Let’s go, Blue Jays: The mental health benefits of being a sports fan

I have long enjoyed being a fan of various sports. Some of my most treasured times have involved watching sporting events alone or with family and friends. Among the notable events in my childhood were traveling to Toronto with my father and older brother to attend Canadian football’s Grey Cup Game and being in the crowd at the Winnipeg Arena with that same older brother at Game 3 of the Canada versus Soviet Union Summit Series of Hockey. More recently, I traveled with my younger brother to San Francisco to watch a National Football League game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I also enjoy watching the men’s and women’s Canadian curling championships each year and discussing the action with my younger sister.

I should also mention that I have also been a long-standing baseball fan. Among my cherished memories is going to Toronto Blue Jays games at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) with my fellow graduate students when I attended the University of Toronto. These experiences point to my being a fan of the Blue Jays. However, it was not until this past Monday when I stayed up to watch all 18 innings of the 2025 Blue Jays’ loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series that I realized how devoted I am.

My commitment to watching the Blue Jays in their 2025 playoff run stemmed from the mental health benefits which I and other supporters derived from the experience. I will discuss these benefits in the following sections.

Accumulating both types of social capital

Watching the Blue Jays has allowed me to benefit from accumulating both types of social capital which I discussed in my last article. Bonding social capital has positive effects on mood and mental health through interactions with people in groups to which you and others belong. Bridging social capital, in which you create connections with people in groups to which you do not belong, leads to positive effects on mood and mental health through social interaction as occurs with bonding social capital.

Bridging social capital has the additional benefit of being the most effective way to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Research has consistently demonstrated that having members of opposing groups interact with each other in friendly settings leads to these positive effects.

I have garnered bonding social capital by discussing Jays’ games with my siblings and friends to become closer to these people with whom I have relationships. I have also gained bridging social capital through Jays-based conversations with people who I recently met. This has helped me to build relationships with these people.

Getting a break with two kinds of de-stressing activities

Fundamental to managing stress is engaging in activities to give yourself a break from thinking about your problems and recharging your emotional batteries. Two kinds of de-stressing activities which you can use to accomplish this goal are pleasurable activities and mastery activities. Pleasurable activities are individual and social pursuits which are enjoyable and relaxing. Mastery activities are challenging and stimulating endeavours in which you use your talents and skills. They give a boost to your self-esteem and, in turn, your mood when you engage in them.

Watching the Blue Jays fills the bill for me and many others by being both a pleasurable activity and a mastery activity. It allows me to de-stress individually and with others by being an enjoyable and relaxing pleasurable activity. It also serves as a stimulating and self-esteem boosting mastery activity as I become a mini-expert on the Blue Jays and on various aspects of baseball such as the rules and statistics.

Managing emotions and demonstrating resilience

Following the Blue Jays on their playoff journey entailed riding a roller-coaster of emotions. Watching the Jays fall behind two games to none to Seattle in the American League Championship Series led me to be downcast. Their comeback in that series led me to feel excitement and joy only to experience anxiety as their championship hopes appeared to be ending as they trailed 3-1 late in the seventh and deciding game of that series. George Springer then restored my hope and generated new-found excitement with a three-run homer that brough the Jays back from the brink of elimination and allowed them to win Game 7 over the Mariners and advance to the World Series.

I experienced similar emotional ups and downs in the World Series, most notably the feeling of deflation after the Jays lost the 18 inning marathon to fall behind two games to one followed by rejuvenated excitement with the Jays rebounding to win the next two contests which included a pitching performance for the ages by 22-year old phenom Trey Yesavage. Joy turned to more disappointment and anxiety after the Dodgers’ ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto stymied the Jays for the second time in the series to win Game 6 and send the Jays to their second straight sudden death Game 7.

The deciding game featured more emotional fluctuations from the excitement of Bo Bichette’s three-run home run to give the Jays the lead to concern as the Dodgers belted multiple solo home runs to edge closer. This culminated in Miguel Rojas tying the game at 4 in the top of the ninth inning. The drama continued in the bottom of the ninth as Jay Ernie Clement just missed delivering the series-winning RBI when Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages made a circus catch. Disappointment marked the end of the roller coaster ride when Will Smith of the Dodgers hit a Shane Bieber pitch over the wall in the top of the 11th inning. Although the Jays came close to tying it in the bottom of the 11th after a leadoff double by Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. who advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt, Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double-play to end the Jays’ hopes.

Riding this emotional roller coaster was a good way to practice resilience as is required when rebounding from adversity in many areas of life. It also demonstrated that experiencing events which lead to  positive emotions like excitement, happiness and elation often necessitates also experiencing events which lead to challenging emotions like stress, anxiety, disappointment and frustration.

Focusing on the journey more than the destination

Although I and other Jays fans hoped that they would win the World Series to experience the zenith of positive emotions, I recognize that these wonderful feelings would be short-lived. As a result, I have focused on the mental health benefits I have enjoyed from the long-lasting journey of following the Jays in their pursuit of a championship.

The disappointment which I and other Jays fans experienced when they fell just short of their goal is far outweighed by the positive effect on mental health derived from being the fan of the team along its lengthy path to the final game of the season. The mental health benefits I have discussed in this article are indeed possible because of being on the journey, not because of arriving at the destination.

May you enjoy the mental health benefits of supporting your sports teams,

-Dr. Pat