos. If your computer can’t, again, don’t worry about it, simply read the text portion of this online lecture.

Once again, this is just a reminder that whenever you see words that are capitalized, in big letters, have been bolded, coloured, underlined, or highlighted, I am simply trying to emphasize something. Please don’t assume that I’m writing in anger here. Thanks.

Section I: Funny Fans

Funny Break

Some fans know how to have a good time. My personal favourite is from a 2009 Hockey News story entitled “Tooth or Consequences” that I can’t find anywhere online. I’m going on memory here as I read through it while at the grocery store. Here it goes.

Two friends in their late fifties liked to do pranks on one another. Rob MacGregor, a dentist from Kentville Nova Scotia and die hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan, punked his lifelong friend and avid Montreal Canadiens supporter Richard Galpan of nearby Coldbrook big time. Galpin had chipped his tooth the day that the two, along with a bunch of other buddies and wives, were going to go out for dinner.

Dr. MacGregor took his pal into his office and fixed the tooth. He also decided to take his repair to another level by adding two decal stickers of Toronto Maple Leaf’s logos on Galpan’s front teeth. MacGregor then added several coats of clear resin to seal them. After finishing his work, the kind doctor drove his buddy to the gathering where everyone was in on the gag.

No one said anything but a few smiled quite a bit. Galpan eventually had to go to the washroom where he saw something strange on his teeth. Upon closer inspection, the “filthy blue and white” logos were showing their true colours. He tried scraping them off with his fork with no such luck. Two days later, after a lot of testy comments, MacGregor finally removed the decals.

Here are some other hilarious pranks by fans.

Harvard Sucks

During the 2004 Yale-Harvard football game, a group of Yale students posing as the non-existent "Harvard Pep Squad" convinced the Harvard Crimson Red cheering section to hold up coloured placards to create a mosaic that supposedly displayed, "GO HARVARD." Or so these supporters thought.

Instead, the letters spelled "WE SUCK." These Crimson Red fans were unaware of what they were doing throughout the entire game. Doh.

Ari”xxx”ona State’s Devilish Rivals

A rival fan of the Arizona State Sun Devils, pranked this university by creating a website that has a domain name very similar to the one used by this university and filled its pages with naked people linked to some nudist website. Kids these days.

As you can see from these examples, fans are willing to go to great lengths to cheer their teams on. Their love and support is incredibly intense. Their loyalty is oftentimes greater than that found in most marriages.

Cheering For Laundry

I always liked comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s take on fans:

“Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify because the players are always changing, the team can move to another city, you're actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it. You know what I mean? You are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city. Fans will be so in love with a player, but if he goes to another team, they boo him. This is the same human being in a different shirt! They hate him now! Boo! Different shirt!! Boo!"

Section II: The Psychological and Sociological Impact of Sports Rivalries

A huge part of our enjoyment of sports involves rivalries.

Yankees vs. Red Socks, Celtic Vs Rangers, Liverpool vs. Manchester United, Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona, Leafs vs. Habs, Michigan vs. Ohio State, India vs. Pakistan cricket, Gretzky vs. Lemieux, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, Nicklaus vs. Palmer.

These are just a few of the historic rivalries that have lead to riots, bar fights or hilarious stunts done by fans- well not so much Nicklaus and Palmer- but I believe that you get my drift here? Right?

The Psychological Impact of Rivalries: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Rivalries in sports can have a profound psychological impact on athletic performances. As was covered in the first lecture on sports psychology, the most important determinant for success on the field, court, pitch or arena is determined by what thoughts run through athlete’s minds.

Nothing motivates athletes more than rivalries. For example, in MLB, it does not matter how bad a roster either the New York Yankees or Boston Red Socks have, both will elevate their performances whenever they face each other. It is generally a rare event to see two bitter rival sports franchises play games or series with each other that end up as blow-outs. Too much pride is at stake for such occurrences. And if this happens, the motivation to get even the next time around only intensifies.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Likewise, rivalries among two closely matched players, oftentimes helps elevate their overall skill levels. This makes sense. Just think of those times of competition that you have been involved in. For instance, you might recall a rivalry that you may have had with a fellow student. Your desire to either beat or catch up to him or her likely raised your grades.

There is an expression in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible that best summarizes this concept of rivalries and elevated performance: “Iron sharpens iron.” (Proverbs 27:17) That is, iron won’t be sharpened by tin. It needs something of at least equal strength to become what it should be.

For example, there is no way that Mario Lemieux would have achieved his level of greatness without using Wayne Gretzky as his benchmark. And likewise, Gretzky in the second half of his career finally had someone whom he had to always look over his shoulder in order to maintain and boost his performance.

I always recommend to my students, if you really want to ace a course, find a study partner to work with- someone who is basically your equal. The two of you working together will draw out the very best that you have to offer, and in the process, significantly improve your grades.

Competitiveness at the elite levels of professional sports is far beyond anything that you and I will ever experience. We are talking about the top 100 to 500 athletes on the planet fighting for roster spots and financial pay dirt in their respective leagues. To get to their level, they have to be HYPER COMPETITIVE- both on and off the field. It doesn’t matter if these individuals are playing a video game or fishing, they HAVE to win. This innate aspect of their personality types is what drives them to succeed.

Toxic Competitiveness

In some instances though, as we have covered, competitiveness can become quite toxic. Mike Tyson resorting to biting-off the earlobe of his opponent Evander Holyfield or figure skater Tanya Harding having someone try to break Nancy Kerrigan’s knees are vivid examples.

