Sport is a serious business. On the surface it may sit in the category of entertainment. After all, it’s not here to save anyone’s life or serve any other serious purpose other to earn its participants a living and to give the rest of us something to watch.
That said, it does reach into the deeper recesses of our beings and following it can even have several psychological benefits. It’s also something that has long been the object of gambling whether on which horse will be first past the post in a race or which team will beat the other one.
Today there are more football betting markets available than ever before. Sports bets can cover all aspects of a contest including which team will concede the most corners or which player will be the first to score.
So, let’s take a deeper dive into what exactly lies behind it when we decide to put a bet on one of our favourite teams or players.
It’s Tribal
When we choose to support a particular team it might seem like an individual choice and decision. But in many cases there are other elements at work. It may be because friends or family are already supporters. It might even be that it’s our local team so we feel a kinship with others living in our locality.
Whatever the case, by supporting a team we are choosing to be part of a particular group or tribe. Part of being with that tribe is proving our loyalty to it and all that it believes in. In the case of football, it’s that the team we have chosen is worth supporting and stands a good chance of success. By putting money on that hoped-for success we are showing that we really do believe.
It’s Also Competitive
Tribes always have other tribes with whom they are in competition. In football this is more true than ever. That’s why particular rivalries arise, whether it’s the North London competition between Spurs and Arsenal or the animosity in the north-west between Liverpool and Man United.
So when there are meetings between two “warring” tribes there is more being invested in the bet than the money alone. Not only is it stating a fan’s belief that theirs is the superior team and, therefore, most likely to win. It will also make the victory all the more sweet when it leads to a cash reward.
There is also the aspect of placing a bet taking the form of a kind of ritual in the build-up to a game, in some ways hoping that this will enhance the team’s performance and chances of success.
Risk… and Reward
The risk of gambling has always been an integral part of its popularity whatever the casino game and wherever it is taking place. Provided that it’s approached responsibly this is a normal and healthy aspect of human behaviour.
After all, if everything we did as humans was risk and consequence-free it would make for a fairly dull and predictable existence. When watching sport and supporting a team we are taking a particular type of risk. We are putting our total faith in other people to produce the sort of result that we want. We have no control in the matter. We’re totally in their hands.
One way that we can make the sensation of this leap of faith even more intense is if we also have money invested in what we hope will be a favourable outcome. That’s why many fans who have been asked about the reasons they bet on sport say it’s because it enhances the experience and heightens their enjoyment and engagement.
In the End, It’s All About Affirmation
When a bet is won it’s doing much more than providing a payout. On a very real level it is proving to the person who placed that bet that their judgment has been sound. It also reassures them that they were correct to have taken that risk. It goes without saying that this fulfils a deep psychological need that many of us – the need to be proved right as an individual, even if the odds are against us. This is even true when the odds have been in our favour, for example in last season’s Premier League betting when Manchester City were favourites from the start.
A winning sports bet also affirms in our minds that we are correct in supporting a particular team or player. They’re winners and that reflect on our being winners too. So next time you decide to put some money on your team remember that there’s a great deal going on in psychological terms. But do it responsibly and logically and it could have some real psychological benefits alongside the financial ones too.