Football always makes the fans’ feelings overflow. There are often only a few seconds between a burst of anger and tears of joy. Sports psychologist Markus Raab explains why these emotional outbursts occur.
The fans in the stands are often referred to as the twelfth man in football, because in the past it was not uncommon for the emotions of the audience to lead teams to top performances and victories. It is therefore not surprising that even after 18 months without fans in the stadium, supporters like the Swiss Luca Loutenbach are becoming an Internet hit. After the surprise success of his Swiss national team in the round of 16 against France, Loutenbach became a viral hit online because of his emotional fluctuations.
When a victory for Switzerland was a long way off, he pulled his jersey over his head and it looked as if he didn’t want to watch any more. After a success soon came within reach thanks to a connection and equalizer, the man could no longer hold himself, tore the jersey from his body and roared his joy. The young man was overwhelmed by media inquiries thanks to the many pictures that were shared and commented on. In front of the mics he seemed rather calm and level-headed. What happens to people in the stadium when emotions can hardly be kept in check?
Sudden changes lead to emotional outbursts
Emotionally connected sports events lead to a build-up of tension in which “excitations follow one another and increase”, explains sports scientist and psychologist Markus Raab from the German Sport University in Cologne. He explains the emotional fluctuations in such a way that sudden changes in the game cause emotional reactions such as anger and tears of joy in this build-up of arousal.
But the environment also has no influence that should be underestimated in the situation. “When strangers come together while watching a game in the stands, emotionally connected communities of moments and moments of collective self-experience arise,” says Raab.
Deep connection between football fans and the team
In interviews, the Swiss fan had repeatedly subordinated his achieved fame on the Internet to the success of the national team. Sports psychologist Raab explains this with a strong sense of belonging between supporter and team: “The identity with an athlete / team or a nation creates a strong bond, which means that victories / defeats are directly linked to one’s own emotions and self-efficacy.”
Sig Zelt, spokesman for the ProFans organization, describes that commitment to a team strengthens one’s own ego in the perception of fans – even towards higher-ranking people. If, for example, the neighbor has a more expensive house, but your own club beats that of the neighbor, that is just a great feeling for many.
Tears of joy and deep disappointment
Emotional borderline experiences in the arena may also fascinate people, especially after the long fan abstinence due to Corona. And the emotional outbursts are rewarded again and again on the Internet. Many remember the Brazilian fan at the 2014 World Cup, who, after the 1: 7 bankruptcy against the German national team in his own country, became a tragic figure in tears. He later gave his replica World Cup trophy to a German fan. He became an icon online.
And also at this European Championship, crying was to some extent rewarded: After Germany’s 2-0 defeat by England at Wembley Stadium, a crying German girl was shown on television and on the stadium screens. English fans cheered – later the girl was even insulted on social media.
For many, such reactions are hardly understandable. Men and young people tend to be more aggressive than women at sporting events, explains Raab. Even the number of heart attacks during important games shows the emotional state of emergency many fans are in. Fans only generate the same emotions by observing others on TV. “This means that we can only share some of the extreme emotional ups and downs by observing,” says Raab. Like no other area of life, sport manages to bring so many people to various emotional extremes at once.
A British soccer fan later launched a fundraising campaign for the girl on the Internet with the aim of making her happy and showing that not all people in Britain are “terrible”. It raised more than £ 36,000. Some of them were determined to be guided by their emotions when they participated.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
