Are Sports Fans Happier Summary

The article, “Are Sports Fans Happier?” by Sid Kirchheimer, depicts that people who watch a sports team play are happier people, and I would agree with that statement. I would not call myself a hardcore sports fan, but on occasion I do like to watch my favorite team play. When I have a certain team that I cheer for, it makes me feel like I belong to an elite group, a group that shares the same feelings I do. If the team I like wins or signs on a valuable player, it is a conversation starter to talk about to quite a few individuals. I talk to people I thought I would never talk to (i.e. doctors, older people). Not only do I “bond” with a random person about a mutual team that we like, but I see my co-workers bonding over a sports game from the

night before. There is a certain comradery that sports fans have with each other. I feel that same comradery just walking down the street or in a grocery store and seeing someone wearing an article of clothing that supports my team.
The author Sid Kirchheimer states that, “people who identify themselves as sports fans tend to have lower rates of depression and higher self-esteem than those who do not.” He goes on to say that it is in our “tribal nature” to fill our need to be connected or to be associated with a particular circle.

I feel that same connection when I am at a sporting event or a party involving a sports game. It is that heart racing feeling that I love, when the team you are cheering for is making the final touchdown in the last few seconds of the game and you are surrounded by cheering friends and family that love you. Kirchheimer also reports that sporting events like March Madness may have a short term disadvantages like call outs or non productivity, but the long term benefits are team work and bonding. Not only watching a big game with friends help your need to decompress but watching alone Kirchheimer says is beneficial, “even if you watch in solitude, March Madness and other sporting events provide a diversion from the woes of everyday life.” I agree with this statement because watching a college basketball game is one of my reasons to de-stress, even if I am only watching the game for ten minutes. Some people also believe that sports watching is a waste of time and money. There are many various blogs and websites that disagree with be associated with a sports team. One blogger states, “The team doesn’t care about you at all, except that they want your money” (Tate, 1). While I

do agree that some people go a little crazy with sporting event seats and sports parafunalia, I do not agree that they are a waste of time.
There was not anything I disagreed with this article, but there were some very shocking facts.

I never knew that people would have cardiac emergencies because they were so stressed out about a game that was on. I was also shocked to read that fans would wait to see the game results rather than go to the emergency room. The author, Kirchheimer reports, “visits to the hospital emergency rooms tend to decrease during a much-anticipated sports game, there’s a higher than usual surge immediately after the game ends.” Even though I have never put two and two together, looking back while working in an emergency room this statement is not untrue. There were times during a big game that the work flow was unusually slow, and as the game was ending the inpouring of patients would almost be

unbearable.
Working a full time job and taking full time classes is very stressful and some times I need a reason to not think about school or work, watching a game is that reason. Sports, whether I am playing them or watching, it is a distraction from everyday life. I feel closer to my friends and family when we sit together and cheer for the same team. There are some drawbacks. I tend to get too distracted and not finish homework or run errands that I need to run, but there will always be a love for sports and I agree that the best thing sports does is bring people together.