Sports fans: When the heart beats to the rhythm of the match

For sports fans, supporting a team is much more than just a passion: it is a real emotional lift. If victory makes you burst with joy and pride, defeat can leave a bitter taste, or even a real blow to morale. Supporters and experts agree that supporting is not just limited to watching matches, but it means being on board with your team, sharing your emotions and making it an integral part of your daily life.

Olivier La Roche who lives in Winnipeg started supporting the Montreal Canadiens since he was old enough to speak. He remembers being captivated by the team logo when he was about three years old.

My father and members of my family were often watching the game or talking about it in front of mehe says. But, personally, I’ve never played club hockey or anything like thathe added.

Alyssa Houde is a supporter of the Miami Dolphins, a team in the National Football League, as well as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

I’ve been watching Blue Bombers games since I was little, and for me it made sense to support a home team. [Winnipeg]she says.

As the Canadian Football League West Division final between the Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders approaches, she is ready for strong emotions.

For this weekend’s game, it’s just a really exciting game and I don’t know how the Bombers can change their game to winshe said. But, I have my ticket, I can’t wait. I hope they winshe thinks.

She feels a lot of pride in supporting the Winnipeg team which, according to her, has always brought honor to Winnipeg.

It really fills me with pride, pride to be from Winnipeg, to be their supporter. I’m proud that they won the Gray Cup in recent years.

Supporting means going beyond matches

According to experts, being a supporter of a sports team goes beyond supporting a team that performs well and wins frequently.

The professor in the department of educational science at the University of Quebec in Outaouais, Jérémie Verner-Filion explains that for some, being passionate about their sports team can occupy a very big place, or even too big a place in their identity.

Olivier La Roche confirms this observation. He always supported the Montreal Canadiens for these same reasons.

Recently things have been very bad, but no matter if they perform well or badly, it has always been for the team, the identity, the culture and the French. It’s not just about sports.

Mr. La Roche pledged allegiance to the team that existed long before the arrival of the Winnipeg Jets.

When I started following hockey, between three and five years old [les Canadiens de Montréal] were already my team. When the Winnipeg team was created, this 23-year-old Winnipegger did not want to change allegiance.

I didn’t think it was right to betray my team. I always stayed with the Montreal Canadiens. It’s not just the results that count, but also the culture, the language, the passionhe confides.

For me, it is a source of joy, a source of pride to be able to follow a team that represents not only French in Canada, but also immense class and history.

Quade Marchinyshyn came from Thunder Bay to support his team the Winnipeg Jets who faced the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at the Canada Life Centre.

We have had difficulties in recent years, but that doesn’t matter. We will never change teams. You know, we always stay with the team we believe inhe says when talking about the Jets’ performance in the playoffs last April.

We always support our team, no matter what happens. In the good, the bad, the ups and downs he said.

Two categories of supporters

Professors Robert Vallerand and Jérémie Verner-Filion explain that there are two types of supporters, those whose passion is harmonious, and those whose passion is obsessive.

And what we have noticed in general is that the behaviors and attitudes of supporters who have an obsessive passion are generally less moderate.explains Mr. Verner-Filion.

Alyssa Houde and Olivier La Roche consider themselves harmonious supporters.

When they win, it’s definitely super exciting, I’m very happy. But when they lose, we are sad, obviously. But I don’t let it affect other aspects of my lifeexplains Alyssa Houde.

The Bombers supporter, however, emphasizes that it’s hard sometimes to really let go of all these emotions. However, like other supporters, she believes that victories are more important to people who really know what it’s like to lose and have [grosse perte] like that.

As Quade Marchinyshyn explains, in the highs and the lows, we smile, we take the loss with grace and we move on to the next game .

And when victory finally comes, it does the greatest good.

Robert Vallerand explains that, if we add another pleasant activity in which we can invest ourselves, well the obsessive passion, quietly, will diminish, allowing the harmonious passion to follow its course.

The happiest people would be those who are passionate about a variety of activities in their lives. They experience a lot of positive emotion which contributes to their well-being.