Stoicism and Following Sport

In our recent meeting, the discussion turned to the topic of following sport and how some of our attendees could not understand how people can get so passionate or concerned about watching a team win or lose.

I write this entry as somebody who used to be incredibly passionate about my team (Carlton Blues in the AFL for those playing at home). I’d ride the highs and lows, and the result used to have a real impact on my overall mood. I’d take it personally, both the good and the bad.

My Stoic studies and practice have fundamentally changed the way I view and follow sport. From a Stoic perspective, sport and the results that follow are an external indifferent, that is, something outside our control that has no bearing on our character or wellbeing. We need to approach the way we follow sport with a degree of equanimity.

This by no means states that we cannot follow a team or enjoy watching a game. There are many benefits that can come with doing so, such as connecting with friends and family, and finding common ground with other people such as colleagues, customers or neighbours. These days, I still love watching the Bluebaggers play, particularly with my friends and family, but I now do this by showing more moderation in how I support. Yes, I enjoy watching them win, but I don’t mind if they lose. It’s just a game.

For me, sport these days is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. If I go to a live game, the value for me is what happens around it. Enjoying a meal together before we go to the stadium, and enjoying a drink and chat during the game.

Sport, both participating and following, can be incredibly valuable when approached with virtue and reason. It’s when vice slips in, when passion curdles into anger or the result starts governing your mood, that it can become an issue.