Health
Super Bowl and sports fan depression: How to cope when your team loses, according to mental health experts
You win some, you lose some — and the Super Bowl every year is no exception.
As the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers went at it in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night, fans were headed either for a victory dance or a major let-down — and we all know the dramatic outcome by now, with the Chiefs taking it in overtime by a score of 25-22.
So what happens when your favorite team loses? Experts say a loss could lead to sports fan depression.
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Although not clinically recognized as a medical condition, sports fan depression is a “very real experience for avid sports fans,” said licensed professional counselor Jill Lamar, who is based in Pennsylvania.
“Sports fan depression occurs when your team or favorite player loses to the competition,” she told Fox News Digital.
A Chiefs fan (left) and a 49ers fan react to plays in previous games. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“For those who are overly invested in the outcome of sporting events — especially something as titanic as the Super Bowl — their emotional attachment to their hometown or favorite team can get in the way of their happiness and mental health.”
Lamar, who provides counseling services at Thriveworks in Philadelphia, noted that sports fan depression can leave people with feelings of sadness, frustration, numbness and lack of interest in activities they previously enjoyed.
These emotions can last for two weeks or more after the game ends, she said.
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“You may be distracted at work or withdraw socially, especially now that the season that brought you together with your fellow fans has ended,” she said.
Christopher La Lima, PhD, a licensed psychologist at NYU Langone, also discussed the condition with Fox News Digital, noting how much goes into being a sports fan.
Chiefs fan “KC Mike” yells out to Chiefs players during warmups before a game against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 16, 2021. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“Time, effort, money,” he said. “Being a sports fan can involve a shared common cause and building of a community.”
The psychologist echoed that sports fans may experience feelings of loss and grief when their team loses.
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“Loss can be experienced in many ways, such as through the loss of a loved one, a relationship, aspects of health, a job or a role where someone feels a sense of purpose,” he said.
“While sports fan depression is not a formal mental health diagnosis, the emotional distress is real.”
Clocking the warning signs
The friends and partners of sports fans are “most likely well aware of the impending reactions to their team losing,” according to Lamar.
Some warning signs of sports fan depression include becoming frustrated and upset when your team drops a ball, a field goal bounces off the goal post or a play is thwarted by the opposition, Lamar said.
Frustration during a game can build until it becomes a “frightening rage,” a psychologist said. (iStock)
This condition most often appears in men, although it is not exclusive to one gender alone.
“Everyone who cares about sports is rooting for someone or a particular team,” she said. “And their disappointment will show — a sigh, the occasional frustrated outburst, a sad face at the end of the game as they leave the bar or turn off the game.”
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“If these reactions continue to grow into sadness and irritability way past the last whistle, it could be a sign of sports fan depression.”
Frustration during a game can build until it becomes a “frightening rage,” according to Lamar.
But after the game, sports fan depression turns that anger “inward” and can “become debilitating,” she said.
Jessica Rodriguez and her husband Tony Rodriguez of Concord, California, react while watching the San Francisco 49ers play the Kansas City Chiefs during a Super Bowl watch party at SPIN San Francisco on Feb. 2, 2020, in San Francisco, California. (Philip Pacheco/Getty Images)
While the typical response of a sports fan after a big loss is a few days of complaints and sadness, people experiencing sports fan depression can experience symptoms for months.
LaLima stressed the importance of making the distinction between sports fan depression and recognized depressive disorders.
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“Clinical depression, and more specifically major depressive disorder, involves specific diagnostic criteria and persisting symptoms that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning,” he said.
Some major depressive disorder symptoms can include depressed mood, loss of interest in activities, significant changes in appetite or weight, fatigue, changes in sleep, and feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, according to La Lima.
How to cope
Since not everyone can be a winner, Lamar and La Lima offered some tips on how to cope with the initial wave of sadness after a loss.
Lamar suggested that “putting things into perspective can help shift a sports fan’s view of the outcome, whether it’s good or bad.”
People experiencing sports fan depression can see symptoms continue for months, according to experts. (iStock)
“With many platforms showing games 24/7, it’s easy to let a preoccupation with sports become a mind-numbing habit bordering on addiction,” she said.
“Don’t let your interest in sports overtake the other more important aspects of your life.”
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Lamar encouraged sports fans to “take a deep breath” and list their goals and the “priorities necessary to realize them.”
While people tend to think in “black and white terms” when experiencing negative emotions, La Lima advised sports fans to think more flexibly.
