For whatever reason, part of my Thanksgiving always includes watching football. College football, NFL football, really it’s whatever’s on when my family and I get back from my aunt’s house. Being from Boston, you can guess which team I cheer for, but I am by no means a die-hard fan. I used to know more of the rules; back in middle school when we had to play flag-football I learned some basics, but now I have no idea.
Yet, I still really enjoy it and while I do not always understand how invested people can get into football or any major sport, I enjoy watching sports. Hockey is my personal favorite since the game moves so quickly, and football is a close second. Having played sports all my life, I just assumed that explained my fascination and enjoyment in watching others play. Athleticism does not fully apply to my extended family, yet they seem to enjoy football even more than me. Despite their lack of athletic ability, it makes sense.
Sports give people a common side to cheer for or against. Watching gives rushes of adrenaline (with no potential for injury), plus you can eat whatever you want while cheering, surrounded by people you care about. Put simply, watching sports is fun. Of course there are ways to make it more fun or interesting, such as creating and participating in a fantasy league or trying to tag the college players who are going to go on to play professionally, but those are just additions. When you watch a game between two teams you care little or know nothing about, it is still fun and definitely not as stressful as watching your untouchable team get taken down by an underdog.
Watching sports allows individuals to lose and not feel individually blamed. If your team wins, you win; if your team loses, it wasn’t actually you losing. All viewers really lose when their team loses are bragging rights and some pride. It’s nothing like being a soccer player who misses a penalty kick. That being said, major sports bring viewers together in a similar way teammates are brought together in overtimes, at practices, or during scrimmages: the shared passion for the game.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on a couch cheering with drinks and pizza or buffalo wings, or if you’re running 30 yards for a touchdown. Viewers, players, coaches, managers, and sportscasters all benefit from sports’ ability to unite strangers and give people something to support.
I might be biased, but I have a hard time seeing the universal effect sports can have on groups being same across other industries. Theatre can bring people together in a viewing experience but it is often a one-time event rather than weekly activity. So the challenge remains: find a major industry that brings people together over a group of talented, diverse individuals and has perks of being observed from one’s warm couch with unlimited amounts of food, and let me know. I’ll be sitting here with my chips and dip watching Tom Brady excel.