Interestingly enough, oftentimes, the bitterest of rivals end-up becoming the closest of friends. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are two such examples. Perhaps, with time, and sharing so many similar experiences, they came to realize how much they actually needed one another in order to become the superstars that they came to be.

The Sociological Impact of Rivalries: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Other rivalries have a sociological impact (influencing large groups of people). For instance, they sometimes can promote nationalism. Canada v. Russia in hockey or Canada v. USA in both hockey and women’s soccer have intensified our nation’s patriotic fervor.

In some instances, a battle on the pitch or in an arena between two rival nations might help vent political tensions. This is especially true for the country that wins the contest. Fans of the victorious country, feeling a sense of pride and elation, are not likely thinking of going to war. Such victors may even feel a bit more charitable to their enemy.

Likewise, if an opposing team shows great sportsmanship, it becomes harder to hate that rival nation (and thus its citizens) when both its players and fans have behaved with class and dignity. Potentially, anyways, such instances might help reveal the “humanity” on the opposing side and help cool tensions. Of course, if the rival team and its fans live up to their perceived “bad guy” image, then more fuel is thrown into the fire.

Depending on who you cheer for, you belong to a certain tribe. Sociologically speaking, stereotypes of your tribe and its fans are generated in which some are thought worse than others- sorry Philadelphians or British soccer/football supporters. Forget reason and logic on this matter. If you cheer for a certain squad, you are ALL the same. Of course, this is ridiculous but when you get into any sport, you tend to shut down the logical left side of your brain and focus on the emotional right side’s funhouse mirrored perspective. So, yes, I reluctantly admit that there are good and intelligent Leaf’s and Bruins’ fans out there. But saying so, makes me want to upchuck. ;-)

Rivalries are often vehicles for friends to tease one another. The opening example of Leafs’ fan/dentist Rob MacGregor and Habs’ supporter Richard Galpan are vivid examples of the pranking that oftentimes takes place among rivals. As a generality, men oftentimes love to razz each other- particularly under settings that involve sports. No ill will is really intended. Other times, though, especially either during the heat of the moment or when alcohol is involved, things can get ugly and dentists are not enameling Leaf logos on patient’s teeth but breaking them with their fists.

We have covered how some of these extremes are manifested in the lecture on Sports Violence. So, there is no point going there. One thing that I feel fits perfectly into this lecture though, is the concept of “shadenfreude.”

Schadenfreude

There is a German word that every sports fan should know. It’s Schadenfreude; which means:

“Taking pleasure, oftentimes malicious pleasure, at somebody else's misfortune. “ When it comes to sports, all of us are guilty of either blatantly rubbing it in or secretly smirking at the pain of certain teams and their fans.

For example, when the Toronto Maple Leafs lost their playoff series in overtime to the Boston Bruins on lucky May 13th of 2013; after taking a commanding 3 game lead and going up by 3 goals with just 11 minutes to go in the third period; here is what one Hab’s fan wrote on a Montreal Canadiens’ related website forum:

“I recorded the last 15 minutes of the game and will save it indefinitely. Whenever I feel sad, inadequate, or blue, I will watch it and smile. I’m going to tell my kids, please, if I am ever in a coma, bring my PVR to the hospital and playback the game before deciding whether or not to pull the plug on my ventilator. Chances are I will wake up smiling. Long live schadenfreude!”

Brutal, eh?

My late father-in-law used to donate to the Salvation Army because “they never kicked a man when he was down.” The same should apply to how we behave with fans of rival teams.

As you know, I am a hard core Habs fan but I genuinely feel sorry for what you Leaf supporters had to endure after this difficult loss- especially little kids. I have NEVER mentioned this game to any of my friends who cheer for Toronto. Why rub salt into their wounds? Why kick a man when he is down? That’s just mean.

At the same time, 99% of us “nice people” have a smirk in our heads when such once in a lifetime misfortune happens to the teams that we “hate.” We all have this dark side in us, don’t we?

The point that I am trying to make here though is how intense, irrational and downright mean we can get when it comes to supporting our favourite clubs. Schadenfreude is very pervasive among fans. Indeed, many get more pleasure seeing their “enemies” lose than watching their team garner a couple of points.

Potential Discussion Board Question

What’s your take on Schadenfreude? Forget about those of you who openly spew your hatred of teams. I’m more interested in those of you, like myself, who secretly smile on the misfortune of rival clubs. Feel free to fess-up on the discussion board and give us an example. As always, any questions in my lectures are optional ones. You can instead answer one of the questions that I provided in the forum itself. The choice is yours.

Section III: The Psychological Impact Of Franchise Relocations

The Expos Say Farewell

The following CBC news report involves the last game of Major League Baseball’s Montreal Expos that were relocated to Washington. What were the key differences between the Expo’s departure and that of the Jets’?

http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-1799-12218-10/on_this_day/sports/twt

If you are interested in seeing other news clips related to the challenges that Canadian sports franchises face, then visit the following website produced by CBC archives: http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-41-1639/sports/nhlexodus/

The Impact Of Franchise Relocation On The Loyal Fans Left Behind

Major league professional sport franchise relocation is not uncommon. Dozens of big league teams have left one market for another since the early 1980s. Interestingly enough though, little is known about what psychologically happens to fans in the years after the move. What for instance would you clinically insane members of “Leafs Nation” do if your favourite team moved to say Kansas City? Who would you root for? Would you support the KC Leafs or Barbeque Saucers- or whatever other nick name they used?