“Problem-solving and impulse control can improve when these negative emotions become less intense,” he said.
“Don’t let your interest in sports overtake the other more important aspects of your life,” advised a licensed mental health counselor. (iStock)
“When acting in these moments, I like to think, ‘Cool the iron before you get burned.’”
Other coping skills can include taking a brief separation from sports, seeking out other distractions and using self-soothing techniques like deep breathing and self-care, La Lima said.
“Tackle feelings of emptiness after a big loss by identifying where you feel purpose, [such as] in relationships with family and friends, and in your interests and community,” he said.
Fans should make different use of the time previously dedicated to the sport, said an expert.
“Sports can provide a structure for socializing … It can be helpful to stay socially connected and lean into social support,” noted La Lima.
Lamar also suggested making an effort to connect with friends who love the same sport — as well as with those who don’t.
San Francisco 49ers fans cheer in the first quarter of their NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Jan. 19, 2020. (Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
And when the season is over, Lamar said, fans should make different use of the time previously dedicated to the sport.
“Learn a new skill, pick up chess, take a cooking class, join a MeetUp group — anything that sounds interesting,” she suggested.
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LaLima added that difficult feelings often need to be spoken about, as “holding onto them can make us feel like a shaken soda bottle.”
“Rather than letting pressure build and opening it all at once, loosen the cap a little at a time,” he advised. “Talk about day-to-day thoughts and feelings in real time.”
Christopher Nicholas La Lima, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone. (NYU Langone Health)
The psychologist reiterated that depressive disorders often require evaluation and treatment from mental health professionals.
“Those concerned should seek professional mental health support in this regard,” he said.
Before Sunday night’s game — which saw the Chiefs take the win in dramatic fashion in overtime — Lamar joked ahead of the final outcome on Sunday night that fans should “wave to Taylor Swift,” no matter what.
“She’s made one helluva effort to get there,” she said.
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Those at risk of type 2 diabetes may be able to prevent heart problems later.
A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology discovered that lowering the blood sugar of those with prediabetes could reduce the risk of heart attack by half.
Diabetes researchers and endocrine experts across Europe, China and the U.S. investigated how bringing blood sugar back to normal levels affected the chances of heart problems later in life, based on a 20-year American study and a 30-year Chinese study, according to a press release.
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In both studies, the prediabetic participants were coached to make appropriate lifestyle changes to lower blood sugar (the amount of glucose in the bloodstream) through diet and exercise, also targeting weight loss.
Participants worked to lower blood sugar through diet and exercise targeted at weight loss. (iStock)
The researchers split the participants into a remission group (where blood sugar returned to normal) and a non-remission group, which included those still in the prediabetes range. They then determined who in these groups had died from heart disease or were hospitalized for heart failure.
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Participants who went into remission had a 58% lower risk of dying from heart disease and being hospitalized for heart failure. This group also had a lower risk of other major heart events and lower overall death rates.
These heart-protective benefits lasted for decades after the program ended, the researchers found.
Those in prediabetes remission had their risk of a heart event reduced by more than half. (iStock)
“Reaching prediabetes remission is linked to a decades-long benefit, halving the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in diverse populations,” the researchers commented in the publication of the study. “Targeting remission might represent a new approach to cardiovascular prevention.”
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, study co-author and professor of medicine at the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany, reiterated that reaching prediabetes remission is not only relevant for reducing the progression of type 2 diabetes, but may also be associated with a “meaningful reduction in… heart attack risk, cardiac death and heart failure.”
“Importantly, this underscores that prediabetes is a modifiable stage where timely, evidence-based interventions (especially lifestyle measures, and in selected cases, medication) can make a real difference,” he added.
“Reaching prediabetes remission is linked to a decades-long benefit, halving the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in diverse populations,” the researchers commented. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, including that it is based on analysis of trials not originally designed to measure cardiovascular outcomes, which means the results show association but cannot prove causation.
In addition, unmeasured lifestyle and health factors, population differences and lack of randomization for heart outcomes may have influenced the reduced cardiovascular risk, the researchers acknowledged.
“This underscores that prediabetes is a modifiable stage where timely, evidence-based interventions … can make a real difference.”
Birkenfeld suggested that those with prediabetes should ask their doctors the following questions: “What is my current status? What is my personal cardiovascular risk? What is my target blood glucose level?”
Patients should also inquire about the frequency of testing for blood sugar and key risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and other related conditions, such as kidney function or sleep apnea, he advised.
