INDIANAPOLIS — The next few weeks of March Madness activities will provide a big boost for the local economy, but one author said Indianapolis is also going to get a huge shot of positive psychological energy.
“Spectator sports are good for our psyche wherever they are, especially at this time where stadiums have been empty,” said Larry Olmsted, author of "Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding."
In short, being a rabid sports fan can actually be good for your mental health.
“In-person sports are even more vital, and Indianapolis is going to get that vibrancy,” Olmsted said. “All these people arriving [is a plus], even if you don't go to the game. I've been [to Indianapolis] for the Super Bowl and the Indy 500, and I know the city knows how to put on big events and really bring the city alive, so I think it's going to have a big boost.”
Through his research, Olmsted discovered that even fans of losing teams benefit from a positive psychological experience.
“Only one team wins the Super Bowl, only one team wins the World Series and only one team will win March Madness,” Olmsted said. “What I learned was fans get a lot more joy and upside mental health benefits from winning than they get downside from losing. Also, over time they remember the big wins or the big games, more than the losses. A great example is Cubs fans. You have your [World Series] win now — that's enough for a lifetime!”
Sports fans know the hardships of dealing with their favorite team not making it all the way to the top.
“Sports psychologists describe to me that we sort of have a circuit breaker in our head,” Olmsted said. “If sports fans didn't have coping mechanisms, there wouldn't be any sports fans."
According to Olmsted, the sense of community sports fans feel will see a much-needed return once COVID-19 restrictions begin to get rolled back.
“A big part of the mental health benefits that come from fandom come out of the sense of community,” Olmsted said. “You get that win or lose. The last time that all sports in this country were canceled for any prolonged period of time was after 9/11. The first game back or which was in New York at Shea Stadium, the Mets vs. the Braves. I interviewed people who were there, and one fan told me that was the moment it was OK to smile again.”
Olmsted expects to see plenty of smiles in Indianapolis in March and in the coming months as sports leagues slowly start to bring back more fans.
“After this pandemic, to be able to go into a stadium with 30,000 or 40,000 or 50,000 people sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers, high-fiving a stranger, that's the moment the pandemic is basically over,” Olmsted said. “We all want to get back to our normal lives. Even these partial attendance games, I think, have been a big boost.”
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