Few scholars have looked at the impact of relocation on sport fans. One of the best studies to date comes from Craig G.Hyatt who examined the effects on fans of the relocated NHL franchise the Hartford Whalers (now known as the Carolina Hurricanes). Hyatt observed three key things from these supporters.

First, only a few Whalers fans transferred their allegiance to the Carolina Hurricanes after the relocation. Most did not. The majority of the individuals interviewed said that they no longer had a favorite NHL team and only causally paid any interest to the Hurricanes. As one of the respondents in Hyatt’s study put it,

“Think about it this way, it's like if I had a painful divorce.” (Hyatt, “Who Do They”)

And unlike divorcees, only a few of them were willing to look elsewhere for a new team to support. And this makes sense.

There is something incredibly addictive about fan loyalty. Severing ties and starting anew is no easy task. I’ll give you my own personal example below but hang in there.

The reason for this loyalty is that it is programmed into us during our early formative years. That is, Kent State University and sport marketer Jeff James argues that if you win over a fan when he or she is very young, you basically win them over for life.

In 2001, James interviewed children of different ages and found that those who had a resistance to change were more loyal to their favorite team than children that did not resist change. For the vast majority of us, we were such children and remain so as adults. (Hyatt, “Who Do They”)

Hyatt also found that these Whaler fans had lost considerable interest in all professional sports. One of the main reasons for this was that they were afraid of getting hurt once more. As one tearful fan, who also cheered for the MLB Boston Red Sox, put it,

"I watch the Red Sox, but not as hard- I don't get emotionally involved.... Because I don't want to go through this again." (Hyatt, “Who Do They”) On a separate but related topic, Hyatt citing a study performed by researcher John Lewis’ in 2001 found that fans could be grouped into two different categories. Those who:

1. pledged allegiance to the team name/logo and thus cheered for their former team in their new home as long as it kept the original team name/logo, and;

2. fans who would only cheer for teams in their hometown. (Hyatt, “Who Do They”)

Losing your favourite team due to relocation can be a very hard thing to cope with given how many fans invest a tremendous amount of their emotions to cheer on their heroes. As mentioned above, one fan likened the loss of his team to a divorce. That’s how much emotional capital was invested into this club.

The bottom line then is that for loyal fans, relocation sucks. It robs them of something to cheer for and weakens their support of other teams playing in their community.

In a similar vein, this same emotional capital, even for fans in more stable markets, can lead to serious addiction issues.

Section III: Sports Addiction: When “Fans” Become “Fanatical.”

Have You Ever Missed Your Kid’s Baptism To Watch A Game?

Now I know that some of you are extremely fanatical/devoted followers of certain teams. But here’s an example of extreme sports fanaticism one of my students wrote in a discussion forum from a few years back.

“One of my friends is very fanatical about football (soccer), and I mean very fanatical. He is in his 40s now and has grown up a bit but back in his 30s, his obsession cost him his marriage. One time, during a tournament he forgot to go to his daughter's baptism. In Latin America, attending a baptism is a very important event where all the family and relatives participate in it. You just can’t miss this- especially for your own child.

My friend told his wife he would get to the baptism during the break; right after the first period. That never happened. As he told me, he watched the entire game and then quickly drove to his house where he encountered his whole family returning from the church! It was a sad situation as he missed the joy of his daughter, but it also was an embarrassing divorce after that.”

Wow.

Sports Addiction

If you are or know someone who is anything like this person, he has a serious problem with sports addiction. The following is an article, simply entitled “Sports Addiction” from the website “professorshouse.com” at: http://www.professorshouse.com/family/health/sports-addiction.aspx . Yeah I know, this site does not sound very legitimate. However, I copied and pasted some excerpts that in my estimation are full of valid points on this very hard to research topic. Please read it. Would you classify yourself as a sports addict based on the criteria provided here?

“What defines sports addiction is not how much time you spend watching each week, it’s whether or not that time is causing negative behavior in your life. If you’re tuning in to watch games in spite of your wife threatening to leave you, your bills going unpaid, and your laundry piled to the ceiling then you may have an addiction. Whether it’s 10 hours per week or 40, it all hinges on how you’re handling your real life obligations.

Do a Google search on “Sports Addiction” and it will be immediately obvious that very little research has been done on the topic. No statistics come up, and very few informative articles. Most of what does come up revolves around sports gambling, not watching. Mostly what you see are blogs and personal stories of people afflicted with this addiction, or their loved ones seeking help.

There is some useful information out there, however, if you look hard. The question of “why” some get addicted to sports while others don’t is probably the easiest to answer.

It has to do with the pleasure principal common in any addiction. In the beginning of any behavior, whether it’s drinking, shopping, or watching sports, the activity releases pleasure chemicals into the brain, making the user feel good. The more the activity or behavior is practiced, however, it takes longer and longer to get that pleasurable feeling. The behavior becomes more and more about avoiding pain than seeking pleasure.

Sports provide an escape route for many people, enabling them to avoid thinking about problems or feelings they don’t want to confront.

So how do you tell if you or someone you love is addicted to sports? A yes to one or more of these questions might help point towards an addiction.

