The "Mental Game" of a Sports Fan

Recently, I finished reading Dr. Bob Rotella's Golf is Not a Game of Perfect. Published in 1995, the perspectives in the book have likely aged and are common knowledge at this point, but it was still a nice read to further enhance my “mental game” in not just golf but any sport that I may participate in. Dr. Rotella's main emphasis was on not focusing in one's mechanics, but rather to have confidence and positive thought in order to attain success on a golf course.

But, in a different realm, the book got me thinking about the sports fan, and the “mental game” involved in that. Recent Bud Light commercials have proven two things: one, that a company can beat to death a song to a point that you sadly don't like it anymore (Stevie Wonder's “Superstition”) and that the average sports fan puts a lot of emphasis on their rituals and that their interaction has an effect on the outcome of a game.

Is it possible that a fan can actually have an effect on a game? Nothing can particularly prove that other than the factor of home field advantage, which can have an impact in sports (varying from the surefire victories the Seattle Seahawks were getting this year at CenturyLink Field to the pointlessness of being a #1 seed in the NHL Playoffs). Beyond that, can superstition or a mental perspective play a role? Can the fan sitting at home really dictate anything? While I have as much proof as saying that Ray Lewis was right and God gave him the another Super Bowl win, I do think that a fan's mental state can play a role in a game outcome.

A strong part of this belief has to come from being a Cleveland sports fan. I grew up with “The Shot,” “The Drive,” and “The Fumble.” I've seen Jose Mesa's blown save. I've seen Dwyane Rudd throw a helmet and reveal a rule no one knew existed. When it all comes down to it, I learned that no lead is ever safe. It also created me having zero confidence in my team when it comes down to a close game. We've found so many different crushing ways to lose, how can any of us as Cleveland fans feel strongly that we'll win?

There are a lot of instances where I can show how mentally I felt completely different as a fan and the outcome was the same. In Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James put up his memorable “48 Special” performance against the Detroit Pistons. In Game 6, I had my usual doubts as a Cleveland fan, but as the game progressed, I felt more confident with LeBron as a leader and the team won on our way to getting swept out of the NBA Finals. Take that situation against LeBron's no-show in Game 5 of the 2010 playoffs against the Boston Celtics and how every Cleveland fan had to be thinking we weren't going to win in Boston after getting blown out at home. I was convinced this same situation would happen to LeBron in last year's playoffs after losing Game 5 to Boston, but alas, LeBron is now in Miami and was the exact opposite of a no-show in dismantling the Celtics on their home court.

I remember having similar feelings in the 2007 American League Championship Series. After the Indians went up 3-1, I knew we had to take Game 5. Then, Josh Beckett shut us down. Most fans would still feel they had a chance up 3-2 in a series, but knowing just how dominant Beckett was against us, and that we were headed back to Boston for the final two games, I didn't believe the Indians could pull it out, and they didn't.

In connection with fan confidence is momentum. Some will say that momentum plays no role in how a game or a series transpires. But, in these examples, there's something to one team simply dominating another and it swinging the momentum of a series. Now, this swing has to do with player confidence as well. If a player feels advantageous against their opponent, he or she has the wholehearted confidence to believe he or she will win. Such confidence and momentum passes on to the fan. 

Of course, all fan bases have different levels of confidence. One of the more notorious moments where it was clear that fan confidence may have had an effect on an outcome of the game was the Steve Bartman incident during the 2003 National League Championship Series. Best depicted in ESPN's "30 for 30" Catching Hell documentary, Cubs fans turned on Steve Bartman when he interfered with a foul ball rather than focusing on the team's poor inning as a whole. I remember watching the game live, and you could feel the energy sucked out of Wrigley Field almost immediately, and it kept getting worse as the mistakes kept piling up for the Cubs.

Fan bases sometimes sadly find confidence in hatred.

But, there's got to be that other side of the coin, too. My buddy Evan is a Boston sports fan. I asked him if he feels confident when Tom Brady has the ball in a clutch situation. He humorously said, "Not lately," which makes sense. But, he acknowledged that for years Brady and the Patriots had that swagger and confidence that led to a fan feeling good about winning a game. He said he felt the same way whenever the Red Sox handed Pedro Martinez the ball during his best seasons. Once a player and a team manage to prove something and show confidence, it rubs off on the fan as well.

The "mental game" is a part of a lot of aspects in sports. I genuinely believe that momentum and "something in the air" can have an effect on the outcome of the game. Sometimes, it's a team's sense of confidence that translates to the fan (Bulls fans have to believe Jordan will hit a game winning shot) but other times it's the fan's pressure and feelings of failure translating to a team (the Cubs in 2003 and perhaps any situation for that team for the rest of time).