Why is there so much fanaticism behind sports?

And how it’s comparable to the feelings evoked along your entrepreneurial journey

LA Lakers fans went wild last night as the decade-long drought for the 17th NBA title was put to an end by LeBron James’ legendary triple double, leading to a 4–2 series victory.

The Laker’s triumph was long- awaited by loyal fans as they had failed to reach the play-offs for six years now, leaving some team enthusiasts questioning their loyalty…

Even after repeated defeat, what makes team followers stick around after years of disappointment? How are such strong feelings of team spirit evoked?

In this article we’re going to explore the why behind sport fanaticism and how this is comparable to the sentiments of the familial bond evoked when building your own company.

High stakes = High rewards…

Whether you’re supporting the winning or losing team, at this level of the playing field your odds are always 50/50.

Like entrepreneurship, the stakes are high. There is potential for either having very significant gains or losses. Chances are, if you have a history of performing at a certain level of excellence, you’ll have thousands, if not millions of eyes on you.

As there are a lot of people keeping tabs on you, whatever happens on the pitch and boardroom will be remembered for a long time…

This level of high engagement cannot be paralleled in any other dimension. Your exposure amount shouldn’t make you fear failure any more than you usually would, as no publicity is bad publicity.

Family ties

Sports, like business, brings people who otherwise don’t have any other common interests together.

Whether you’re the founding members of a new start-up, or distant cousins coming together for a family reunion, working towards a common goal or supporting the same sports team creates solid ground for strengthening those bonds.

Building a new business would bring people from all backgrounds together. The technical geniuses and the technophobes. The back office workers and the brand influencers.

That sibling you haven’t spoken to for three days as you fought over something you struggle to remember? Gone are the awkward silences as you watch the highlights of Arsenal’s latest game.

An escape from reality

Whether you’re taking a (longer-than intended) break from studying, or getting used to some uncomfortable adjustments caused by the pandemic, sports and entrepreneurship provides plentiful distractions.

You can now divert your 100% attention to something that takes your mind off what’s going on in your every day life.

In a time where we aren’t witnessing spectacular events in our every day lives, sports and business allow us to capture a little bit of the feel- good glory feeling.

A fascination with greatness

Humans naturally have a fascination with greatness. Whether you’re a spectator or a partaker, being exposed to greatness has knock off effects in an individual’s life (which we shall delve into in our next point).

Sports and high-performing start-ups are a great way to witness greatness on a personal level. You are now surrounded by the top 0.1% in the field which has amazing motivational effects.

An esteem boost

Being part of a team not only creates a feeling of social belonging, but in turns impacts an individual’s self- esteem.

A 1990s study published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examined the effects of team loyalty and on an individual’s self-esteem and competence.

The study brought participants who were staunch supporters of their college basketball teams into the lab and showed them a tape of their teams either winning or losing and then proceeded to ask them questions about their own task competencies and self- esteem.

The researchers found that fans who watched the clips of their team winning had higher estimates of their own task performance and self-esteem than those who watched their team lose.

As you can see, there is a little bit of method behind boardroom and pitch madness. Whether you’re on the winning or losing team, or simply experiencing the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, there are many similarities between the feelings evoked as a loyal sports fan and a start-up member.

It’s important to remember that in times of hardship in both sportsmanship and in the business space, if you see yourself as a longstanding member of your team, your role won’t change. Whether you’re winning or losing, the connections and impact you have made are very long- lasting and strong.

It’s not so much about the winning, but rather the beautiful game.