1. Do you think about sports when you’re supposed to be doing other things, like spending time with your family?

1. Do you rush home to catch games or listen obsessively on the radio while you’re out?

1. Do you feel irritated when family or friends interrupt a game to get you involved with another activity?

1. Do you spend time at work surfing sports sites to stay on top of what’s going on?

1. Do you use sports as a way to gamble?

1. Do you call in sick to work in order to watch games, especially playoffs?

Recovery from sports addiction can be a long process. Getting the person to admit they have a problem is often hard. Once they really understand that their watching is affecting people they love in a negative way, however, steps can be taken to cut back on the behavior.

Unsubscribing to cable will be the most effective, and hardest, step. Kevin Quirk, self-professed sports addict and author of “Not Now, Honey, I’m Watching the Game,” had to do just that. Going cold turkey and making a clean “break” from sports watching is hardest in the beginning, but it becomes more successful in the long run.

When the endless supply of games is gone it will be vital to fill that void with something positive. Going out to play a sport in real life is often the next best thing, especially if they can do it with a group of friends. Getting out of the house and participating in real experiences will help curb the need to be involved in sports watching.”

As one of my students from last semester pointed out in a discussion forum, the problem with sports addiction is that unlike some other bad habits, it often times is reinforced with the vices of gambling and booze.

Alcohol oftentimes magnifies ones emotions. So when you combine this with the devastation of seeing your favourite team lose plus the humiliation of having to pay money for this defeat, you oftentimes get one very angry person.

Sports addiction, booze and gambling mixed together are a dangerously violent triple threat- especially for women. For instance, more women are battered during the Super Bowl than any other time of year. This is THE biggest sporting event in the United States. If your team is in this game, you have a big party going and some money riding on the outcome, things can go south very quickly. A campaign by the NFL on this serious matter should be initiated to protect these poor victims.

Section IV: Fed-Up Fans That “Divorce” Their Teams

Another area related to sports addiction and franchise relocations that academe has minimally covered concerns the psychological aspects of fed-up fans who stop or try to end supporting their once beloved teams. What happens when year after year, a fan says ENOUGH! That is, he or she literally “divorces” his team or goes cold turkey on his or her sports addiction?

Is it possible to just walk away given how much emotional capital he or she has spent rooting for a specific club?

For most of us, as Jeff James points out above, our passion for a certain team began in childhood. (Hyatt, “Who Do They”)

Walking away from this incredible bond is no simple thing. Just ask me.

Hello. My name is Terry and I am a “habaholic.” Well sort of. I’m what you may call a “functional” habaholic. I don’t blow any money on this team. I don’t beat people up when the Canadiens lose. And I am very proud to say that I have never face painted myself. Nevertheless, I like going on the internet at least 3-4 times each day (30-40 on NHL trade deadline, draft, and free agency day ) and scour it for news and commentaries on the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s a guilty pleasure that takes my mind off of things. At least that’s my rationalization. I also oftentimes stay up and watch the game highlights; and if the Habs lose, I go to bed a wee bit testy.

And don’t talk to me for at least 2 days after my team loses in the playoffs. Yes, I eventually recover but let’s just say that I am not as “habby” go lucky as I normally am.

So I am pretty much like many of you- a fan but not a fanatic or hard core addict but I do have a “habdiction.”

The problem, for a number of reasons from the 1980s and onwards, is that my team is no longer exclusively committed to winning championships and as such, will never do so. “Garbage in leads to garbage out.” The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans used to feel what I’m feeling right now. Back in the 60s, they were neck and neck with the Canadiens in terms of Stanley Cups. Then, out of nowhere, they had to endure decades of crazy/incompetent ownership of Harold Ballard and the money grubbing, profits first, Ontario Teachers Pension Fund. Montreal’s problem has not been ownership but rather, its untenable policy of only hiring bilingual general managers and coaches. As a result, as the team’s former president, Pierre Bovin bluntly stated, the Habs "are severely competitively disadvantaged." (Stubbs, “Language issue hobbles”) Added Boivin,

"There's one general manager in the league this year who speaks French and he's in Montreal. If Pierre Gauthier gets hit by a bus, what does (team owner) Geoff Molson do? Every other team says: 'There are 29 others out there, how many contracts are up?' Thirty assistant GMs might be prepared to step up, like a Steve Yzerman (in Tampa), and then there's 30 AHL managers.

"So they have a pool of 90, (even if) not all are good or are available. We have a pool of three, four, five maybe? Sometimes none? It's the same thing with coaches. And that's a huge disadvantage when human capital is your most important asset. So we have to groom them." (Stubbs, “Language issue hobbles”)

I get why this is the case. I really do.

Right up to the 1960’s, French Canadians suffered tremendous abuses. If you want to see to what extent they had to endure repression, please watch the great sports film “The Rocket.” The thing is, in order to redress the wrongs of the past, it forcing this franchise to operate with one arm tied against its back. As an Anglophone fan, I feel that by this policy, my favourite team has metaphorically “relocated” or morphed into a franchise doomed to mediocrity.

It seems virtually impossible that the Canadiens will win another Stanley Cup if they are not able to have the absolute best GMs and coaches. And, again, as a fan, this totally sucks.

Help me someone. And don’t tell me to cheer for the Leafs. I just can’t stomach the idea. So, I should just quit right? Good luck with that. My addiction is too great.

Now why can’t I walk away from this? Why can’t fans of teams that are perennial losers do so as well? Are we crazy? I’ve been called worse. No, there’s something much deeper here.

Imprinted Ducks

Sports fans are basically like imprinted ducks. That is, the first thing that a duck sees, it thinks it’s his mother. So if you happen to be standing there, it will follow you wherever you go.

