The psychology of the sports fan (and I include myself in this category) has interested me since the ‘pep-rallies’ of my high school days.
Sports fans live vicariously through their team, players, or a specific athlete (admiration/identification is generated when an athlete exhibits uncommon abilities, or when the team’s harmonized tactics work to perfection). Spectator sports are, at a basic level, a form of entertainment to be enjoyed as a leisure activity. Watching one’s favorite team is an escapist endeavor, yielding opposing aspects of anxiety and exhilaration, thereby providing the fan with a sense of accomplishment just by watching an event and enabling the fan to enthusiastically proclaim “we won!”
The B.C. Lions won the 99th Grey Cup Yesterday!
We Won!

