Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding

It can be hard to come by a person who is not a fan of some kind of sports team. In Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding, Larry Olmsted is on a mission to convince his colleague of the importance of being a fan of some time of sport’s team. His colleague is on the other end of the spectrum, assuming that being a fan is a waste of time. Olmsted argues for the importance of being a fan by explaining how and why sports fans are happier, how sports are entertainment, how sports alter our brain, and the superstitions that accompany the whole thing. Olmsted backs up his information with case studies, real-life events, and quotes from influential people.

Fans was educational and an enjoyment to read. I expected the book to be kind of dry, but Olmsted’s writing is fresh and catchy. The results of case studies and real-life events made complete sense, it’s just not something I had ever pieced together. Each chapter discusses a new way that sports are helpful and necessary, and each chapter leaves me wanting the next one right away.