Many of us fantasized playing with the stars of the eras that we grew up in. I experienced as a kid right through to my thirties with the Habs. I was spoiled with a steady diet of beef tenderloin steak and don’t want some reduced to clear stew meat. The highs of supporting and seeing multiple championships were awesome. To walk away is like a divorce or leaving all of your family. So that’s one factor.

Intermittent Reinforcement

There is a branch of psychology based on the theories of operant conditioning and behaviourism. Basically, if every once and a while (randomly/intermittently), you get “rewarded” for doing something, you will repeat the action again and again in order to get your next reward. Think of this like gambling at a slot machine. If every time you placed a coin in one and won nothing, then you would quickly know not to do so. If however, you won some money every once and a while, then you might plop quarter after quarter in the hopes that you might get pay dirt. The key here is that the reward has to be delivered “un-expectantly” and just enough times that you feel like there is a chance. Again, there is a reason that with casinos, the house wins 51% of the time and in the process is a multi-billion dollar industry. So how does this apply to sports? Well, let’s assume that your team sucks and you start to give up hope. Then all of a sudden it drafts an Austin Matthews. Your hope is now restored and presto, you’re back on the bandwagon.

Another way that intermittent reinforcement has power over you is through our incredible access to information via websites and social media. A day no longer goes by where we miss out on something appealing that gets our attention. That’s why some of us go online 10-20 times a day hoping to receive a nice “hit” such as news of a trade or player signing or injury update. Scientific studies have clinically shown that these daily hits release dopamine in our brains- much in the same way that street drugs do. In the process then, some of us become very addicted to gathering information on the teams that we support.

Closely related to intermittent reinforcement is the concept that sports teams are reality versions of addictive soap operas. Walk away from the Habs for 5 years. No problem. You can get hooked right back in just a day or two by going online with your smart phone or tablet where some players on the team today are still playing on it and then you read about draft picks who are now playing key roles. Presto, you’re back off the wagon.

Why can’t I suffer from “Habnesia” as soap characters do?!

As I said above,

“Hello. My name is Terry and I’m a Haboholic.”

Can someone please help me with my nasty “hab-it”? Look what it’s doing to me. I keep coming-up with these cheesy puns. Help! ;-)

Section V: Superstition In Sports

O.K. enough on my addictions. Let’s move on to our next topic: superstition in sports. A few of you think and do some crazy thoughts and deeds for your beloved team. How crazy, keep reading.

It’s Rally Time

On June 6, 2000, the Anaheim Angels were trailing the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning. Two video board operators in desperation took a clip of a monkey jumping around from Jim Carrey’s Ace Ventura movie and superimposed the words "RALLY MONKEY!" on top of it. The Angels scored two runs and won the game and a legend was born.

The Angels wisely employed Katie, a white-haired capuchin monkey and recorded her jumping up and down with a sign that read: "RALLY TIME!" I’m not sure if she had full dental and eye ware coverage as part of her employment. Hopefully she was entitled to 4 banana breaks per shift. Animal labour laws are confusing in the United States.

At any rate, the Angels' needed help in their 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants. They were trailing the series 3-2 and facing elimination. And things were looking really bad in game 6 as they were down 5-0 entering the bottom of the 7th inning.

No worries, though, Katie was there to save the day.

Out she came with her "RALLY TIME!" sign and the mighty Giants of San Fran were slayed. The Angels proceeded to score 6 unanswered runs over the next two innings; winning the game and turning the momentum of the series for good as they went on to clinch the championship in game 7.

The rally monkey was a variation of the traditional superstition of the “rally cap” in which players turn their ball hats whenever a team is losing. The players hope that this magical gesture will somehow reverse the outcome of the game. At the very least, it will loosen the club up so that they can hit the re-set button and try to get the game back.

Years later, the Giants would try to one-up the powers of the mystical Rally Monkey and caps. Oh, yes they would. As you will see below, no pun intended, they used Abrey Huff’s legendary “Rally Thong.”

Welcome to the bizarre world of superstition.

Graeme Hamilton’s Interesting Article (Not Article of Clothing)

Back in 2010, National Post journalist, Graeme Hamilton wrote an interesting article on superstitions and rituals of sports fans. Here is the link. http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=3058476 I’ve provided some interesting excerpts from this article below.

Sports Madness: An analysis of athletic fans' superstitions and rituals by Graeme Hamilton, National Post · Friday, May 21, 2010

-Daniel Wann, a psychology professor at Murray State University in Kentucky, led a study of nearly 2,000 U.S. sports fans and found one-quarter believed they influenced their team's performance. "You're in a situation where you don't control the outcome, so you're going to find any means that you can to convince yourself that you do," Prof. Wann said. "One option fans have is through superstition. It's a way for them to cope with their lack of control in an environment that means so much to them."

-A baseball fan reported that she tries not to even think "double play" while her team is at bat, because if she does, one will occur. College basketball fans were more likely to report a need to close their eyes during the game to help the team, while engaging in a sexual act was a particularly prevalent superstition among pro basketball fans.

-Prof. Wann said superstitious fans tend to be diehards for whom a loss by their team is felt as a personal loss. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

"Fans who identify strongly with the local sport team actually are psychologically very healthy," he said.

-In Prof. Wann's study, conducted with researchers from five other universities, researchers found a mind-boggling range of fan superstitions, with some peculiar to specific sports. They heard from a Houston hockey fan who put his socks in the freezer for two hours before wearing them to the game.

"This is what they do to game pucks," he explained. "I feel it gives us a slight advantage."

-A belief about the powers of clothing -- hats, jerseys, underwear, socks and ties -- was the most widespread superstition. Others related to certain words or even thoughts. In hockey, if your team's goalie has not let in any goals, many consider it a jinx to utter the word "shutout" before the final buzzer.

And while we are on the topic of clothing, let’s discuss a partial piece known as the infamous “rally thong.”

Aubrey Huff’s Rally Thong

I’ve teased you enough. Fans are not the only ones who do crazy superstitious things to see their team win victories. Many athletes are also guilty of weird superstitious behaviour. Take MLB first baseman Aubrey Huff and his all powerful red “rally thong” underwear.

Starting late August of 2010, Huff received as an anniversary gift from his wife Barbara "Baubi" a pair of thong underwear. (The perfect gift for the guy that has everything?) Mr. Huff decided to wear his “G”iant rally thong on the next game day in hopes of rallying San Francisco to its first postseason appearance in seven years. He figured that doing this would relax his struggling teammates with a bit humour.

Prior to sporting on this magical underwear, the Giants were 72-59 and six games behind the first-place San Diego Padres in the National League West.

Huff predicted that his club would go 20-10 with the rally thong- after all; he was wearing a “rally thong.” And, duh!- not surprisingly, that's exactly how they finished the season going all the way and winning the World Series and in the process, ending a 56 year championship drought “curse.” (No offense to you hard core ball fans, but doesn’t this trophy look like someone designed it in a bar using swizzle sticks? Just an observation).

As Huff commented before game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Braves,

"It's just something to kind of loosen the guys up when it started, and it turned out to be kind of a nice run,"

"I couldn't stop and I'm wearing it right now, if you're interested. Kinda get used to it. You know what I'm saying?"

Who can fight the mighty powers of a red thong?

Now while on the topic of underwear and its mystical powers of awesomeness, did you know that Michael Jordan always wore two pairs of shorts during games for good luck? He would don on his blue North Carolina shorts under his Bulls shorts? Jordan led University of North Carolina to the NCAA Championships in 1982 and believed that these mesh marvels brought him success. In order to cover his lucky Tar Heels shorts, he began wearing longer Bulls ones, which inspired a trend in the NBA. Forget the fact that he practiced tens of thousands of hours perfecting his game. No, it was the shorts that made him or he became.

Aubrey Huff’s and MJ’s superstitious behaviours, bizarre as they seem are not new. I’ve already mentioned Dr. Wann’s study above, but I’d like to share with you my take on the psychology behind superstition.

Here’s My Take On Superstition

The way I see it, superstition is an emotionally driven mental trick that people unconsciously play on themselves. What I mean by this, is that those who either believe in good or bad luck, can literally “reset” their perspectives. It’s almost a form of self-hypnosis. If they believe -and let me emphasize the word believe- that they have become “lucky” through some event or superstitious action like always tying their right shoe first; they allow their bodies to become energized, less tense and stiff; and thus, are more able to perform at higher levels.

This is not a deliberate thing. They are not trying to trick their minds. They truly believe and as such, operate as if Lady Luck is going to make things happen for them.

Conversely, if an athlete believes -and once again, let me emphasize the word believes - that he has experienced a unlucky deathblow; his body will tighten-up, making him prone to committing mistakes or in a worst case scenario, just rolling-over and playing dead.

Robots Rule

The best of the best teams and athletes block-out all of this nonsense. They tend to operate almost like robots. That is, they do not let their emotions get in the way. Such people tend to be totally focused on the task at hand and are neither intimidated by their opponents nor by “bad breaks.” They remain unfazed no matter how “unlucky” they appear to be at the moment.

In both my observation and participation of sport, the club that is the most calm and focused tends to win the vast majority of the time. Such teams do not allow superstition to get in the way of achieving their ultimate goal. They approach games in a systematic, unfazed and focused fashion. The best of the best never get too high or too low.

During the 2010 World Cup I wonder how much the simple act of Paul the Octopus swimming over to the Spanish flag had on Dutch national team’s players? How many of them got spooked by this? How many lost even say 2-5% of their edge?

As I said in a previous unit, the difference between greatness and mediocrity is fractional. When everything is pretty well even and your opponent gets intimidated by the” magical powers” of an octopus, could this tiny difference make a difference? I believe so.

Casinos set things up so that they “only” win 51% of the time. This small edge for the house amounts to billions of dollars in profits for them. Yes, little differences count. The Dutch should have had some calamari the night before the big game.

The “Placebo Effect”

Another way to look at superstition and the power of belief is through the scientific term known as the “placebo effect.”

Have you ever noticed that almost every time you have a headache and take an aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin, the moment the pill goes on your tongue; you begin to feel some relief?

How is this possible? The medication has not yet kicked-in? Was it the pill or was it you loosening-up thereby reducing the tension in your head?

Likewise, when someone believes that Lady Luck is on his side, he too loosens up and is no longer carrying the psychological burden of doubt.

It’s very hard to perform well when your body’s muscles are tightened-up because of stress. Belief in a lucky charm may relieve someone of this tension thereby allowing him to focus on just playing the game and nothing else.

