As we head into the meat of the season, football fever is heating up. Fan habits and behavior are intensifying, just as the intensity for playoff berths rises. Our recent article on football obsessions provided fans and families with advice on how to safely combat unhealthy habits connected to football fandom.
We now take a look at football fandom guidance and advice to support parents and fans of all ages. We interviewed Dr. Shannon Franklin, a licensed psychologist with Element Q Healing, to get insight on how to safely navigate the ups and downs of football fandom.
Football Fandom Guidance and Advice for Parents and All Fans
Football Fandom Guidance and Advice: Parenting to Promote how Families are Strengthened
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust:What are the positives of parents encouraging and promoting fandom with their children? How can this be helpful for families?
Dr. Franklin: Parent-child shared fandom is a way that families may be able to connect. Parents and children are able to spend time together as fans of the same teams. They can use their common interest in order to develop rituals/traditions (e.g., going to games, eating at restaurants when they travel), experience elation, and discuss their experiences as fans.
Downsides and Drawbacks to Family Life
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust:Similarly, what are the downsides of fans’ fanatical behavior when families are absorbed in sports?
Dr. Franklin: When a family focuses on sports, it often has less time and energy for other important parts of life, including other family members (parents grandparents/siblings) and activities like hobbies, schoolwork, etc. In addition, children can begin to associate winning or losing with their self-esteem and/or how they feel emotionally. This reaction creates tension and conflict within homes when parents disagree with each other over which team their children are playing for.
Parenting 101
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust:What advice do you have for parents?
Dr. Franklin: Modeling for kids the enjoyment of playing a sport, rather than letting a sport define the family unit, can be very helpful. Encouraging kids to be able to appreciate and celebrate their own team while still showing respect to other teams’ fans is an additional way to promote positive attitudes toward sports. Another strategy is to keep routine activities and hobbies in place. Kids learn about being able to have multiple perspectives from seeing how adults react to winning, losing, rivalry games, and when they do lose.
Football Fandom Guidance and Advice: Youth and Teens 101
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust: What advice do you have for youth and teens?
Dr. Franklin: Young supporters can be enthusiastic fans while maintaining their academic responsibilities and personal relationships (family & friends), getting enough rest, and continuing to have an interest in things beyond sports. It helps to keep in mind that you are just one aspect of yourself; you don’t have to define all of who you are by what teams or players you support. A healthy fan base will enhance your quality of life as opposed to causing interference on a daily basis.
Schools and Teachers 101
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust: What advice do you have for teachers?
Dr. Franklin: Teachers may use football as a way to promote teamwork, competitive spirit, and self-control with respect to emotion for students who are interested in football. However, teachers need to make sure they provide a safe environment so that no student feels forced into participation in football fandom.
Fantasy Football Warnings
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust:Do you see issues arising more frequently with fans being consumed by fantasy sports, impacting their social, family, and work life? Is this becoming a bigger concern?
Dr. Franklin:Participation in fantasy sports becomes a concern as it encroaches on daily routine. Participating for an excessive amount of time evaluating your team’s performance and/or team management will likely take away from work, family time, social interaction, and rest (sleep). It is how much time you spend in fantasy sports that is the key; whether you are enthusiastic about participating in the league or if you feel like you have no choice but to participate in the league.
Football Fandom Guidance and Advice: Gambling Concerns
Last Word on Sports/Braintrust:How is the explosion of gambling sites and ease for fans to bet on games impacting fan behavior? What are some concerns we all should be aware of?
Dr. Franklin:The less difficult it is for a gambler to find gambling opportunities when he or she wants them, the closer to normal life that the gamblers will likely be in terms of their exposure to gambling as they watch sports. As such, there may be increased confusion as to what is and is not gambling. There are concerns about how easy it may be for individuals to chase after their lost money. Spending money beyond one’s means while continuing to gamble; Gambling secretly; Difficulty in quitting. Parents should also be aware of how often a child is exposed to messages about gambling around sports.
Interview conducted with Dr. Shannon Franklin, Licensed Psychologist,Element Q Healing
The Last Word
The game of football is a tough sport to play and coach, and the same goes for being a football fan. Football fandom comes with challenges and pitfalls. How can families, schools, and fans prevent maladjustments and adjust to the intensity of football life and fandom? Our look at football fandom provides us with football fandom guidance and advice. Stay connected with LWOS as we continue our series of football- and health-related articles.
More NFL News
-
Least Congested NFL Stadiums: NFL Stadium Congestion Analyzed
-
DroneDog Strengthens Stadium Security: NFL Robotic Technology
-
NFL Fake Merchandise Surge: Fanbases Impacted Across the NFL
-
2026 Top Linebacker Salaries: Undervalued Position Across the League
Main Image: Sarah Kloepping/Green Bay Press-Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK
