LibraryScenariosWhen sports fandom becomes emotional dependency
Scenario

When sports fandom becomes emotional dependency

I've been a Lakers fan since I was seven and they're having a terrible season and I realized I'm genuinely depressed about grown men I'll never meet playing a game badly.

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The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

Identity has become so intertwined with external performance that personal wellbeing depends on strangers' success.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Sports — playing and watching?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.