How to be a Superfan

If you pay any attention to sports, you will know that the Superbowl is tomorrow. More Americans watch the Superbowl than vote, and there is rarely any doubt about which team to back (unlike elections).

If you're a well-informed fan, according to Psychology Today, you would gather a group of like minded friends and wave pennants (or foam hands or whatever) in sync. A group of amateur psychologists did this as an informal experiment at a series of Dallas Mavericks games. At the games they attended, the Mavericks opponents shot 8% below the league average on free-throws. This may not seem like a tremendously significant effect, but it could make the difference for the home team.

Also of note, the same article points out that "emergency room visits drop during big games and spike after they're over." A new criterion for die-hard sports fans: if your own personal risk of injury is at least as great as a professional athlete in a contact sport.