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Chasing the ‘Holy Grail’ of Baseball Performance
In the final regular-season game for the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers, Dusty Baker hit a home run, giving him 30 for the season and making him the fourth Dodger to reach that milestone that year
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Is Fandom Really Worth It?
There’s a lot of losing in sports. Only one team can win at a time, and only one champion escapes the season without tears. But that doesn’t stop Americans from spending nearly $56 billion a
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Bet on the champion’s rival
Analysis of decades of data from college basketball and the major sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) reveal that a team is more likely to have better playoff success if its archrival did better in
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How Rooting for a Rival Could Help Your Team
If the NFL team you hate the most is in the Super Bowl, take heart. Psychological science suggests that a rival team’s win may improve your team’s motivation and performance next season.
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Want to be happier? Think like a bronze medalist
Athletes who win silver medals must be happier than those who win bronze, right? Not exactly. People in one study rated athletes’ emotions — based on their facial expressions — immediately after they learned where
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The Minds of Medalists
Psychological scientists have identified what distinguishes the athletes that made it to Winter Olympics, and what predicts their chances of standing on the medal podium.