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“If lifestyle changes aren’t enough or my risk is high, would medication be appropriate for me — and what are the benefits and downsides?” the researcher asked as an example.
About 98 million American adults, more than one in three, have prediabetes, according to CDC data. Eight in 10 of these adults are unaware that they have the disease.
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One of the most widely known risks linked to the COVID-19 vaccine is myocarditis, especially in young males — and now a new Stanford study has shed some light on why this rare effect can occur.
Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart, occurs in about one in 140,000 people who receive the first dose of the vaccine and one in 32,000 after the second dose, according to a Stanford press release. Among males 30 and younger, that rises to one in 16,750.
Symptoms of the condition include chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and palpitations, which can occur just one to three days after vaccination. Another marker is heightened levels of cardiac troponin, which indicates that the heart muscle has been damaged.
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In most cases, people who experience myocarditis recover quickly and restore full heart function, according to study author Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, the director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and a professor of medicine and radiology.
One of the most widely known risks linked to the COVID-19 vaccine is myocarditis, especially in young males. (iStock)
“It’s not a heart attack in the traditional sense,” Wu told Fox News Digital. “There’s no blockage of blood vessels as found in most common heart attacks. When symptoms are mild and the inflammation hasn’t caused structural damage to the heart, we just observe these patients to make sure they recover.”
In rare cases, however, severe heart inflammation can lead to hospitalizations, critical illness or death, Wu noted.
Finding the cause
The new Stanford study — conducted in collaboration with The Ohio State University — aimed to determine the reasons for the myocarditis. The research team analyzed blood samples from vaccinated people, some with myocarditis and some without.
They found that those with myocarditis had two proteins in their blood, CXCL10 and IFN-gamma, which are released by immune cells. Those proteins then activate more inflammation.
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“We think these two are the major drivers of myocarditis,” said Wu. “Your body needs these cytokines to ward off viruses. It’s essential to immune response, but can become toxic in large amounts.”
In mouse and heart tissue models, high levels of these proteins led to signs of heart irritation, similar to mild myocarditis.
Prevention mechanism
“One of the most striking findings was how much we could reduce heart damage in our models by specifically blocking these two cytokines, without shutting down the entire (desired) immune response to the vaccine,” Wu told Fox News Digital, noting that a targeted, “fine‑tuning” immune approach might be enough to protect the heart.
Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart, occurs in about one in 140,000 people who receive the first dose of the vaccine and one in 32,000 after the second dose. (iStock)
“This points to a possible future way to prevent or treat myocarditis in people who are at the highest risk, while keeping the benefits of vaccination,” he added.
The team also found that genistein, an estrogen-like natural compound found in soybeans, reduced inflammation in lab tests, but this has not yet been tested in humans.
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The findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“This is a very complex study,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital. “Myocarditis is very rare, and the immune mechanism makes sense.”
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“Myocarditis is worse with COVID — much more common, and generally much more severe.”
Wu agreed, adding that COVID infection is about 10 times more likely to cause myocarditis compared to mRNA-based vaccines.
‘Crucial tool’
The researchers emphasized that COVID-19 vaccines have been “heavily scrutinized” for safety and have been shown to have an “excellent safety record.”
In rare cases, however, severe heart inflammation can lead to hospitalizations, critical illness or death. (iStock)
“mRNA vaccines remain a crucial tool against COVID‑19, and this research helps explain a rare side effect and suggests ways to make future vaccines even safer, rather than a reason to avoid vaccination,” Wu said.
“The overall benefits of COVID‑19 vaccination still clearly outweigh the small risk of myocarditis for nearly all groups.”
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The study did have some limitations, primarily the fact that most of the data came from experimental systems (mice and human cells in the lab), which cannot fully capture how myocarditis develops and resolves in real patients, according to Wu.
“This points to a possible future way to prevent or treat myocarditis in people who are at the highest risk.”
“These findings do not change what people should do right now, because our work is still at the preclinical (mouse and human cells) stage,” he said. “Clinical studies will be needed to confirm whether targeted treatments are safe and effective.”
The researcher also added that myocarditis risk could rise with other types of vaccines.
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“Other vaccines can cause myocarditis and inflammatory problems, but the symptoms tend to be more diffuse,” he said in the release. “Plus, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines’ risks have received intense public scrutiny and media coverage. If you get chest pains from a COVID vaccine, you go to the hospital to get checked out, and if the serum troponin is positive, then you get diagnosed with myocarditis. If you get achy muscles or joints from a flu vaccine, you just blow it off.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Gootter-Jensen Foundation.
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