It's NOT just a game!

Every so often we hear some sportsman or a coach or a commentator say those wise words: "It's Just A Game". Every time, I hear that, I am a bit irritated. They are usually trying to rationalize a loss or some other disappointment; or perhaps trying to ease some tension. If it's the former, they are plain wrong in the choice of their rationale, and if it's the latter, it mostly won't work.

Sports fans are as passionate as normal people can get. Many of them are not of the type that easily says, "oh, well" and gets on with it. They invest precious time, emotion and money. I don't think they want to hear the stars they admire think it's not that important. It's very deflating for a fan to hear the team he's been rooting for say "it's no big deal" after a loss. The sports stars and administrators should know better. They are human too, and I am pretty sure, in most, if not all these cases, they are truly disappointed themselves. They are perhaps trying to cope by telling themselves "it's just a game". That's fine. But don't tell the die-hard fan it's just a game. It's not fair to him.

It's bad marketing as well. Sportsmen are entertainers - they should make their audiences feel good about watching the sport; they should make it feel important. The Hollywood types get this right all the time. Ever heard an actor say "it's just a movie"? Instead, they call it "work", "project", and all sorts of fancy things, don't they?

Sport is man's link to his hunter-gatherer past - when those athletic abilities evolved in him. It is also a link to the more recent medieval era, one which made him a warrior and a gladiator. These are strong influences which appeal to his lower brain - the part which can't be rationalized. That part of the brain believes sport is really important - because it still thinks it's about survival!

PS: when I say "man" in the above paragraphs, I don't mean "human". I do mean the male specimen of the species. I have no idea why (some) women like sports; so I can't speak to it.