I lost half my family this week…temporarily at least.
My son, Simon, is home from university.
My husband, Brandon…well, he’s always around. I like that about him.
And this week every day there seems to be the most important hockey game of all time on TV. How is that even possible?
It’s the playoffs. And the two of them are locked in.
Simon became an LA Kings fan way back in 2010. He was 5. He had JUST started playing hockey and while most Canadian parents had their boys on skates at just about the time they learned to walk, Simon’s first time was on this team (gulp). The other boys skated circles around him. At the time, the slower skaters made up the defensive line. That’s where his career on the D-line started.
Enter Drew Doughty, 20 years old, the youngest player to make team Canada, and…a defenceman. He was a rockstar in the Olympic Games, on the ice for Sydney Crosby’s Golden Goal.
That’s when pride for country, sport, and player became fandom. And a love for the LA Kings was born.
My husband’s team is the Edmonton Oilers. His story goes all the way back – Gretzky in the ’80s, four Cups in five years, and a dynasty that turned the world into hockey fans.
This is the 4th year in a row the Kings and the Oilers have met in the first round of the playoffs. Kings were up 2-0 and now down 3-2. It could end tonight in Edmonton.
And my poor exuberant, fanatical son is riding the wave – obnoxious in the highs and crushed in the lows. My husband? Well, he’s been through this enough to not get too excited about any eventuality. Although he still can’t talk about last year’s Oilers–Panthers Stanley Cup Final. After falling behind 3–0 in the series, the Oilers had the most remarkable comeback, winning the next three games…only to lose in Game 7. (Harrumph)
Me, you might ask? Despite all the years, hundreds of hours in hockey arenas watching both our kids play…when it comes to professional sports – I’m all about the NFL. GoHawks! Yes, it’s been a rough ride since the 2014 Super Bowl win, but a fan, I remain.
What drives us to choose a team and stick with it?
Sometimes, it’s a single moment. One player. A feeling you can’t explain.
And just like that, you’re in.
You buy the jerseys, debate with friends over who’s best, and start saying “we”, even though you’re not on the ice or the field.
That’s fandom.
It’s identity, connection, and a story you insert yourself into even if you never meet the players.
There’s research to back this up.
Psychologists have long studied sports fandom and found it fulfills a basic human need: belonging. We see ourselves in our teams.
When they win, we win. When they lose, we feel it. In fact, studies show that fans experience hormonal changes based on their team’s performance. Testosterone levels in male fans increase when their team wins and decrease when they lose.
Other research highlights that fandom builds social bonds, reduces isolation, and provides a sense of identity…even purpose.
The highs, the lows, the loyalty. Sure… it’s entertainment. It’s also how we make meaning.
Imagine if we could get people as excited about their work team as they are about their sports team.
About their own skills and talents.
About the job they do and the problem they solve.
Now that’s a mission worth exploring.
It’s a big day in our house. The series could end. My boy, crushed. My husband fighting all the instincts to rub it in his face. And me…happy we can go back to watching Love on the Spectrum.
Oh wait, this was only the first round. At best, hockey fans are in it for another 12 games. At most…21.
And that’s why Brandon calls it the best product in professional sports.
Maybe it’s time I start watching.
Mary
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