Humans have an innate need for belonging. Since the beginning of humanity, humans have associated with others around them. According to Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary in “The Need to Belong (NTB): Belongingness and Human Performance,” ”The need of belonging in human beings is the intrinsic desire to develop and maintain a positive, durable, and noteworthy interpersonal relationship with another human being” (Baumeister, Leary 1). We seek happiness and satisfy that through developing and maintaining positive relationships with others. Sports is one of the ways that we fulfill that need in today’s society. Sports provides a greater identity that people can latch onto. It’s a talking point among strangers, an instant bond between two people wearing the same coloured shirts. For example, when the Philadelphia Eagles score a touchdown, complete strangers at the stadium are wrapping their arms around each other, high-fiving and clanking beers. Two people who would never have spoken to each other now share a bond through the team and become friends. Researchers at the University of South Alabama studied fans of different NHL teams in order to understand the motives behind members of a sports fan community. They interviewed the participants to find out what inspired them to seek out a community of like-minded sports fans, and most participants had a similar response. They found comfort in basking in the glory of a win or washing away the sorrows of a loss with others. The main motive behind members of a sports fan community was clear: they all wanted to find others who shared their same emotions. Sports have such an impact on a fan’s self-esteem. Every game, the fan’s pride, confidence, and overall emotional state is on the line. Being able to share these emotions with other provides an extreme connection and satisfies our need to belong.

Imagery

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 all different reasons. Many scientists have tried to hone in on the motives behind sports fans. Neuroscientists at UCLA say 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. The fans see the players as an extension of themselves. In many cases, the fan identifies so strongly with a team that the line between themselves and their team becomes blurred. When a fan is watching their team play, they can hear the crowd chanting, they can feel the sweat dripping down their foreheads, the fan’s senses are linked with those of the players. They subconsciously live through the team. This is why fans often refer to their respective teams using “we.” 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 pent up anger in their gut and the tenseness in their muscles. This internalization of a sports team into a fan’s identity is the main reason that fans feel such burning passion for their teams. This internalization and passion towards a team can cause a fan to react in a variety of different ways. Some are harmonious, like sitting in a bar, surrounded by friends, drinking a cold beer, picking the bits of hamburger meat out of your teeth and cheering on your team. Some are hostile, like screaming at the top of your lungs at an opposing team’s fan. Some are outright malicious, like the assassination of a Columbian soccer player by a fan for scoring a goal against his own team.

Hypothetical Scene

Imagine you’re sitting a local bar. You look to your left, you look to your right, everyone’s wearing that classic Montreal red white and blue. You look up at the screen, the big game is on. Habs versus Bruins. The sounds of beer bottles clanking and drunk men laughing blare through your eardrums. You stand up, glance over the sea of red that engulfs you, and see one yellow jersey, a Bruins fan. You squint your eyes and notice that he’s being pushed around by a couple of Habs fans. You start walking closer to see what’s going on. You push and shove your way through the red jerseys and finally get a good listen. “Get the hell outta here!” Now more Habs fans start to join in. “No one wants you here!” “Dirty Bruins fan!” The Bruins fan is finally shoved out of the bar, scraping his knees on the sidewalk. The Habs fans come back inside and start to rejoice. They clank their beers one more time as their eyes turn back to the screen.

Step one

Last year on my birthday, May 29^th, I had my driving test. I had been sitting through terribly boring driving classes for the past year, passed my written test, and had made it to the big one, the driving test. I drove with my dad to the SAAQ in Dorval, where we sat waiting for about 2 hours until my name was called.  I went with the instructor to his car to start the test. I looked both ways, put the car into drive, and we were off. I remember my heart pounding throughout the entire test. My eyes were half on the road, and half on the speedometer to make sure that I wasn’t going over the speed limit, but also to make sure that I wasn’t driving too slow. At the same time, I would glance over to try to see the notes that the instructor was taking. It seemed like every time I stopped at a stop sign the instructor would shake his head and write something down. I thought that it was going terribly. While stopped at a red light, I thought to myself “maybe if I get this guy to like me, he’ll give me a passing grade.” I started to make some conversation with the instructor. I asked about his job, I asked about the worst kids he’s ever driven with, I asked about his family, I asked about anything I could think of. He told me about himself, we had a couple laughs, I think I got him to like me. We got back to the parking lot of the SAAQ and he told me to parallel park in between 2 cars. I knew I had to end the test off on a high note since, in my head, it hadn’t gone so well up to this point. The parallel park didn’t go so well either. The car was pretty crooked. I then sat there as he reviewed his notes, waiting for the bad news. The instructor says “not the best parallel park, but everything else was perfect, so you passed.” I couldn’t believe it, all that stress about his notes and his head shaking for nothing. I thanked him maybe 100 times. I went inside, took my ID picture, got a temporary license, then walked out. I had finally gotten my license. The ultimate freedom. I could go wherever, whenever I wanted. My dad asked me if I wanted to drive home and of course my answer was yes. We got into his car, I pulled out of the driveway, and we were off. I was officially a free man. I merged onto the highway to head home and up ahead, I saw some traffic. I came to a stop, looked in my rear-view mirror, and then BOOM, I got hit. “Really?” I thought to myself. “I get into an accident 10 minutes after getting my license?” There was no damage to the car and the guy who hit me was very apologetic, but I was definitely a bit shaken. I drove the rest of the way home paying very close attention to the drivers behind me.

Step two

On my birthday last year I had my driving test. I drove with my dad to Dorval, waited around for about 2 hours until my name was called, and then finally went to take the test. I got into the instructor’s car and we were off. My eyes were half on the road and half on the speedometer, making sure to drive the speed limit. At the same time, I was watching the instructor take notes and shake his head over and over. I really didn’t think it was going well. I started to think to myself, “maybe if  I get this guy to like me, he’ll pass me.” I started to make conversation. I asked him about his job, his family, I asked about anything I could. We arrive back at the parking lot of the SAAQ, and he asks me to parallel park. Ah, parallel parking. My weakness. I park the car. It was pretty crooked. I then looked over to see the instructor shaking his head and taking more notes. He looks up and says “not the best parallel park, but everything else was perfect, so you passed.” Wow, I did it, I passed. I go inside, get my dad, and he asks me if I want to drive home. Of course I did. I pulled out of the parking lot and merged onto the highway. I saw some traffic up ahead and slowed down to a stop. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw the car behind approaching quickly. And then BOOM. Rear-ended during my first drive after getting my licence. What a day that was.

Step three

It was a warm spring afternoon. The sun was beating down on my father and I as we stepped out of the automotive and walked into the SAAQ. I waited there ever so patiently until my name was called upon. At last, it was time for my driving test. I took a glance at the instructor. He was wearing a shirt as blue as the sky on that beautiful afternoon. I stepped into the driver’s seat of his vehicle and set out on the drive. I paid quite close attention to the speedometer, as not to exceed or recede the speed limit. I also focused quite a bit on the instructor’s body language. Every time he shook his head it made my hands quiver on the warm, leather steering wheel. Throughout the lengthy test, I had the notion that I would not pass. I did not think that my performance on this test was at par with the kind of driver they were seeking. At last, we had arrived back at the SAAQ. The instructor asked if I could parallel park. This was not one of my most exquisite attributes in life. I turned the wheel and drove back until the car was precisely at a 45 degree angle. I then turn the wheel back the other way while reversing further. I parked the car and realized that I was as crooked as can be. Nevertheless, the instructor told me that I had passed. I was astonished, amazed, flabbergasted. I absolutely could not believe that I had passed this motor examination.

The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. This arcticle explains how it happened.