About Sport Emotions
Sports are fun. Sports are thrilling. But sports can also be deeply painful—for athletes … and the fans who follow them.
SportEmotions is a home for the feelings that linger after the final whistle. We explore the agony, grief, hope, obsession, and (sometimes) joy that come with loving a team—especially when that love hurts. This project isn’t about box scores or hot takes. It’s about what it really means to care.
Our stories dive into the emotional reality of sports: the sleepless nights after a crushing loss, the rituals fans cling to for comfort or control, the communities formed through shared heartbreak, and the rare moments that make all the suffering feel worth it. Through articles and podcasts, we tell human stories designed to spark recognition, conversation, and connection.
SportEmotions is built for deeply engaged fans who see sports as part of their identity, not just entertainment—and for the curious who want to understand why a game can matter this much.
About Me
I’m the Buffalo Bills fan on the wrong side of the photo — taken at Highmark Stadium after yet another defeat to the New England Patriots. The smiling fan beside me is a Patriots fan that I know. He has known the joy of fandom. Regularly.
As a fan of the Buffalo Bills, I’ve come to know something else: disappointment, frustration, sadness, and the slow accumulation of sporting trauma. And yet — I remain a Bills fan.
I’m also a supporter of the Montreal Canadiens. A franchise rich in history, championships, and mythology. Even there, sustained success often feels just out of reach. The emotional cycle is familiar: hope, anger, heartbreak. Still, the loyalty endures.
That’s the puzzle I want to understand.
Across the world, millions — perhaps billions — of people devote time, money, and emotional energy to teams that will almost certainly let them down. For many fans, disappointment isn’t an anomaly; it’s a recurring tradition. On paper, this makes little sense. Why commit heart and soul to something that so reliably produces pain? And yet we do — in staggering numbers.
So, I decided to take fandom seriously. Not just the rare highs of victory, but the far more common lows of defeat. I want to understand sports fans: their emotional bonds, their resilience, their refusal to walk away. And, in the process, I hope to better understand my own.