Football

Is Football Bad For Your Health?

Football has a pretty big role in terms of UK culture, and never more so since the birth of Sky Sports and the Premier League, enhanced even further by Euro ’96. We’re now at a point where around 29 million people attend live games and that’s not even taking into account the millions more who watch from the comfort of their favourite armchair, and 1 in 4 of those who take on the title of a ‘fan’ suggest the game is one of the most important things in their lives.

Is that a bad thing?

Well, if you look at it from a Psychologist’s point of view, it’s pretty good. Dr. Sandy Wolfson, Head of Psychology at Northumbria University, says:

“Football does have positive effects on people’s psychological well-being. It gives people a ready-made topic of conversation where opinions on team selection, strategy, and players’ skills are enjoyable topics for debate. Many people have made good friends and even met their spouses through football.”

But considering some of us dedicate so much of our lives to it, it must give us more than just something to talk about surely? I mean, even the weather does that, right?

Well, when the 9-5 drudge gets about as exciting as watching paint dry, apparently it gives us something else – unpredictability. How can that not be exciting? While Fulham fans were full of hope, and yet an inevitable anxiety in preparation to face Arsenal at the weekend, did they really expect to come away with 3 points? Of course they didn’t. And here’s the psychology bit, because research shows that when a team does well, it has an uplifting effect on the mood of not just individuals, but the wider community as well. So, it’s fair to say the Fulham community is probably in a better mood than Islington’s right now.

Hang on though, because there’s more. Football is cathartic, did you know that? It ‘provides an opportunity to express and release internalised emotion which men in particular may find difficult to express in other ways.’ Ah, so that’s what all the booing is about with Frank Lampard then? I’m sure he’ll be relieved to know that this has got nothing to do with his inept performances for his country and the public’s general dislike of him, and everything to do with the fact they’ve had a bad day at work, the missus ain’t sympathising and the kids are emptying his wallet.

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