In a few weeks, viewers around the world will be glued to their televisions or computer screens watching the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad from Paris, France. There are some fascinating psychological implications of the Games, especially for men.
The most famous examples of how Olympic competition can drive athletes crazy are Simone Biles and Michael Phelps. Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, abruptly withdrew from the team and individual finals at the 2020 Summer Olympics, citing mental health concerns. She said she got “the twisties,” a dangerous mental block where a gymnast feels disconnected from their body and loses their sense of position. Biles recently qualified for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team, and all eyes will be on her in Paris.
Phelps is certainly the greatest living swimmer, with a record-breaking 23 Olympic gold medals on his shelf. Yet, he has struggled with anxiety and depression for much of his life. In 2014, after his second arrest for driving under the influence, Phelps spent 45 days at The Meadows, a treatment facility near Phoenix. He now speaks out frequently and openly about the importance of prioritizing mental health.
Phelps thought of taking his life on more than one occasion. “After every Olympics, I think I fell into a major state of depression,” he told the Kennedy Forum mental health conference in 2018, adding “I didn’t want to be in the sport anymore. I didn’t want to be alive. You do contemplate suicide.”
Phelps’ mental issues seemed to worsen after the excitement of each Olympics had passed. I saw the same phenomenon after Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, and not just among the competitors. Many staff members who worked for the Games struggled post-Olympics. Some had their relationships crumble soon after the closing ceremony. Staffers who wanted to have children were told they should wait to get pregnant until the big event was over. Quite a few had difficulty finding their next job because nothing could live up to the prestige and excitement of the Olympics.
Most of us will be Paris Olympics spectators, not staff or competitors. Still, there are mental issues to think about. After the Edmonton Oilers’ valiant run at this year’s Stanley Cup, the airwaves were full of stories about heartbroken fans. People reported trading their orange and blue jerseys for black mourning clothes. Especially for the superfans who travelled to Florida, there was a sense that “we lost” instead of “they lost.”
Susan Krauss Whitbourne is professor emerita of psychology and brain science at the University of Massachusetts. She writes, “Research shows that on the day after a team’s win, people feel better about themselves.” She says these fans are the BIRGers who are “Basking in Reflected Glory. At the other extreme are CORFers – fans who, when their team loses badly, try to “Cut Off Reflected Failure.” Which are you? One test is that the first group will proudly wear their team’s gear the day after a big loss, while CORFers would avoid team-related clothing.
Whitbourne says the well-known ingroup/outgroup distinction is definitely at play with sports enthusiasts. Loyal fans may villainize those of the opposing team, even though “There typically is very little if anything, that distinguishes these two groups of fans. They are passionate about their teams, know every detail about the players, and religiously follow the progress of their hometown heroes.”
Researchers led by Yonghwan Chang of the department of sport management at the University of Florida believe the drive to be an avid sports fan is at least in part hormonal. “Testosterone, which is a steroid hormone, likely serves as an internal cue that guides the fundamental mechanism behind these real-world consumer decisions,” such as supporting your favourite team.
They cite a study from the University of Vienna that “testosterone rises rapidly in response to cues of competition or social challenge in the environment and these changes in testosterone are functional in that they prepare the organism for competitive or aggressive interactions.” Just watch the antics of soccer fans running onto the field when their team wins or loses to see this raw hormonal behaviour in action.
There are positive aspects to being a sports fan. Military psychologist Carrie H. Kennedy says these include a feeling of social connectedness and improved self-esteem. She writes, “Watching sports is also associated with the release of neurochemicals responsible for mood, pain tolerance, and immune system functions.”
So, by all means, tune in to the Olympics and root for your favourite teams and athletes with passion. Just remember that no matter how many superstitious rituals you perform or don’t perform, the results on the field are caused by the players and not by you.
Dr. Tom Keenan is an award-winning journalist, public speaker, professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary, and author of the best-selling book Technocreep: The Surrender of Privacy and the Capitalization of Intimacy.