| Whether you want to believe it or not, we
| |
| | feel the defeat a little as well. But our
|
| like to watch sports for very different
| |
| | lives are unaffected. And sports
|
| reasons than you may think. In fact, the
| |
| | announcers usually only add to the drama
|
| real things that cause us to like sports
| |
| | and suspension.
|
| are in every person, whether we like
| |
| | A sports game is a sort of story. There
|
| sports or not. What things can we learn
| |
| | is a beginning and an end. There is a
|
| about human nature by simply looking at
| |
| | protagonist (your team) and an antagonist
|
| our fascination with competition? The
| |
| | (the other team). There is a scene and
|
| answers may surprise you. Not only are
| |
| | setting, the stadium at noon, and there
|
| the answers interesting in themselves,
| |
| | is a plot, which is the action. Only
|
| but they may just help you in other ways
| |
| | after the games ends, and depending on if
|
| too.
| |
| | your team won or not, is it decided to be
|
| There are some fairly straightforward and
| |
| | called a fairy tale ending or a tragedy.
|
| obvious explanations for why we like
| |
| | Reptilian Brain and War
|
| sports to be sure. Sports teach us about
| |
| | Whether you want to believe it or not,
|
| loyalty, perseverance and honor. It gives
| |
| | humans are a lot closer to nature and the
|
| us a way to bond, it's cathartic, and we
| |
| | animal world than most people like to
|
| identify with teams and players. We live
| |
| | think. We're not just close to nature;
|
| vicariously through the players we watch.
| |
| | we're a part of it! Evolutionarily
|
| We have our favorite players, and there
| |
| | speaking, we are much closer in time to
|
| are teams we've grown up rooting for
| |
| | our unintelligent animal ancestors than
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| because our brother or dad used to love
| |
| | we are to a transcended sentient species
|
| them, and now we still root for them
| |
| | apart from nature. Our behavior is guided
|
| today. Or we may follow a sport now that
| |
| | much more by our 'primitive brain' than
|
| we used to play as a child.
| |
| | our more recently developed neocortex,
|
| But there are some deeper, more powerful
| |
| | which is the seat of our intelligence.
|
| and fascinating reasons too.
| |
| | The primitive brain, or lower brain
|
| We're All Just Big Children:
| |
| | function, deals with fight or flight
|
| Whether you want to believe it or not,
| |
| | behavior, hunger, fear, and sex, among
|
| all adults are just big children. We're
| |
| | other things.
|
| all just big kids. We just hide our true
| |
| | A common, yet erroneous concept is that
|
| feelings and thoughts with highly
| |
| | the human brain is the result of billions
|
| developed skills (or at least most of us
| |
| | of years of evolution. Our primitive or
|
| do). We still want to belong or be
| |
| | reptilian part of the brain is that old,
|
| accepted by our peers, we all still want
| |
| | but our brain's extra large neocortex,
|
| to be loved, we still feel emotional
| |
| | the thing that separates us from other
|
| pain, and we still find ourselves giving
| |
| | mammals, came about only a couple million
|
| in to immediate gratification when we
| |
| | years ago, a mere drop in the
|
| know better. And yes, some of us still
| |
| | evolutionary bucket. The neocortex has
|
| lie and cheat in our normal day to day
| |
| | not had much time to develop, and so our
|
| lives.
| |
| | primitive brain plays a significant role
|
| We certainly hide things better and often
| |
| | in our lives.
|
| successfully 'act' as if we don't care
| |
| | Our basic flight or fight mentality is
|
| about belonging, or love, or pain, or
| |
| | manifested in sports. We can relate, on
|
| whatever. Deep down inside we are a
| |
| | some deeper and unconscious level, with
|
| little more mature and wise, but
| |
| | the guy running with the football towards
|
| basically still just children. We may not
| |
| | the end zone and being chased by a pack
|
| say it out loud anymore, but we still
| |
| | of angry men. We can understand what it
|
| think to ourselves sometimes, "That's not
| |
| | feels like to check another player in
|
| fair!" We would rather play than work.
| |
| | hockey and slam him into the boards. Or
|
| Some may argue, depending on whether they
| |
| | we can sympathize with the NASCAR driver
|
| pee standing up or sitting down, that
| |
| | who gets passed by a competitor, but
|
| this is especially true for men. Maybe
| |
| | throws it into a higher gear and chases
|
| that's why there are more men sports fans
| |
| | after him.
|
| than women.
| |
| | Our primitive desire for dominance is
|
| You see, watching sports gives us a
| |
| | represented in sports. When our team
|
| perfect, safe and secure, black and
| |
| | wins, we experience a sort of dominance
|
| white, little microcosm of life.
| |
| | over the opposing team and their fans.
|
| Following a player, team or game allows
| |
| | Our predatory nature is lit up when we
|
| us to experience ups and downs and a
| |
| | see a linebacker following a running back
|
| whole array of emotions, just like in
| |
| | through a mass of football players,
|
| real life, but we aren't actually
| |
| | waiting for the perfect moment to strike
|
| affected.
