Don't outsource your emotions. Don't cede control of them to something you have no control over.
I'm paraphrasing a bit, but this was advice I (and others) heard yesterday. In that context, it was regarding the stock market, and the advice continued on that you're hurting yourself by checking your stocks every day. The market is an emotional thing, and it's up and down all the time.
So it is with being a hockey fan it seems We love our team, and we ride the roller coaster of emotions during a game, during a road trip, during a season. I'm guilty as well, especially in the past, but try to be healthy people, it's just a game.
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If we're taking ABBA songs, I prefer "Laying All Your Love On Me" with its chorus of "Don't Go Wasting Your Emotions," but this is good too.
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"This has been TheScorpion's shtick for years. All these hot takes, clickbait nonsense just to feed his social media algorithms." –Tuco
The reason I love sports is the emotional investment. What’s the point of being a fan if you aren’t emotionally invested ?
for me it's to watch people perform a sport you enjoy at the highest possible level
this means my outlet to get that is via the local hockey team. yeah i get invested in the games, but i'm not involved with the team whatsoever outside of giving them money for the privilege to observe the best hockey on the planet live
i won't lie and say big wins dont make me feel euphoric, or that horrible losses dont sting, but at the end of the day we are watching teenage strangers get paid millions of dollars to slap rubber around with sticks
If you DON'T get an emotional response, not sure why you would even watch.
I read something to the same idea, why we should call teams, them or they not ours or us etc.
If you're self aware enough, you know when your mind is being played or influenced, you then have a choice.
On the topic of sports teams, I came to the realization that its pointless to attempt to stop myself from feeling because it has a positive impact. The negative side is so minuscule it's a worthwhile mental investment.
Obviously, this has it's applicable situations and scenarios where we close ourselves off or choose not to feel, but when it is harmless, why put fourth an effort, why give a #### what people think. Yes I have an emotional connection with the Flames, I have a better day when they win, I get upset when they lose, but that does not change me so much that it will carry on or linger. Nor will it change the way I treat people throughout the day. If I didn't invest my emotions into the teams that I love, I wouldn't watch. I'm a highly competitive person and that bleeds into everything I do or watch. I want them to win. I care. If this is being immature then I will never grow up. If you think you're mature because you don't get invested, pat yourself on the back for me. I personally think growing up is the worst choice anyone can make. Assuming you're responsible and successful lol.
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If you DON'T get an emotional response, not sure why you would even watch.
I read something to the same idea, why we should call teams, them or they not ours or us etc.
If you're self aware enough, you know when your mind is being played or influenced, you then have a choice.
On the topic of sports teams, I came to the realization that its pointless to attempt to stop myself from feeling because it has a positive impact. The negative side is so minuscule it's a worthwhile mental investment.
Obviously, this has it's applicable situations and scenarios where we close ourselves off or choose not to feel, but when it is harmless, why put fourth an effort, why give a #### what people think. Yes I have an emotional connection with the Flames, I have a better day when they win, I get upset when they lose, but that does not change me so much that it will carry on or linger. Nor will it change the way I treat people throughout the day. If I didn't invest my emotions into the teams that I love, I wouldn't watch. I'm a highly competitive person and that bleeds into everything I do or watch. I want them to win. I care. If this is being immature then I will never grow up. If you think you're mature because you don't get invested, pat yourself on the back for me. I personally think growing up is the worst choice anyone can make. Assuming you're responsible and successful lol.
I'm not suggesting having *no* emotional connection, just be realistic and balanced, don't let wins (or especially losses) affect your day. Which it sounds like your approach.
As for the bolded, this was certainly not intended to be taken as such.
The only thing that ever makes me question "sports fandom" is the negative sides of emotional investment.
Any sport, any entertainment for that matter, should be something that's fun and brings you enjoyment. Even when the Flames lose, I still have fun, I still enjoy watching the game, the result is disappointing, but I get over it and move on to the next game.
If there's anything I wish more people did, it's not bringing other things to the game, and really just appreciate it for what it is. Remember it's supposed to be fun, and if it's something that makes you angry beyond a fleeting moment, that's probably not a healthy thing.
As someone who loves hockey and is a fan of the Flames, it's probably easier for me than it would be for someone who loves the Flames and is a fan of hockey.
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Why get emotional about something that you have absolutely no control over - ie - the outcome of a hockey game? We all do it to some extent, but it really doesn't make sense.
One thing unhealthier than letting a hockey game bother you is letting how other fans react bother you.
Considering one consists of observing unhealthy behaviour and the other consists of observing a game, you have it backwards.
I know you're being facetious, but there are studies that show that people who get too deeply invested in fandom can not only lose their ability to empathize outside of their fandom community, but also have serious negative emotional side effects from changes in their experiences (a loss in a game, a character dying in a show, etc).
As I said, people should make sure they have a healthy relationship to their passions, and being bothered when you see an unhealthy relationship to a passion is certainly much healthier than engaging in the unhealthy relationship itself.
Why get emotional about something that you have absolutely no control over - ie - the outcome of a hockey game? We all do it to some extent, but it really doesn't make sense.
I think its healthy. We are tribal animals, and I think sports fanaticism (within reason) is a healthy expression of it. You can of course, go overboard.
I don't watch hockey just to casually observe what happens when a bunch of millionaires I don't know pursue a piece of rubber around the ice. I watch it because its thrilling and that thrill is enhanced when I have an invested emotional interest in one side winning.
Think about a sport you don't watch -- that's what taking the emotion out of it means. You just wouldn't watch it.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
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Don't "outsource" your emotions.
We love our team, and we ride the roller coaster of emotions during a game, during a road trip, during a season. I'm guilty as well, especially in the past, but try to be healthy people, it's just a game.
