Interesting read about the science behind fandom. As a huge sports fan myself I enjoyed most of this book. Loved the parts about how sports fandom can really transform an individual or even a part of society emotionally, even after a tragedy.

I tried several times to read this, including jumping to different chapeters and unfortunately it just did not resonate for em. As a huge sports fan, I thought this would a fun slam dunk for me but sadly it wasn’t I am sure the author put his heart and soul into this book, but it wasn’t one for me.

This book was a really interesting look at fandom. I've always been facinated by both psych and sociology. While this work isn't academic, I felt the same interest in how our minds and society works when reading this as I did in my long ago college classes.

If you love sports as much as I do (I'm especially a fan of baseball, hockey, and swimming), you'll probably love this book. It's interesting and well-written and delves into just about any sports and personal relationship" or "sports and societal relationship" that you can think of.

In fact, there are probably plenty you'd never really thought about, such as how sports help fans heal after a calamity, like a shooting or terrorist act (see Vegas and NYC). Or the role sports plays in the "Make a Wish Program." Or even the role of fantasy baseball or fantasy football.

Very informative and, as an added measure, it alerted me to other "sports and society" type books.

Highly recommended!!

This book must have been a lot of fun to write, but it felt padded - like it could have easily been a series of long-form blog posts or even a feature-length magazine article. His "dialogue" with his professor friend was an unnecessary framing device, and there was a little bit of a feeling of over intellectualizing the romance of belonging to a group cheering on "laundry" (to quote Seinfeld.) A certain type of sports fan may really enjoy the brain science behind fandom; the rest of us are probably just as happier not knowing.

FANS by Larry Olmsted is a fascinating look at "How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding." Olmsted, a best-selling author of non-fiction, probes the sense of belonging and community which we, as fans, feel. He discusses watching a game versus watching the arena filled with spectators and points out repeatedly how being a fan can positively impact emotional/mental health, physical health (fans tend to be more active), and ultimately lead to more understanding. He addresses that last point by using examples such as Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Joe Lewis, saying that even Obama asserted he might not have been elected were it not for Robinson's actions. In addition, Olmsted notes the multi-generational bonding which occurs over sports and religion, a "comparable system of group identification and belonging." FANS contains an impressive set of references and is a nice update to Sports: The All American Addiction by Gerdy. To hear more, visit Family Action Network (FAN) which is hosting Olmsted tonight (4/8/21) at 7:00pm via Zoom; registration is requested. https://www.familyactionnetwork.net/events/fans-how-watching-sports-makes-us-happier-healthier-and-more-understanding/

Update: here is a link to the Olmsted interview from Family Action Network:
https://youtu.be/ypOavEItSyA

I was skeptical about this book's premise - that being a sports fan is good for a person's health - going in, and wholly unconvinced by its arguments. I've seen sports fandom warp reality and be generally not helpful. If sports are the new church, I'll politely say "no thank you."

Enjoyable read on the myriad benefits to the individual and society on being a fan. Good high level overview of the research to back up the benefits of being a fan. The device of presenting the material by way of two individuals talking while skiing was a little too cute for my taste.

Read if you: Want an entertaining look at the ways being a sports fan enhances lives.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase for your general sports section, epecially if you are in a large market for team sports.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Philly girl here. Anyone but the Mets is my favorite baseball chant. Chase utley owned you. Phillies phorever