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Self-Esteem
The Science of a Hockey Fan
How being a sports fan changes your mood, self-esteem, and behavior.
Updated June 26, 2024 Reviewed by Davia Sills
Key points
- The bigger fan someone is, the higher the emotional highs and the lower the lows.
- The moods of fans of a team depend on their team's performance, but fans of the sport simply enjoy the game.
- Testosterone and cortisol levels rise on game days. People who are big fans are more likely to brag and brawl.
Co-authored with Noelle Segato
As all Canadians know, it’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and we are on a roll. The Edmonton Oilers have eliminated the L.A. Kings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs have done the same to the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the tension seems to be getting to some fans. On Friday, April 21st, Kings fans allegedly harassed and spit on a 10-year-old girl with brain cancer for wearing the jersey of the Oilers' sniper Evander Kane.
It seems morally appalling to harass any child, especially for something as harmless as supporting a team. Other Kings fans have agreed and flocked to social media to share her donation page and apologize. However, violence, harassment, and over-zealous booing are all too common among sports fans, which begs the question: What do “real” fans look like?
The truth is sports bring out extreme emotions among fans. Jim McKay wasn’t exaggerating when he coined “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Research shows that, for fans, wins really are exhilarating and losses devastating. What’s more, the bigger fan you are, the more polarized your reactions are.
We’ve seen this time and again, perhaps most notably following the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs when fans rioted in downtown Vancouver after the Cancucks were defeated in game seven. Property was destroyed, police cars were set on fire, and fans brawled in the streets.
Don’t get me wrong, being a fan can heighten your enjoyment of sports games and promote a sense of community, but it also increases your involvement in games. Upping the stakes like this fuels negative emotions such as fear and anger.
It’s important to note that you can be a fan of the sport or a team. Fans of a sport in general (like hockey) still get enjoyment from watching sports—they feel anticipation and happiness from participating in watching games, but they aren’t as prone to worry, anger, or fear if a particular team is losing. In comparison, fans of a particular team do experience these negative feelings, and their enjoyment is directly linked to the performance of their team (whether they win or lose).
Why do people tie their identity to a certain team, then? Well, while the lows are very low, the highs are very high, and they’re long-lasting. Positive emotions following team success persist longer than the negative ones following a team loss. After one Soccer World Cup, fans of the winning team still experienced an elevated mood four days after the tournament while the negative moods of losing team fans returned to baseline within four days. Fans of winning teams experience elevated positive moods, self-esteem, and outlooks on the future.
Game days themselves are an incentive. Before the match even occurs, fans report their moods to be 50 percent more positive than on a regular day. That mood then increases another 14 percent if the fans’ team wins the match.
Watching sports changes the chemistry of the brain, with levels of testosterone and cortisol (a stress-linked hormone) increasing during sports games. On game day, testosterone levels are approximately 29 percent higher, and cortisol levels are about 52 percent higher. What’s more, the increases in cortisol levels are proportional to the level of fandom. That makes sense because the more closely your identity is tied to a particular team, the greater the impact losing will have on your self-esteem. The increased levels of cortisol make it more likely that you will perceive stimuli as a threat, and the increased levels of testosterone then make it more likely that you act to defend against that threat.
Those with high testosterone levels are more likely to make shows of dominance, including assertive speech and body language. Research shows that winning or losing affects the behavior of fans. Fans of winning teams want to exact power, and fans of losing teams want to seem like they have power (regardless of whether they actually do). Further, highly-identifying fans of the losing team are more likely to feel angry and confront the opposition’s fans, whereas low-identifying fans are more likely to feel sad and avoid the opposition's fans. In real life, this translates to winning fans bragging, further bolstering their self-esteem, and being willing to get in a fight and losing fans puffing out their chests and acting aggressively to protect their self-esteem. Altogether, that makes sports arenas and bars full of posturing fans.
We see evidence of this time and again. During the game that tied the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils 3-3 in the series, a Rangers fan choked a Devils fan into unconsciousness. With so many fans amped up on testosterone, cortisol, and alcohol, arenas can be dangerous places to be.
Another aspect that influences the mental effects of sports is the outlook of the fans. Unexpected losses result in stronger negative emotions (sadness, disappointment, frustration) after a loss, and unexpected wins result in improved life satisfaction. With the Toronto Maple Leafs large fanbase and notoriety, the results of the playoffs this year will have significant impacts on Canada. Unexpected wins will have Canadians cheering, and losses will have their large and devoted fanbase angry and frustrated. Let’s just hope that Canadians will act how real fans should.
Noelle Segato, B.Sc., M.A., is a writer, communications co-ordinator at CRUX Psychology and student pursuing her MFA at the University of King's College.
References
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