Your self-esteem and the Seattle Seahawks: Why sports fandom can be a good thing

Seattle fans are riding a fandom high after the Seahawks dominated the Patriots to become a two-time Super Bowl champion team. Turns out, this kind of sports fandom can be a good thing, win or lose.

"It's about self-esteem," Daniel Funk told Seattle Now. "When your team wins, your self-esteem bucket gets filled up. You feel better about yourself. You associate with a winner. The Seahawks win, I'm a winner."

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Funk is a professor with the School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality at Temple University. Listen to Seattle Now's full conversation about the ups and downs of sports fandom with him below.

Funk's point about self-esteem is actually part of an acronym he uses to to explain psychological aspects of sports fans: SPEED.

Socialization: Sports offer rituals and community. There are games to watch and attend. There are articles to read. Discussions to be had with friends, family, co-workers.

Performance: Admiration of top athletes, usually playing in the top games.

Entertainment: The whole spectacle from pregame shows, half time, and commercials that will be talked about afterward.

Esteem: As explained above, and we'll get more into this below, teams can become a part of a person's identity.

Diversion: Escaping from reality, whether it's work or politics, etc.

According to Funk, roughly 80% of fans are casual observers. They don't have an emotional connection to the sport or teams. Sports franchises often have to find ways to replenish this group. The remaining fans are hardcore. You can count the Seahawks 12th Man in this group. A team is incorporated into their view of their self. You can call this a team identity or tribalism — the team's success, failure, values, and more are also all yours.

"So, I not only identify with the team, but I also identify with the other members who support the team," Funk said. "That becomes very important. The team is great, but it's the other fans, it's trusting the other fans. It's having this notion that you have my back, we have common interest.

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"Imagine you go to the grocery store and you see someone wearing a Seahawks sweatshirt, a Seahawks hat," he continued. "What is this person signaling to you? They are signaling that 'I am a member of this club, this in-group of the Seahawks.'"

Of course, there is the other side of this: losing, and being a fan of a losing team. If you need an example, just ride the light rail out of Seattle's Stadium District after a Mariners loss.

Experiencing loss with your team offers coping skills, good and bad. This might come in the form of blaming others for the loss.

"You've got to cope, and you have ways of coping because your identity ... you can't separate your identity from the team."

You could also think past the loss to the potential of future games, or coaching switch ups. Also, socializing with others experiencing the loss. And win or lose, fans still experience all the benefits of the SPEED acronym.

"Sometimes you need a break to recalibrate, to rejuvenate," Funk said. "In a way, I think sports provides this temporary break. And it's something you can talk about without the issues that go along with 'what kind of political party,' 'what kind of elements you follow,' 'what your value statements in life?' Sport is sport. There's a commonality."

But this year, Seattle is basking in the reflected glory of the Seahawks.