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I edited the first main body paragraph of my second draft. I removed some explanation at the end that didn’t really add anything to the paragraph, and I added further explanation on the research used in this paragraph.
The question “why do I care about sports” is undoubtedly a tough one to answer because it doesn’t lie in the game, it lies in the individual. People like watching sports for a variety of reasons. Many scientists have tried to hone in on what motivates sports fans. Marco Iacoboni, Neuroscientist and professor at UCLA says that mirror neurons play a key role in the brains of sports fans. In a sense, they put the fans’ minds in sync with those of the players. Endocrinologists say that the emotions felt and the hormones released by the fans oftentimes mirror those of the players. They subconsciously live through the team. The fans see the players as an extension of themselves, and in many cases the fan identifies so strongly with his/her team that the line between themselves and their team becomes blurred. This is why fans often refer to their respective teams using “we”. Fans internalize their favourite teams so deep into their identity that they become one with the team. The team is a part of their identity. The team dictates the fans emotions, self-esteem and confidence. When a football player leaps up into the air to catch a ball, the fan can feel that blood pumping through their veins. When a hockey goalie lets in a goal, the fan can feel that anger and frustration in their gut and the tenseness in their muscles. This internalization and connection is the main reason that fans feel such burning passion for their teams.
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Sport is a absurd concept, and sports fans are absurd people. Think about it. Sports fans are rooting for teams that they have no connection to, and players that they have never met. A fan will pick a team, oftentimes when they are young, and let the success of that team dictate their self-esteem for the rest of their lives. Jerry Seinfeld has a great quote on sports fans: “You’re actually rooting for the clothes. You are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city.” When you think about it, it’s true. Players get traded, teams switch cities, and fans stand by their clothes no matter what. I decided that this absurd concept needed to be explored further. There must be an answer. There must be a reason that billions of people around the world are obsessed with their respective teams.
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