A Positive Psychology Look at Sports, Story, and Why We Always Pick a Side
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
On Sundays, the television would be on mute, and the radio would be turned up. Myron Cope’s voice filled the living room as the Steelers took the field. Even as a kid, I felt it in my body, the tension, the excitement, the way a single play could make your stomach drop or your chest lift.
I was not on the field, but my nervous system did not seem to know that.
Decades later, I find myself running a reality competition called Top Coach, and I am noticing something familiar happening inside me. I feel invested in these contestants. I feel the same anxious hope, the same curiosity about momentum and turning points. I find myself wondering who will win the title, who might become the first Top Coach selected for a franchise, and what kind of story this first season will become.
I am also very aware that people watching are going to start caring quickly, even if they have never thought of themselves as a sports fan, reality competition fans, or coaching fans.
That is what got me thinking.
- Why does being a sports fan feel so good?
- Why do we pick a side so fast?
- Why does watching competition turn into emotional investment almost immediately?
Positive psychology offers some surprisingly clear answers.
Sports as a Shortcut to Human Well-Being
Is being a fan good for your mental health, even when your team is losing?
Being a sports fan can positively impact mental health, even during losses. Whether following your favorite teams in the world of sports or casually tuning in during major moments like the Super Bowl, celebrating victories together and coping with defeats helps build resilience, promoting overall well-being and enhancing social interactions.
From a positive psychology perspective, sports fandom is powerful because it delivers several core elements of human well being in a very efficient way. This is especially true across the United States and Canada, where large-scale sport events shape cultural rhythms.
Martin Seligman’s PERMA model describes five ingredients that support flourishing¹. Sports fandom reliably activates all of them, even for people who would never describe themselves as “into sports” or following their favorite sports closely.
- Positive emotion, excitement, anticipation, hope
- Engagement, deep focus and absorption in the unfolding action
- Relationships, shared attention and collective experience
- Meaning, identification with a story larger than the self
- Accomplishment, vicarious success through a team or competitor
Sports function as compressed meaning systems.
- They create stakes quickly
- They introduce uncertainty
- They present struggle and effort
- They move toward resolution
The human mind is drawn to this structure because it mirrors how meaning itself is formed, something deeply studied within the psychology of sports fans.
Why We Start Rooting for Someone Almost Immediately
One of the most striking features of fandom is how fast it forms.
You can turn on a game you have never seen before, whether it’s the NFL, the NBA, boxing, or even college sports, and within seconds you may notice yourself wanting one side to win.
This happens before you understand:
- The rules
- The players
- The context
- The significance of the moment
This is not accidental.
The Psychology of Instant Allegiance
Humans are wired for rapid meaning making. Research on thin slicing and affective appraisal shows that we form emotionally charged preferences very quickly when presented with competition and uncertainty, so it makes sense how quickly we become a sports fan.
The brain is scanning for cues like who appears first, which jerseys are better, or who seems confident or composed. It could be the story of an underdog or who has the early momentum or control. Once a small preference forms:
- Attention begins to organize around it
- Evidence that supports it becomes more salient
- Emotional investment deepens
Positive psychology research on curiosity explains why this process is so compelling. Curiosity arises when we sense an unanswered question and motivates us to stay engaged until resolution occurs2.
“Who will win” is one of the most powerful unanswered questions the brain can hold.
his is why sports feel so much like a mystery, whether you’re watching at home, at sports bars, or following commentary on ESPN or ABC. The moment the question is alive, we want to see it through.
Types of Sports Fans
Casual Fans and the Power of Shared Experience
Casual fans engage with sports primarily as a social and emotional experience rather than a core identity.
They often:
- Watch during major events
- Engage in group settings
- Feel genuine emotion without long term attachment
From a positive psychology perspective, casual fandom offers meaningful benefits.
- Shared emotional experiences increase perceived closeness and connection3
- Sports provide a low barrier way to participate in collective attention
- Emotional highs are enjoyed without long term emotional cost
A casual sports fan is especially likely to experience rapid preference formation.They start watching, notice momentum, quickly hope one side wins, maybe flip halfway through, and the preference fades once the event ends. In this context, sports function as social glue.
Die Hard Fans and Identity Based Meaning
A die hard sports fan experiences sports very differently.
For them, a team or athlete becomes part of identity.
- Wins feel personal
- Losses linger
- Seasons become chapters in a longer story
Positive psychology recognizes identity based meaning as one of the deepest sources of sustained well being, particularly when it connects individuals to something larger than themselves4.
For a committed sports fan, sports provide:
- Narrative continuity across years
- Stable belonging within a community
- Collective pride and shared memory
- Vicarious accomplishment through identification5
This level of fandom carries emotional cost. Losses hurt.Disappointment can linger. But the meaning is deep. The story matters because it feels personal.
The Accidental Fan
Why Watching Anything Creates Preference
There is a third category that often goes unnoticed.
These are people who:
- Do not care about the sport
- Do not identify as fans
- Still develop preferences once they start watching
This happens because the human mind does not remain neutral in the face of competition.
Why We Can’t Help Picking a Side
Positive psychology describes humans as meaning generating organisms. When we observe effort, struggle, and goal directed behavior, several things happen automatically:
- We simulate the effort internally
- We adopt goals unconsciously
- We imagine outcomes
- We anticipate emotional payoff
Once this process begins, preference becomes almost inevitable.
Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build theory helps explain why. Mild positive emotions like interest and curiosity broaden attention and invite exploration6. As attention broadens, emotional alignment follows.
Watching competition without caring is psychologically unstable. The mind resolves that instability by choosing a side.
Why Sports and Reality Competitions Feel the Same
This is where sports and reality competitions like Top Coach overlap most clearly.
Both rely on uncertainty, visible effort, contrast between participants, and meaningful stakes. Viewers aren’t simply observing outcomes. They are watching people try, struggle, adapt, and sometimes surprise themselves. That effort is legible. You can see it in body language, decision making, confidence, and hesitation.
These formats invite viewers to form rapid judgments and emotional attachments almost immediately. We start to notice who feels steady under pressure, who takes risks, who recovers after a setback. We begin to imagine trajectories. We project forward. We ask ourselves who has momentum and who might break through next.
Positive psychology research shows that anticipatory emotions like hope, suspense, and even anxiety are often more engaging than resolution itself[^7]. The question matters as much as the answer. The waiting matters as much as the win. The possibility matters because it keeps the story alive.
That is why people keep watching. That is why favorites emerge. And that is why, once you start, you care. And it’s been an one of the most amazing experiences for me to work on creating a competition that becomes essentially, art.
Becoming a Fan Is the Point
As I watch this first season of Top Coach come together, I feel that familiar nervous excitement. I care about these contestants. I wonder who will meet the challenges and with what effort. I wonder how each coach will respond when the pressure is on, and what kind of coach they will become as the season unfolds.
I also know that viewers are going to feel it too. Not because they planned to, but because this is what happens when uncertainty meets effort and possibility. The moment the story begins to take shape, emotional investment follows.
How has being a fan (of a sports team, band, show, or author) brought joy and connection to your life? And once you become a fan, what do you want to do with your fandom?
Footnotes and Sources
- Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well Being. Free Press.
- Kashdan, T. B., & Silvia, P. J. (2009). Curiosity and interest. In Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology.
- Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and build. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 1–53.
- McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 100–122.
- Hirt, E. R., Zillmann, D., Erickson, G. A., & Kennedy, C. (1992). Costs and benefits of allegiance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(5), 724–738.
- Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.
- Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues. Oxford University Press.