A so-called “lucky break” is like moving a car’s gearshift from reverse to forward. It is a welcomed distraction that changes a person’s mental focus. As a result, the athlete now has less mental baggage to carry and can push himself much further-sometimes with near full throttle fearlessness.

Human beings have a capacity to switch mental gears all the time. For example, have you ever noticed in just the blinking of an eye how you can switch from being very serious to almost childlike? A “lucky” break can also do this to us. It can make us forget our troubles and literally “reset” our minds to be more confident; and thus, focused for success.

A study done by the University of Cologne, in Germany backs up my arguments. They got a group of students to do some golf putting with a special superstitious twist. Participants in this study were put on a putting green. Those who were told that they were going to use a “lucky ball” sank 6.4 putts out of 10. That was 35% better than those who were not told this. Yes, they only tested this out with 28 students but it sure seems to validate all that I have just said. (“Lucky charms actually”)

Superstition And Addiction

Superstition is also an addictive behavior. For example, when something “lucky” happens that made you succeed, you feel good (and release chemicals very similar to cocaine into your brain). As a result, you want more of this sensation. So what do you do? You keep repeating what you believe was responsible for your success.

For some hockey players, it begins by gently butting the head of their goaltender with their helmet at the end of a game. And when this does not work, they then search for other “lucky” things to do such as having a certain order in terms of who gets to butt heads with the goalie. When this no longer does the trick, they then switch things around even further- you know, like sacrificing some animal on the ice. ;-)

When all combinations are exhausted, everyone is told to grow a beard and, wear lucky red rally thongs and put some food on your team logo so that Paul the Octopus swims to it. It all comes back to the thong and octopus doesn’t it?

What About Jinxes?

But what about jinxes Terry? Why I am glad that you asked this question_________. You are such as smart student.

Success on the field, ice or court boils down to superb management, coaching and drafting- not good or bad luck or hexes.

For instance, the reason that your pathetic Toronto Maple Leafs have sucked since 1967 is because of bad management- not some silly curse. A properly run sports franchise sooner or later puts itself into a position where it can win a championship. It took the brain dead MLB Boston Red Sox nearly an entire century to come to this realization.

As former Montreal Canadien GM Bob Gainey once said on TSN, and I am paraphrasing him,

“You have to go to the dance to get a dance with a pretty girl. What I mean by this is that you need to build a team that is in the top five of the league for several years. When you are at or near the top for a good period of time, the odds of you winning a championship become greater. That’s because you generally need several kicks at the can to win it all. If you are really good, you can only have so many bad breaks before everything falls into your favour.”

Now taking Gainey’s logical argument into the Leafs and Red Sox context, neither team was in the top 5 category for sustained periods of time. This was due to bad management. When the Red Sox finally became a well run franchise, surprise, surprise, they eventually got their “break” and the “curse of the Bambino” was over. Likewise, the Chicago Cubs finally won a World Series after 108 years of futility by getting a first rate management team- not lucky underwear or rally monkeys. The Cleveland Cavaliers ended a 52 year City of Cleveland drought by getting the best basketball player in the world to play for them. It’s funny how “curses” can be lifted if quality personnel are brought into an organization.

Superstition and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Back in April of 2013, I was driving my daughter to school and finally was able to change radio stations from the auto tuned pre-fabricated garbage she liked to listen to ;-) and switched it to 590 The Fan. Former hockey superstar Luke Robitaille was being interview. The hosts were asking him about his ritual of putting tape on his stick at the start of the game, and then during each period. Robitaille would begin each match with a white coloured tape, then move to black (so the picture above was during the second period? ) and then go back to white. When asked if this was a superstitious thing he said,

“No. I started doing this when I was a kid and just kept doing it after.”

I wonder if some of this type of behaviour is really a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. At its extreme, those who suffer from it get obsessed with certain thoughts or feel compulsed towards specific actions. I mentioned this disorder in a previous lecture on the psychology of sport. It helps explain the “fanatical” degree of dedication great athletes put into their sports. In their heads, they are compelled to win, win and win. In a similar vein, how much of what Robitaille did was a mild expression of this disorder rather than mere superstition? How much of superstition can be explained as a part of obsessive compulsive disorder? Just a thought.

No one, and definitely no team, has won a major professional championship without intense training. Hard work, focus and determination along with innate skill and superb training oftentimes creates “good luck”/opportunities.

Superstition, simply put, is an addictive emotional response that makes the mind shift its focus. If one genuinely believes in it, he or she might be loosened-up enough to go the extra mile of success. Conversely, this same belief can be equally if not more damaging as one may fold up his efforts like a cheap tent if he senses Lady Luck is not on his side. So are the risks of believing in such things worth it? I don’t think so.

Now I doubt that I have convinced some of you superstitious people out there to give up your beliefs in lucky charms, numbers, rituals and octopus prophesies.

Point To Ponder: “What if the outcome of games has nothing to do with skill. Instead, it is actually determined by the team that has the highest number of ‘lucky’ fans?” Prove me wrong. ;-)

Section VI: Sports Let Downs, Scapegoating, And The Blame Game

Closely tied to the concept of superstition is the growing practice of scapegoating or the blame game.

A few years back, my daughter scored on a penalty shoot out which resulted in her team winning a championship. Had she missed, I would have had to spend the next hour and a half in my car trying to console her for “blowing the game.”

Now a rational person would say, didn’t they play 90 minutes? Weren’t others taking the penalty kicks? Why should she be the scapegoat for the loss? Fortunately, I did not have to provide one of my “rational/motivational” speeches but how often in sports do we as fans try to isolate a single play as the reason a team lost rather than consider all of the other opportunities during a game in which a club could have made up for this one shortcoming?

