Why it's Good to be a Steelers Fan

There’s a bit of a brouhaha cooking up out there this week – especially in north Texas. For those of you who may not know, the Super Bowl is being held this coming Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing for their world record 7th Super Bowl Championship against the Green Bay Packers – they only have 3 Super Bowl wins.


Those of you who know me know I am “a bit” of a Steelers fan. Unfortunately, most of the people I know who are still interested in the game - that is they are not still crying over the Chicago Bears or Indianapolis Colts - the other people I know are Green Bay Packers fans.

You can guess the “good natured” verbal sparring, fact citing, and “my team is better than your team” barrages have gotten, maybe, a little out of control. With another week to go before the game, I am looking forward to it getting a little more rancorous.

But here’s the really cool part – It’s GOOD for us! That’s right, being a fan, a groupie, a devotee, a ‘nerd’ to your favorite movie – it’s actually healthy for us.

Here is what I found about fandom in a recent Psychology Today article:

Whether you are a fan of a sports team, music, or movies – being a fan grants the ability for a temporary, positive, and healthy escape. We all need to escape the rigors an stress of daily life from time to time, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to escape – music, movies, and sport provide a healthy escape, as long as it is not taken to an extreme.

For sports fans, fandom can elevate that feeling of escape into euphoria. A recent study completed at Indiana University reports that when we watch someone perform an action, “mirror neurons” are triggered in our brain – in our mind, if we are watching someone catch the game-winning interception, our brain tricks us into feeling like it is really us doing it. The greater the observer’s personal investment in the action they are watching, the greater fan you are, the more intensely your feel when the interception is caught, or the home run is hit, or the goal is scored.

The study goes on to state that the end result is “a vicarious sense of success” – you get to feel as gifted, talented, invincible, and well paid as the athlete you are watching. All that for the cost of admission – or just sitting in front of the tv watching.

A University of Utah study found that die-hard fans experience the same hormonal surges athletes do. “They become more optimistic about their own life when “their” team wins – and gloomy when ‘their’ team loses. Sorry Packers fans, but February is looking mighty gloomy for you…

Sports fandom taps in to our strong caveman need to be part of a group – sports fans who faithfully follow a local team experience increased social connection – an important component for overall mental-emotional health. It is even believed the “crazier” the fan’s displays for his or her team, the greater the status within the group.

So there it is – being a rabid fan for the soon to be Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers – being a crazy, loud, boisterous fan is good for you – as long as you do don’t let it get out of control.

Packers fans, good luck. But after the game, when you are confronted with those deep feelings of sadness and despair, I know a good therapist you can call.