With the World Series ending a topic has come up that has mystified me for some time. When a team wins, why do the people who cheer for them act they had any part in the team winning? On TV, I watch people talk about how they never gave up on their team and were always with them. The people saying this do not work for or represent the team so why are they referring to the winning team as their team and acting like they are part of the team? I can understand the people that cheer on a team and feel good when they win but I do not understand the people who act they had some part in the team winning. Is the reason because they can not play sports so they must live their sports dreams through someone else? Are people’s lives so pitiful they must live life through someone else?

Do not act like the team was playing as hard as they could be cause of you. Professional sports are big business. Professional baseball players play as hard as they do because the more runs they get or the more RBIs they accumulated the more money they can demand. Baseball and all other professional sports are about money. Many professional players do not give a damn about their team’s fans. If the players did care, they would not charge money for their signatures. If they cared, they would not demand such high salaries which cause higher ticket prices. If they cared, they would not go on strike depriving their fans from watching them play.

Fans like to use the argument, they were in the stands cheering on their team and that gave their team the encouragement to win. If that person were not their cheering then someone else would have been in their place doing the same thing so it really does not matter who is in the stands cheering. If the reason for the team winning was because of the people in the stands then how do any teams win away games?

Some people never even go to a single game and still act like they were the reason their team won. Screaming at your TV or in a bar despite what some might believe plays no part on whether a team wins or looses.

How do people even decide which team to cheer for? If you were to do a study, I would be willing to bet most people cheer for the team which is closest to where they live. Many people must join groups of others so they feel they are part of a group. People find others with common interests to form groups in an attempt to feel like they are a part of something. People who go to a bar might have almost nothing in common together but if they are cheering for the same team then they can feel like they are part of a group. How can people go from cheering for team so they feel like they are part of a group to cheering on a team and actually thing they are affecting the outcome of the team?

Everyone likes to feel good when the team they were cheering for wins. But remember there is a very small chance you actually helped the team win so do not act like you did. If want to feel like you directly affected the outcome of a game join a local team and when they win you can take some credit for your team winning.