It doesnโt matter whether youโre a supporter of the Cats or the Hawks, the Dockers or the Eagles, thereโs nothing quite like the thrill and exhilaration of watching your favourite team compete at the highest level. When it comes to game day, all your attention is centered on one event and one event only, making for a nail-biting, adrenaline-filled rollercoaster of an experience.
But while watching the big match is invariably a momentous moment, there are certain ways you can enhance your enjoyment of it โ even if the outcome isnโt exactly what youโd hoped for at the outset. So the next time your footy team is in action, why not try out one or more of these suggestions to ramp up the excitement levels even further?
Watch with others
There is now a significant body of evidence that suggests the sense of community and belonging that being part of something greater than ourselves โ such as sports fandom โ is beneficial for our mental health. Thatโs because it can give a boost to our self-esteem and our social status, especially when weโre physically around others at the time the match is taking place. The next time you plan to watch your team kick-off, reach out to others beforehand and rustle up a crowd to enjoy it with.
Attend in person
Following on from the above point, thereโs no better way to feel part of a collective than by actually attending the venue where the sports are taking place. Thatโs because live attendance at a sporting extravagance comes with a buzzing atmosphere thatโs simply inimitable, even in the liveliest of bars or the most raucous of living rooms. It might cost more to shell out for tickets to the big game, but youโll be creating memories to last you a lifetime in the process.
Put some money on it
From a dead rubber at the end of an underwhelming season to a championship decider, you can always make a match matter more by placing a wager on it. Gone are the days when doing so would involve an arduous trip to your local sportsbook; now, you can simply log onto the internet and bet online at any number of sites. And with a wide variety of different markets available, supplemented by the latest statistics and reports, you can improve your betting strategy like never before.
Play the sport yourself
A revealing study from the 1980s found that the same motor neurons inside the brains of monkeys would fire when they grasped a peanut themselves โ and when they saw a human do it. This โmonkey-see-monkey-doโ correlation forges a connection between player and spectator that enhances enjoyment โ and by playing the sport yourself prior to taking in the event, you can make the connection even stronger.
Most of us might instinctively associate the enjoyment of watching sports with the risk of failure and the reward of success, but it also encompasses feelings of companionship and solidarity. Employing the above techniques can help leverage each of those elements to contribute to more holistic gratification as you take in the big game.
