uffda udfa
6 years ago
This is everything. Take these words to heart...and learn about yourself and others...

https://medium.com  :

Explaining sports fans’ irrational behavior
Why some fans defend their teams against objective arguments

If you’ve ever criticized a sports team in front of one of the team’s most passionate fans, you’ve likely been accused being a “hater” and had your argument quickly dismissed. It doesn’t matter if you presented objective evidence to demonstrate how you drew your conclusion — e.g., suggesting that an NFL quarterback is bad because his statistics are worse than any other quarterback — because, to these passionate fans, there’s no such thing as a valid argument against the teams they support. (couldn't help but think of MMs delusional comments on Hundley yesterday... you'll find out why, below)

Sports fandom is an extremely emotional exercise for many fans and this often causes them to interpret objective criticism of their favorite teams as a personal attack. And this thought process and behavior isn’t exclusive to any one team. Every sports team has fans that vehemently come to its defense the second someone says something even remotely critical of it.

But why is this? Why do some sports fans irrationally defend their favorite teams against objective arguments?

Before I get into some of the psychological underpinnings of sports fan behavior, I’d first like to offer a few disclaimers:

I’m not criticizing sports fan behavior; I’m simply explaining it. Passionate sports fan behavior doesn’t bother me; it excites me.
Over the past five years of my life, I’ve studied the topic of sports fan behavior extensively, published research on it, and lectured on it, so these aren’t the ramblings of a mad man.
The explanation provided below is not intended to be all-encompassing. The human thought process is very complex and we’re constantly building upon our understanding of the way that humans process information and make decisions. This is just a very basic overview.
There are two primary psychological processes at play here: self-categorization and social comparison.

Self-categorization is the process in which we (meaning humans in general) form part of our self-concept (or identity) by placing ourselves into social categories with others who share common attributes. (For example, I classify myself into the following social categories: Sixers fans, avid fantasy football players, Penn State alumni, etc.)

Social comparison is the process in which we then apply favorable attributes to the social categories we identify with in order to enhance our self-esteem. And because our self-esteem is directly tied to our perception of these social categories, we resist any and all attacks that might diminish our perception of them. The more highly we identify with a category, the more true this is.

So let’s the use the Seattle Seahawks as an example. (I’ve chosen the Seahawks because the team is believed to have one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL.) Based on what I just explained above, we could expect the following to occur:

A hardcore Seahawks fan identifies with the “Seahawks” social category and this forms part of his identity. (Yes, his social category is actually “Seahawks fans,” but really hardcore fans often don’t see it this way; they see themselves as part of the teams they root for.)
He applies favorable attributes to the Seahawks in order to enhance his own self-esteem. Because his identification with the Seahawks is a key part of his self-concept, positively evaluating the team allows him to evaluate himself more positively.
If someone says something negative about the Seahawks — true or not — he perceives it as a personal attack and a threat to his own sense of self worth.
In order to preserve his sense of self worth, the fan defends the Seahawks when he believes that others are attacking the team by a) fighting back and/or b) discrediting the attacker. Even if he knows that the other person is right in his criticism of the Seahawks, he’ll defend the team anyway because accepting that the other person is right would require him to accept that the Seahawks aren’t as great as he believes they are (and, consequently, neither is he since the Seahawks are a key part of his identity).
So, when a hardcore sports fan argues with objective evidence that someone has presented about his favorite team, he is simply using a defense mechanism to protect his own sense of self-worth. The same is true when a sports fan calls another person biased after he criticizes his favorite team; by convincing himself that the other person is biased against the team he supports, the fan is able to ignore the criticism and preserve his positive perception of the team and of himself. (mm esteem couldn't handle Hundley failing...it reflected so poorly on him and didn't square with how he sees himself so he rejects and spins)
UserPostedImage
Ted Thompson sits on his hands per former GM: "because they’ve had 25 fricking years of great quarterbacks. Of course it works. Try it without a special quarterback."


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dfosterf (6h) : For the record, I enjoy Beast and Mucky drafts
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beast (14h) : You saw only 4,201 of my mocks? 🥺 I think that means you missed more than half of them 😢
dfosterf (18h) : Does anyone know what Lambeau field improvements got put on hold? My guess would be for the 2025 draft
Zero2Cool (20h) : It's like listen, you made 4,201 mocks, no shit.
Zero2Cool (20h) : Cuz during the draft "I had them mocked there!" as if it's amazing.
Zero2Cool (20h) : They're fun to do once in awhile. It's people who think they are "content" that annoy me.
dfosterf (20h) : Against tbd
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dfosterf (20h) : Luckily for all concerned, I don't post them. I did one, but that was like 25 mocks ago
Zero2Cool (20h) : NFL 2024 gonna start Sept 5th isn't it???
Zero2Cool (20h) : Ugh... kids these days!
dfosterf (20h) : I'm gonna go do some more mock draft hell instead 🤪
Zero2Cool (20h) : Did we do one of those prediction threads yet for 2024 season?
dfosterf (21h) : In my city, they are playing the nimby game, in order to keep some railroad tracks vs. 2 professional sports teams and a concert venue.
dfosterf (21h) : And/Or a city council, of which I haven't seen a good one in a very long time
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buckeyepackfan (26-Mar) : Packers halt scheduled 80mil upgrade of stadium until lease agreement talks are restarted
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : City of Green Bay puts Packers' Lambeau Field lease talks on hold
buckeyepackfan (26-Mar) : Packers 1 of 3 teams to vote no on new kickoff rule.
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Packers sign another Kicker
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Lengthy explanation at PFF if you click the link
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Kickoff rules officially changed.ngthy explan
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : lol
Cheesey (26-Mar) : 2009? No thanks! One open heart surgery is enough!
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Good for you!
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Yes. That's the one.
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Is that "Lady Dugan" per chance?
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Crystal?
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Please refresh my memory
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Alan posts. Crystal back in my life. It's 2009 all over again! Lol
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : BAH GAWD! THAT'S CHEESEYS MUSIC!
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Gutekunst said early stages of Jordan Love contract being discussed.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Shouldn't be penalized cuz official screwed up
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Yeah, challenge until you are incorrect twice.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Fining them is the goal, per the people who made the rule anyway.
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Still waiting on the kickoff rule changes. Did hear yesterday that the touchback proposal will now be the 30 yard line, not the 35
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Probably speed of game issues with your proposal
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Hopefully the refs don't get in the habit of throwing flags on this
beast (25-Mar) : I think when it comes to Challenges should get two strikes, so unlimited challenges as long as they keep winning them, but 2 wrong then done
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Still subject to the fines etc
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Yes, I should have been more specific. Also, they are now saying it would be a 15 yard penalty. That makes more sense .
beast (25-Mar) : Simply fined in the week to follow
beast (25-Mar) : I agree with one NFL official, it'll probably be like some of the helmets hits, not really called by the refs on the field but simply fined
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Hip drop is not. Super confusing. Referees job is harder
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Swivel hip drop is banned
dfosterf (25-Mar) : The hip drop enforcement will be in the form of fines, etc. Not flags
dfosterf (25-Mar) : A major foul will be enforced on the offense if there are offsetting penalties in a change of possession situation
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Teams will receive a 3rd challenge if 1 was successful. Previously, it took 2
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