Extrapolation Sport

When sport becomes a lifestyle, what can be done when it starts impacting your mental health?

With the burgeoning influx of sports as a lifestyle rather than a hobby, there is a disassociation between sport and the potential impact it may have on the consumer. It is becoming ever present the idea of sport being a business, and the personal touch is being neglected. There are all sorts of types of indulgence in sport, from purchasing merchandise, subscriptions, comradeship, match-going fans, with most of these involving capital. Little research has dug into the impacts this may be having on individuals, and this article looks to explore that connection, hoping to probe action.

The globalisation of what was once a community centred activity has seen a colossal increase over the last few decades. The rise of broadcasting deals, merchandising and sponsorships has blossomed the once accessible sporting landscape into a multi-billion-pound industry. Sports consumption has shifted towards short form content and endorsement, with the meteoric rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram and the obsession with buying the latest gear, it is obvious that fans are seen as monetisation opportunities. Fervour fans suffer the most with the entitlement and treatment that their clubs bestow on them.

Continuous sports coverage across social media, games, podcasts and traditional media has left fans left with almost a ‘parafandom’ fixation on the sport which leads to unhealthy habits. Mimicking real-life relationships, this exposure over a period is taken advantage by clubs and used as a chance to exploit them.  Over-absorption can lead to these ‘pressures’ to be involved financially, adding more than just an emotional attachment to the sport. In 2025, 24 million people (from a population of 68.3 million) are living ‘below minimum socially acceptable living standards, these alarming figures show that not everyone can afford to be involved financially, but ‘fan guilt’ and fears of exclusion has meant that sport, once an escape mechanism for high cortisol levels, now potentially is a source of them.

Sports now is so reliant on social media to bridge the relationship with fans, making them feel more connected with their clubs. Club’s brand identity, social media presence and fan engagement has now become key to develop emotional bonds with fans and stakeholders. Creating a powerful brand portfolio builds an identity that fans resonate with adds another layer to the emotional connection between fans and sport.

The quality of sports, from coverage, inclusivity, data and quality has all greatly improved, but the sporting ecosystem has had tumultuous change. Some fans only connection with sport is through gambling, using it as a source of dopamine and financial gain, it poses great risk both emotionally and financially. With 11 of the 20 teams in the Premier League hosting gambling sponsors, with a combined value of £101.1m in the 2024-25 season. Fortunately, Premier League clubs have noticed their faults, collectively agreeing to withdraw gambling sponsorships from the front of their shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season. However this does not stop them from advertising gambling companies elsewhere, such as LED billboards around the stadium and shirt sleeves or training kits. Although a step in the right direction, amendments need to be made for the damage this would have done on sporting fan culture.

This creates the illusion that sporting bodies are focused on the wrong thing, worried about financial gain rather than quality of the content they are producing.

Do you think sport is tailored towards business or athletes and the sport itself?

The authenticity of the sport appears to be fading with players and fans combining in complaints about over saturation of the sport.

Most notably, Rodri, Balon D’or winner for Manchester City, made his voice heard after suggesting players strike due to the unsustainable number of fixtures. Claiming that there are too many games and the players bodies will struggle to keep up.

This wasn’t speculative, within a week, Rodri tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruling him out for the season. Maybe he had a point.

The issue of fixture congestion has been raised many times by many players and managers, but surely fans would appreciate more sport being available to them?

Online, the issue of too many games has not been well received, with most fans worried about injuries and quality of the games at hand, with some even saying they like having a break. Echoing the idea that fans are not enjoying the smothering and over consumption of sport.

Here is the dilemma, sport is being tailored less towards fans, and more towards the business stakeholders who profit from it. Here’s a simple equation:

More fixtures = More revenue

This is where the issue lies, companies that host these sporting bodies and fund them, want to optimise the return of their investment, but without games, this makes it challenging. The priority should lie with the consumer, without customers, what use is it in churning out higher volume of content if it’s sapping the quality and the enjoyment out of it?

More and more is being squeezed into the sporting calendar, opportunity for TV rights, sponsorship’s, ticket sales and more make it all too lucrative for those at the head of these companies to decline.

The priority should lie with the fans and the players, the epicentre of the sporting environment. Without them, there is no sport or market to sell their product to. Churning out endless content with fixtures, social media posts, merchandise and more, the quality, sustainability and emotional connections slowly ebb away.

If sport continues to go down the rabbit hole of content streams for profit, eventually fans will simply disengage. Once that emotional connection has broken, it is hard to revitalise, ending a long, rich history of sporting investment.

Who wins in this emotional lottery?

For some, sport is a lifestyle which can bring some unhealthy obsessions, the constant need for investment, buying the latest jersey, going to fixtures, paying for subscriptions to watch the matches and many more micro investments that take sports from just an emotional toll, to an economic one. On average, Premier League fans spend 13% of their annual salary on sport. In some capacity, indulging in sport requires funding, to watch games, get tickets, merchandise, and the list goes on.

Does this the financial commitment add to the connection of sports, whether positive or negative?

It means more than just social connection is at stake, sports fans can invest thousands a season just to try and watch games. Being on sports subscriptions, travel, gambling, match tickets, kits and more which give the fans more to worry about than just the sport, considering it an investment for entertainment.

The cost of loyalty.

Further complications is that most of these investments are not optional if you want to experience the sport. Fans experience ‘fan guilt’, the fear of missing out or the competitive loyalty burden that is often bestowed subtly by sporting bodies and other fans.

