Special to Sports News Highlights

(SNH) — Recently, my favorite sports team suffered a season-ending loss. In the aftermath, I felt deep emotions that resulted in a funk unlike my normal optimistic self. With a desire to understand my feelings, I began to explore how much my identity was tied to the success of my team.

Apparently, I am not alone as psychologists research and study what is defined as team identification. Team identification is the extent to which a fan feels a psychological connection to a team and the team’s performance is viewed as self-relevant according to nationally recognized sports psychology expert Daniel Wann.

If there were a scale of 1 to 10 that measured team identification with 1 being none and 10 being high, I would rate a 12 or something like extreme fanaticism. My wife and children would be a zero which helps explain why they vacate the house when I’m watching my team play.

I use with the words “my team.” This simple statement reveals a couple of things about me. One is that the performance of my team is strongly connected to my self-esteem. When “we” win, I feel uplifted and in a great mood. However, a loss can have a negative impact on my emotional well-being.

Secondly, it indicates my human desire for belonging. We all desire to be accepted and part of a connected group that reflects our individual values and beliefs. Examples of fans being strongly connected to a team and other fans are groups like the Buffalo Bills Mafia and the Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound.

Think about how you felt the last time you attended a sporting event surrounded by tens of thousands of other people who were also fans of your team. I am certain that you felt a strong social connection immersed in a crowd. An entire stadium celebrating together big plays and scores. This is an example of a social bond that is created by a common cause.

This type of connection can also be felt when we see another person wearing our teams’ apparel. All around the country, I meet strangers sporting my team’s logo and colors. I feel an instant bond and shared experience even if we just fist bump or high five as we say our team cheer.

I invite you to explore your own team identification. Put on your favorite teams’ apparel and see what emotions, thoughts and feelings arise. Think of a time when your team won a game. As you remember that time do you feel joyful and elated? Now recall another time when your team lost and compare how you differently you feel. Be curious about how those memories stir emotions inside you.

I can share with you that this experience helped me understand that whether my team wins or loses the final score has nothing to do with my self-worth. While I am still deeply emotionally connected to my team and my tribe of fans, there is now a part of me that realizes that the true enjoyment of the game is the feelings in the moment.

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