| |
| | his prey with a tackle. Watching someone
|
| And unlike life, sports and games are
| |
| | chase the man with the ball in
|
| generally fair! There are rules and a
| |
| | basketball, soccer, or baseball affects
|
| crystal clear framework, or paradigm that
| |
| | us in similar ways.
|
| all the participants and spectators know
| |
| | Our tribal instincts are fulfilled by
|
| about. There are never any monkey
| |
| | sports. We all want to belong to
|
| wrenches thrown into a sports game, like
| |
| | something; it's a basic human need since
|
| the rules changing mid-game for instance.
| |
| | we are such social animals. We identify
|
| If rules are broken, the offender is
| |
| | with a team like our ancestors would
|
| penalized. They don't frustratingly get
| |
| | identify with their tribe. This is
|
| away sometimes like in real life.
| |
| | especially true for the Western world's
|
| At the end, there is an unambiguous
| |
| | modern man, where community has taken a
|
| winner and loser. We get to pretend that
| |
| | back seat to independence.
|
| the game we're watching is life, where
| |
| | Our primitive warring nature is satisfied
|
| everything is perfectly fair, everyone
| |
| | by sports. There seems to be an innate
|
| plays by the rules and everything makes
| |
| | desire for war, even in so-called
|
| sense.
| |
| | 'modern' man. Indeed, look at the world
|
| Children tend to think of things in much
| |
| | today and how many current wars are going
|
| more black and white terms. It is only
| |
| | on, and you'll see how far we are to real
|
| through living and maturing that we
| |
| | peace. Pathetically, that last statement
|
| realize that all of life is a series of
| |
| | holds true for almost any time in
|
| grays. But we all still long for a
| |
| | history, regardless of when you're
|
| simpler and easier life. When things are
| |
| | reading this. Again, this goes back to
|
| only seen in black or white, things
| |
| | the fact that we are ruled more by our
|
| indeed seem simpler and easier, but life
| |
| | 'primitive', survival-driven, fight or
|
| isn't so clear-cut.
| |
| | flight brain than our reasonable and
|
| This helps explain why politicians who
| |
| | intelligent 'modern' brain.
|
| break their platform down into simple
| |
| | Every sports game is like a tiny war
|
| sound bites and into terms devoid of
| |
| | between tribes, with an end and a
|
| complexity often do better than
| |
| | declared victor. But there's one
|
| politicians who talk about life like it
| |
| | important distinction; unlike war, no one
|
| really is, a complex, interrelated world
| |
| | has to die in sports.
|
| of nuances.
| |
| | One of the reasons going to a game is
|
| Watching sports allows us a temporarily
| |
| | more exciting than watching it on TV is
|
| safe and socially acceptable way to be
| |
| | that there is a kind of energy created
|
| more like our true nature, and our true
| |
| | when so many people get together and root
|
| nature is frighteningly childlike. So the
| |
| | for one cause. You might even liken it to
|
| next time you deal with a difficult
| |
| | a mob mentality. We don't have to look
|
| person, remember that they are just a
| |
| | farther than our own stadiums where
|
| large child, like you and everyone else,
| |
| | pandemonium has broken out in protest to
|
| and maybe that knowledge will help you
| |
| | a call or in celebration of a win. Sports
|
| deal with them a little more easily.
| |
| | strongly appeals to the gaming and
|
| What Do Watching A Horror Movie And
| |
| | struggle instincts of humans.
|
| Sports Have In Common?
| |
| | And since our modern lives no longer
|
| Ever wonder why so many people, including
| |
| | contain any real physical danger and all
|
| maybe you, enjoy watching horror movies
| |
| | our basic needs are immediately taken
|
| so much? They provide a safe way for
| |
| | care of, we now have a void that needs to
|
| people to experience high levels of
| |
| | be filled somehow, our primitive brain
|
| suspension without actually being in any
| |
| | expects it. Sports fit the bill. It gives
|
| real danger. Sports can be the same way.
| |
| | us the illusion of reality where there
|
| Again, watching sports allows us to enter
| |
| | are no consequences. It gives us the
|
| a perfect world where the suspenseful
| |
| | illusion of battle, war, victory and
|
| outcome has no bearing on our real lives
| |
| | defeat, without the consequences. And it
|
| (unless you have a nasty sports gambling
| |
| | gives us the illusion of being a child
|
| problem of course).
| |
| | again, even if it's all temporary.
|
| People love drama, suspension, and
| |
| | You may not like sports at all, but we
|
| resolution, which are all elements
| |
| | are all a quite childlike inside. We all
|
| inherent in sports. In fact, the closer
| |
| | yearn for some level of drama in our
|
| the game, the more suspension there is.
| |
| | lives. And we are all constantly affected
|
| If we identify with a player and he wins,
| |
| | by our primitive brain. Watching sports
|
| we are vicariously happy for the success.
| |
| | is one excellent way for people to
|
| However, if the player's team loses, we
| |
| | reconcile these inescapable facts.
|
