Good morning Cincinnati! How about those Bengals and Bearcats? The Bearcats are 10-0 and the Bengals are 7-2, after beating the Steelers yesterday. It’s a great way to start off the week, but it makes me wonder : do you get a sense of encouragement when your favorite sports team wins?
James Johnson of Helium.com thinks a winning sports team can distract you from other problems such as a downtrodden economy.
The team can tie into all aspects of the community. High society and low, both can point to the team and say, we are a part of it. Poor can’t build fancy parks or massive skyscrapers, but they can help build a winning team of athletes. Creating a sense of pride in a downtrodden city can turn attitudes, crime and even the economy or the city around. This is because morale is one of the most important things in any community, and few things boost morale like supporting a winner.
The sports team can also give a visible, central focal point on which the downtrodden city can concentrate. This serves as a distraction from the less successful things that may be happening. “Crime may be rising, but what about our team!” may sound petty, but it will boost the morale of a lot of people. When morale boosts high enough, crime goes down as people stop fighting, the police can concentrate on real crime instead of “domestic disputes” and morale rises even higher.
That is how winning sports teams act as morale boosters in downtrodden cities, by showing that everything isn’t rotten and positive things can still happen. They bring all aspects and communities in the city together A winning sports team gives it some heroes and the young some one to emulate. If the people feel successful they start to feel better and act better, and that boosts everybody’s morale. Of course after a winning season it may no longer be a downtrodden city, it has been uplifted by that boost!
There are some health experts that believe that a winning team can have a positive emotional affect on your health. Amy Dickson, a clinical psychologist, believes so :
I think you can sense the upbeat nature in the city. A winning team can equal a winning mentality for fans in other aspects of their lives. It’s a real boost for people’s functioning in the city. (via: wwltv.com)
So what do you think? Have the winning seasons of the Bearcats and Bengals boost your morale? Do you start the week off with encouragment and a winning mentality after two of our city’s football teams have won? Write your comments below, and don’t be afraid to shout out a “Who Dey!” on your way to work.
