The psychology of fan fanaticism

Potato chips and bags of M&M's litter the kitchen table. With extra pop in the fridge and the television tuned into CBS, ten IU basketball fanatics huddle around the set of a small apartment living room to watch IU face Duke.\nA blonde-haired fan sprints in the living room after having printed off a picture from her computer. \n"Jarrad Odle is so hot," Erica Zehner blurted out. "He's my future husband."\nShe whips out the Scotch tape and attaches Odle's photo to her red IU shirt to proudly express her support. She then takes a center-screen seat to watch the game.\n"My boys better win tonight," the junior said of the Hoosiers battle against Duke. "Oh baby, we better win."\nAs the ticking moments of the game wound down, the Hoosier fans were on their feet. After being down by 17 points, IU gained a 4-point lead with just seconds remaining.\nThen Dane Fife fouled Williams and the ten red-clad fans suddenly went silent.\n"What the heck was he thinking?" Zehner shrieked. "You don't foul a guy with four seconds left to go when you're four points up!"\nWith frequent kisses to the Odle photo, Zehner watched Williams miss his final free throw to give the victory to the Hoosiers. Zehner and her basketball buddies began screaming in excitement.\n"We won! We won! We actually beat Duke!"\nAnd that's what the whole town of Bloomington was saying that night as Mike Davis and his basketball wonders pulled off a victory that most could not believe.\nDuke couldn't even believe it. \nZehner isn't alone in her fanaticism -- anyone who was on Kirkwood Avenue Saturday before and after the Kent State game could see that.\n"Like a parent basks in the accomplishments of their children with pride, we take pride in the success of our 'boys' on the IU men's team and their recent success in the NCAA tournament," Ed Hirt, professor of psychology, said. \n"We found in our studies that after wins, fans think they are more likely to do well at a range of tasks, ranging from things like puzzle solving, dating, games of chance, and athletic performance," he said. "So it is obvious that people in stores and restaurants will benefit from the team's success since fans are in a good mood, feeling good about themselves and the world, and are likely to spend money and be more generous than they would otherwise."\nThose studies were proven at Steve and Barry's University Sports Wear on Kirkwood Avenue as Hoosier Hysteria hit town -- and people's wallets were catching wind of the epidemic.\nJay Wilkin, store manager of Steve and Barry's, said this past weekend was by far the best that the University apparel branch had experienced in the many years it's been in town.\n"March Madness has really hit Bloomington," Wilkin said. "You want to get into the spirit. You want the red and for a modest amount of money you can do that…[the weekend] was fabulous."\nRestaurants were also among the hot spots for soothing the symptoms of the fanatical outbreak. Places such as Kilroy's, The City Grille and Yogi's also experienced record numbers of business.\nPrior to Saturday's battle against Kent State, a line wound down the street outside of Yogi's and the restaurant's doors had to close due to a full house.\n"Saturday was definitely our busiest day ever," Bob Hebenstreit, manager of Yogi's Bar and Grill said. "It's been awhile. It's been 10 years since we've made it to the Final Four…I mean it was bigger than Homecoming, Little 5 -- anything."\nAnd the question surrounding the sudden outbreak is -- why? Why is this trip to the Final Four bigger than anything the town has experienced in years?\nAs Wilkin said, it's been 10 years since the Hoosiers have made it to this point in the NCAA tournament. Many said that's reason enough to celebrate -- but there are some people who don't follow the games until the team is on a victory streak.\n"I really got into the season when we started winning," sophomore Jose Suriel said. "I wanted to be part of the winning team when we started beating good teams during the regular season and now I'm all for IU to go all the way…now I've got bragging rights to my other friends in other Big 10 schools."\nDr. Pamela B. Jackson, associate professor of sociology, said there's another reason behind everyone's sudden excitement. \nThe "phenomenon," as Jackson called it, is known as BIRGing (basking in reflected glory). People brag about the achievements of others who have a close association with them.\n"It is a natural and very common reaction to the success of significant others…in this case, the IU basketball team -- go Hoosiers," Jackson said. "More importantly, from a psychological perspective, this is the way that most humans protect their self-esteem."\nWhen asked how she explains her borderline obsessiveness with the team, Zehner just laughed.\n"I think it's because I can relate to the guys because they're my age -- and I think it's a lot of hormones too."\nZehner said she can be found this Saturday wearing her "Roberts Bows" as she called them (tiny cut-outs of IU basketball player Mike Robert's pictures placed in her hair), but her loyalty to the basketball team goes beyond the players being her latest heartthrobs. \n"Maybe people don't understand the game and the loyalty until the team starts getting our school name out by winning, but I know I can't wait until the Oklahoma game. My boys better win"