Psychology and Rivalry

In this article of the Wall Street Journal, the author discusses the drive that fans and athletes possess, which ultimately ties into psychology. A question that was answered for me while reading this article is how does psychology affect sports rivalries?  The answer is that psychology can either improve performance of a player, or the pressure could crack them down and make their performance worse. Secondly, fans have a odd hate for their rivals that makes them happier when their teams rival loses than when their own team wins.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Kilduff’s most fascinating finding is that rivalries increase motivation—and improve performance. In one study, published in 2011 in the journal Psychological Science he looked at race results from members of a running club, examining what happened when rival runners raced against each other. He learned that the runners were faster—by about 25 seconds in 5-kilometer races—when competing against their rivals.

I agree with this passage because as an athlete myself, I understand the higher rate of intensity and hype that I feel. The motivation on game day and the atmosphere in the locker room is intense.This example seems like a huge jump in the athletes time, but it is a reliable source so the results can be trusted. However, the next paragraph talks about the opposite effect that rivalries have on athletes.

The emotional swings of rivalries aren’t always a formula for success. There is enough scholarly literature about choking under pressure to fill Michigan Stadium, while academics caution that they are just beginning to learn how rivalries shape our lives.

Although some players improve their energy levels and intensity, some do not. In fact, they do quite the opposite. Some athletes crack under the pressure and “choke”, as many would say. I have felt this negative feeling during the most crucial parts of a game, and it is the worst thing that can happen to athletes because they are more uptight and they don’t believe that they complete their task assigned.

The die-hards (fans) were giddy when their teams made positive plays, which the researchers confirmed with activity in the ventral striatum, a part of the brain that correlates with pleasure. But the study was more revealing in people who felt greater aggression toward their rivals. The ventral striatum was engaged not only when their teams succeeded but also when their rivals failed—even against other teams

This article is basically stating that fans receive more pleasure from seeing their rival lose than their own team win. I don’t agree with this statement, but they did test the brain of many fans and the results proved their theorem. The hate that these fans must have for their rivals brings us back to the essential question because this is one of the main ignitions of rivalries.

What is the best rivalry of all time?