Five things to know about being an obsessed football fan:
– Last year, after the Eagles lost the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive time, a weeping Eagles fan was caught on television wailing, “Every year they break my heart! I hate them. I hate them. I hate them.”
– Another fan was so angry that he
reportedly strapped on a helmet and crashed his head through a car windshield.
– Teams that win give rise to BIRG–Basking In Reflected Glory–characterized by fans tossing around the “we” word. To wit: “We’re going to the Super Bowl,” says Christian End, who researches fan psychology at Xavier University in Ohio.
– Teams that lose prompt fans to CORF–Cut Off Reflected Failure. They distance themselves by using “they,” as in, “They lost,” End says.
– Upward of 70 percent of the population identifies with some sports team, End says.