When we were younger (from when we were kids through our 40s), the adrenaline rush from watching one of our local sports teams compete in a big game was something we looked forward to.
But now that we’re a “bit” older, the thrill of it all has made us wary of getting too excited, as every long-time diehard Sox, Bruins, Pats, and Celtics fan who has had the urge to throw a shoe at the TV screen can attest.
We thought we were unique in our stressed-out sports-mindedness when our teams lost a big game, but we recently read of a study in the American Journal of Cardiology that found an increase in the rates of cardiovascular deaths (and deaths from all causes) in the Los Angeles area when the Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980 Super Bowl. The death rates were higher on the day of the Super Bowl and the following two weeks compared with other days.
In a study of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the incidence of cardiac emergencies in Bavaria was 2.66 times higher on days when the German team played, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. These events were highest in the quarterfinal, when Germany beat Argentina in a penalty shootout.
Most of the cardiac events occurred in the first two hours after the start of matches, though the numbers were higher for several hours before and after the contests. It should be noted that about 47% of those who had heart attacks already had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease — which means older people are more vulnerable to the effects of a big game.
So yes, it’s been sad to watch the pathetic play of the Sox and Pats (and now the Bruins) these past few years after their great successes in the era from 2001-2019. But the upside to their string of last-place finishes is that we can watch a game with no hopes and no expectations — and thus no reason to get stressed-out by the outcome.
To be sure, it is not fun to be on the outside looking in, so to speak, when other teams are competing for world championships. But on the other hand, fewer of us will be taken out on a stretcher to the ER.