This delves deeper into the inclusivity of sport, with so much regular spending required to be affiliated with a team, where does there become a limit? The cost of living rises, as do costs for sporting contribution, people inevitably get left behind.

Speaking with selected sport fans, they gave their insight into what they feel life would be like without sport.

Interestingly, the consensus was negative, for a form of entertainment that grips so many, and reels them in for 9-month periods of the year, it begs the question as to what keeps the candle burning for invested fans. It’s a gamble, to an extent, your emotional return depends on how much you put in, where you are investing it and where that investment is coming from.

The immediate “definitely”, reaffirms the idea that sport is impacting fans mental health in a negative manner. With so much emotional and economic investment in the sport, it makes it a real challenge to pull away and benefit themselves.

83% of premier league fans between the age of 18-34 would talk to their friends at the football about their mental health. While this is promising as they are talking, proactive responses need to be done by the sporting bodies rather than passive and reactive measures. This percentage drops to 49% of adults in the UK that feel comfortable talking about their mental health.

For a conglomerate that combine so much money, time effort and support towards their sport teams, where do the sporting bodies return the investment?

Are there support measures available for Sport Fans?

Mixed responses suggest it is not binary as to whether the support is there or not. There are not many proactive measures, only seeming to be reactive measures which could beckon the reasons as to why fans think it is unavailable.

The lack of proactive approach from these sporting entities have left fans having to actively reach out to find support, a task that could be quite daunting. The isolation that is bestowed onto the fan without that barrier of support from something, sport being the example, that they invest so much into, leaves a massive gap between the consumer and the producer.

There are some places that you can find support. Tom Crowe, head of operations at Sport in Mind, gave the opportunity to speak to him about his charity and support measures available.

Sport In Mind is a charity founded to ‘transform the nations mental health through sport.’ Their programs offer free support for people struggling, and offer an outlet for people with pent up struggles.

“There isn’t too much support there… from clubs”

Tom Crowe

Speaking with Tom, surfaced some interesting ideas, from an insider view, he works in that gap in the industry, making proactive approaches to people of all background and ages. Encouraging them to participate more, as the benefits on mental health are staggering.

So far they have helped 31,000 people struggling with their mental health through sport participation with 91% saying they have improved self-esteem after their sessions. The ease of their approach and simplicity of the concept, just getting people together who are struggling to just simply get out and exercise in a care-free environment makes it seem so simple. Why can’t companies and brand conduct the same approach?

This is where a collaborative effort is needed from the sporting industry, Tom mentions their new campaign ‘Mad Headlines’ where the media are insensitive in the way they try to capture their audience.

Regular buzzwords like ‘mad’ and ‘insane’ are thrown around as a way to describe events, but this does not take into consideration of those that may be impacted by that. That is where media companies need to deliver on their side of the equation. There it could come full circle, with too many sporting events on, the digital revolution is tailored towards being first to a story, rather than quality, leaving less time for journalists to express their creative freedom and cheap buzzwords like ‘crazy’ slip out and collateral damage then impacts potential readers.

If sporting bodies were more attentive to the quality over quantity of their product, the whole industry reworks itself as a stronger collective, and fans would be the first to profit from it.

What is missing to build a Healthy Fandom?

To build a healthy fandom, redefining what support for fans really entails should be a priority. Not just limiting to community schemes, its about being proactive and making the welfare of fans the pillar of sports business model.

How can this be done?

• Mental health resources in person and online that are accessible and free to everyone.
• Financial assistance or brackets where fans with lower incomes are charged less to support all types of fans.
• Rethink the funding bodies and what should be allowed to sponsor and advertise around sports. eg. Gambling and Alcohol companies.
• Transparent and clear pricing models for tickets and merchandise.
• Fan representation in big decisions surrounding the sport.
• Consumer protection, offering opt out tools to not smother fans.

These ideas should not be tiered however, separating these fans from others without mental health issues or financial constraints, builds a wall between the two groups and could in turn, create bigger issues.

Support systems are in place for most tiers of the sporting world, athletes, coaches, team staff and more but there needs to be more support for the base of sport, the fans. Without them, sport would not be on this pedal stool and have all this investment, so to maintain this level of interest in a healthy environment, support systems need to be implemented.

Proactive and collective efforts need to be made by governing bodies and sporting organisations to make a statement of support for the backbone of the industry. Combined efforts necessary to effectively bridge the disconnection between the two.

Grassroot efforts such as Fans for Diversity, Sporting Minds UK and Sport In Mind are taking the initiative to implement this cushion for fans, but the larger sporting bodies need to be taking steps as well. Forcing new merchandise, gambling companies, bolstering ticket prices are regular occurrences in the sporting hemisphere and these could and should be limited or restricted from the current extent they are being platformed.

Sport has never just been about the game, there is an identity, tradition, and community that comes with it. The industry has transformed into a billion-pound industry, using the backbone of the industry, the fans, as building blocks to profit.

The cultural impact this could have, may be tumultuous, with overburdening, emotional and social pressures taking the joy out of the game.

The rise in gambling sponsors, fixture congestion, commercialisation and need for financial investment have demonstrated the where the priorities are held.

Governing bodies, broadcaster, clubs and sponsors need to consider that without backing from the fans, their entire system collapses, more needs to be done to keep these people emotionally engaged, in a healthy manner.

The question has moved past ‘How Fanaticism Affects Sport Fans Mental Health’, its got to a point where it is yet to be seen what is going to be done about it.

If sport is truly for the people, we have to start protecting them.