#3. We Crave The Acceptance
It’s no surprise that 64% of Americans watch televised sports, 73% of them being men.
“Guys love being part of the sports fan culture — and it is a culture,” Masini explains. “It’s currency among men, starting before they are men — in elementary school. It’s not measured by an SAT test — but it can get you a job because it’s a way of connecting.” Acceptance doesn’t just refer to “with the guys,” either.
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In many relationships, Masini says, sports fanaticism can affect how couples interact. “Your empathy towards your sports fan partner is going to be part of the relationship’s tools,” she says. “If his (or her) team loses, and he’s upset about it, don’t tell him to “get over it” and expect to stay in that relationship. His team is just as important to him as his mother or his kids, and your relationship to that team, will be just as precarious as the one you have with his mom or his kids. Tread carefully.”
