Dr. Ben Shellenberg talks about what fans experience when their favourite team miss the playoffs.
In the Ask a Researcher series, experts from across the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management will answer your questions about sports, recreation, kinesiology, community development and more.
A: Well, Jets fans are disappointed today. They don't get a chance to watch their favourite team play, and that can be tough for sports fans. But we know that fans in general are an optimistic bunch. They have a really strong optimism bias, so they think their teams are going to do really well at the beginning of a season.
And there's lots to be hopeful of. There's a draft lottery that's coming around the corner and so there's a little bit of hope there with getting a high draft pick. Fans generally also have a bias towards potential. So, they love to see the potential in future draft picks. That's a lot to be hopeful of, too.
And also some research that we've been doing in our lab is showing that passion for being a sports fan is at the highest at the beginning of a season. So when the new season comes around, the Jets fans are going to be passionate and they're going to be hopeful. So, it's not all bad. There's hope around the corner.
Dr. Ben Schellenberg’s research focuses on understanding how people engage in their favourite activities. He looks at how to engage in these activities to produce the most benefits while avoiding potential costs, like conflict and burnout. He explores how people’s experiences are affected by how healthy or obsessive their passion is.
Using diverse research designs he works with populations including athletes, coaches, sport fans and students to explore how personality, motivation and self-regulation relate to each other and affect important activity outcomes, such as performance and well-being.
For nearly 150 years, UM has transformed lives through groundbreaking research and homegrown innovation. We push the boundaries of knowledge and do the hard work here in Manitoba to move our community and the world forward. With a spirit of determination and discovery, we are shaping a better future for our province and beyond.
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