The Joy of Sport

            One of the main reasons to watch sporting events is to get enjoyment out of it, to take pleasure in the great plays and victories. In saying this, it is pretty rare for a game to cause an observer to laugh solely due to pleasure—but it does happen.Laughing in this sense represents a feeling of pure joy, joy that causes one to go past the point of smiling and reach laughter. This laughter appears as belly laughs that come from deep down inside, not some forced chuckle. They expose one’s true emotions and usually one’s passion for the team they are cheering for. If one is happy with the way a game is going it would be normal for them to smile but not to laugh. In order to laugh there is need for a sudden outstanding play. The element of surprise when a play comes “out of no where” causes the laughter and almost follows the incongruity theory of laughter. For this reason, game-winning plays make for the most probable laughing situations because it combines a great play with the result of winning.

            I have experienced many instances of laughing at sports due to delight, but my most vivid memory was from the Super Bowl in 2008 when the Giants beat the Patriots. Being from New York, many of my friends are Giants fans, including my best friend and her family, who hosted a Super Bowl party that year. Everyone there was rooting for the Giants and although I am a Jets fan, I had no problem rooting against the Patriots. When the Giants went on their late game run the excitement in the house really started to build. There were at least three plays on their last drive that definitely caused laughter from the group watching. My friend’s dad, Phil, was the leader of the laughs. I specifically remember him jumping out of seat laughing with excitement when David Tyree made that third down catch on his helmet. When the game ended in a Giants victory the hysteria that erupted included hugging, screaming, crying, jumping, and plenty of laughter. I know I was laughing, but for a different reason—Phil and his brother were crying about the big win. I think some of the reasons for the laugher included the long years of waiting for a Giants championship as well as the dramatic manner in which the game ended.

            For a great example of laughing from sports pleasure check out this video of U.S. fans celebrating Landon Donovan’s goal in the most recent World Cup that advanced the U.S. into the round of sixteen: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/video/mediacenterbc3.html?bctid=/services/player/bcpid73315185001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAFn2Wfk~,QUqnr01qM6aNc5KpglT31Wg877NObyqI&bctid=101507741001