Hello Chasers,
Last Friday, Ange & I headed off to Melbourne to see my beloved Blues take on Melbourne for a spot in the Preliminary Finals.
We were able to catch up with two of our daughters in Geelong who we haven’t seen for a couple of weeks, Sofie for her 20th birthday too.
As they had plans for her birthday organised by her friends etc. they had to cancel their tickets and I was able to arrange with a couple of mates in the business community to join us – a Collingwood and a Hawthorn supporter – to use the tickets.
After that we made our way to the city, parked the car and had dinner at our favourite Indian restaurant, Floras in Flinders Street. We then joined the massive crowd procession of Blues supporters along Birrarung Marr who were in really good voice and spirits as we all nervously waited in anticipation for the game to start.
We met Kimon and Daryl at Gate 1 and joined the masses queued up to enter.
Locating our seats, we were filled with awe and excitement of the noise in the arena and I wondered if this was how the ancient Romans felt at the Colosseum.
The crowd was passionate, and the emotions were so high.
There are a number of reasons why following a sports team can trigger such passionate emotions.
- Sense of community: Sports fans often develop a strong sense of community with other fans of their team. This can be a source of belonging and support, and it can make the experience of following a team even more enjoyable.
- Team identification: Many fans identify strongly with their favorite teams. This means that they see the team’s successes and failures as their own. This can lead to intense emotions, both positive and negative.
- Uncertainty and suspense: Sports games are full of uncertainty and suspense. This can lead to a range of emotions, such as excitement, anxiety, and hope.
- Competition: Sports are competitive by nature. This can lead to feelings of rivalry and animosity between fans of opposing teams. These feelings can be intensified when there is a lot at stake, such as in a championship game.
- Emotional contagion: Emotions can be contagious. When fans are surrounded by other fans who are feeling passionate about a game, it can be difficult not to get caught up in the excitement.
Besides these reasons for passionately following your team, for me, I am particularly passionate about the Blues as I have been following them since childhood – the 1970s Grand Final result in particular – despite Mum & Dad both and my eldest sister, Maria, following Collingwood.
Fans may also be more passionate about teams that are successful, or that play an exciting style of play. the emotions make the experience of following the Blues even more enjoyable and memorable.
However, it is important to remember that sports are just entertainment. It is important to keep things in perspective and to avoid letting sports emotions get out of control but, just the same, it is an incredible escape from reality – especially if they play in the finals – if just for a couple of hours anyway.
The atmosphere is just electric.
We are lucky to have another game to be excited about next week – Go Blues!
Have a great day!
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