Sport history is filled with scapegoats. One of the most infamous has to be poor Steve Bartman.

Back in 2003, during the World Series playoffs, his beloved Chicago Cubs were on the brink of going to the championship. They had the Florida Marlins against the rails. Then came the infamous “Bartman play.” Fans then and to this very day remain enraged at Steve Bartman for diving to catch what appeared to be a home run ball and accidentally interfering with Cubs outfielder Moses Alou who appeared certain to catch it. Bartman, was one of three fans going for this ball. He was the “unlucky” person to catch it. This play severely deflated the Chicago Cubs as they went on to lose their series against the Florida Marlins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6er1XE2j0pE

Right up to the historic 2016 World Series Championship, Cub fans held Bartman accountable. He was the scapegoat. How unfair is that? One play caused this team to choke and lose a playoff series? Give me a break. The good news is that in the summer of 2016, the Chicago Cubs’ owners, the Ricketts family, did a really classy move and gave Steve Bartman a championship ring.

Sticking to baseball, you can’t talk about scapegoating and not mention the infamous “Buckner incident” during the 1986 World Series. First baseman and all star Bill Buckner missed catching a simple play http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8sNBxf1NC8. Once again, momentum shifted after this incident and the Boston Red Sox went down to defeat. Life for this great player became a living hell for him. For many years, he suffered depression and even contemplated suicide. Again, this was just a single play. Yes, Boston lost game six but it could have rallied in game seven. This too was a ridiculous example of scapegoating.

For you Toronto Maple Leaf fans, there is the infamous Kerry Fraser call against Doug Gilmour in 1993. Dudes, yes, it was a bad decision but Toronto had 60 minutes of time to offset such things.

So why do fans do this? Why do they seek out scapegoats? I believe that it’s due to the fact that most tend to personalize losses. When their team loses, so do they. Psychologically, then, they let their emotions get in the way of their thinking.

As discussed above though, you see less and less choking by athletes or teams these days. Increasingly, the players are less vulnerable to letting their emotions overtake them. Fans though, still have a long way to go before they catch up in this regard.

Once again, feel free to tear down my arguments on the Discussion Board. More importantly, this is end of my online lecture. Now isn`t that lucky? ;-)

Summary

In this lecture, we’ve basically covered the irrational/emotional side of sports. We’ve explored the psychological and social aspects of fan loyalty, addictions, superstition and jinxes. Some fans clearly go overboard on these matters- as do some players. It’s easy to understand why. Watching sports is an intensely emotional experience. Playing them at the elite levels, place incredible pressures on athletes. Superstitions become a crutch that allows some of them a chance to ease their anxieties. Belief (even if it is false) can boost performance by freeing-up thinking space in the brain to allow the body to do what it has been trained to do. For fans, sports are an incredible emotional rollercoaster with no safety bars. There is nothing that we can do to affect the outcome of the games- except for the occasional use of rally monkeys ;-). We are helpless. And yet, our identities and well being oftentimes is determined by how our team performs. All of these emotions need to be channeled somewhere. That’s where superstitious actions tend to kick in.

The addictive aspect of fan loyalty (due to imprinting, intermittent reinforcement and the soap opera appeal of sport) also makes it very difficult to just walk away from the teams that we support. Some fans also have to endure the trauma of outside forces such as franchise relocations, low budgets, incompetent ownership or cultural factors. Again in such circumstances, they feel helpless and hopeless. These outside forces snuff out hope. And without hope, there is humiliation, rival fan mockery and despair.

And finally, we logically examined the silliness of superstition. It’s not lucky shorts or rally thongs that win championships. It’s hard work, competent management, coaching, scouting, drafting and player development that gets your favourite franchise to the proverbial “dance.” And the more times that a team gets there, the greater the likelihood that it will win a championship.

By way of conclusion then, it is now readily apparent that emotions and sport are indeed a potent mix.

Works Cited

Hyatt, Craig G. “Who Do They Root For Now That Their Favourite Team Is Gone? The impact of franchise relocation on the loyal fans left behind: a case study of Hartford Whalers fans.” Journal of Sport Behavior. March 01, 2007.

<http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-159644777/do-root-now-impact.html>.

Hamilton, Graeme. “Sports Madness: An analysis of athletic fans' superstitions and rituals.” National Post. May 21, 2010.

<http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=3058476>.

Macpherson, Don. “Canadiens must choose:  The team can either cater to French nationalism and hire more Quebec players, or concentrate on winning the cup.” The Gazette. February 13, 2010

<http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Canadiens+must+choose/2558865/story.html#ixzz0fWVe5cKT>.

Manasan, Althea. “Lucky charms actually work, study says.” NationalPost. April 29, 2010.

< http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/04/29/lucky-charms-actually-work-study-says />.

Stubbs, Dave. “Language issue hobbles Habs: Boivin.” The Gazette May 18, 2011.

<http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Language+issue+hobbles+Habs+Boivin/4800792/story.html>.

Did you:

· Read the online materials for this unit?

Are you now able to better understand:

· the psychological impact that the relocation of sports franchises have on fans?

· sports fanaticism from a psychological perspective?

· the addictive aspects of sports fanaticism?

If so, you are now ready to proceed to the next unit. Don’t worry; you won’t be jinxed by doing so. ;-)