Being a sports fan often brings out the worst in people. As a fan, you can find yourself screaming at the TV, burning a jersey, or regretting a really ambitious championship tattoo before the game. Rooting for a group of players can really bring out sides of people that they didn’t even know existed. But I’m here to say that regardless of the down times, the losing seasons, even the heartbreaking game-winners from opposing teams, being a sports fan usually pays off, even if the box score doesn’t indicate as much. That is, unless you’re a Cleveland Browns fan. In that case, all I can do is say I’m sorry.

Being a sports junkie isn’t all bad, however. Identifying with a team can really help people escape the grind of everyday life, and gives them something to take their minds off of things that concern them. For example, football games typically take a little over 3 hours, and basketball games usually run for a good 48 minutes. For those brief spans of time, all of one’s focus can be directly centered on something bigger than them, something out of their control. For some, it’s actually a great way to relieve stress. Win or lose, sitting back and not having something to do with the outcome can do wonders for those who constantly feel over-worked.

The highs and lows that occur over the course of a game serve as the adrenaline shots that make sports so special. Watching your team score a touchdown or have an outstanding play can give the truest of fans a feeling that can’t exactly be matched by anything else. That being said, the hard losses also serve as a type of adrenaline shot, even if it is a negative one. Watching your team play poorly may not feel amazing in the moment, but these types of lows are necessary for the good times to feel as sweet as they do.

Being a sports fan is all about immersion. Not only does becoming completely engrossed in a franchise help take people’s minds off their troubles, it can really open the door for new opportunities. By buying into the mindset of fandom for a certain team, you join in on a collective effort to root them on and show as much encouragement as possible. That gives you and every other fan of your team a seemingly un-breakable bond. When you run into someone wearing your team’s apparel, your first impression of them is almost always positive. When you’re both sporting gear of the same team, it’d be rude not to say something.

When you’re in the stadium and you’re surrounded by people donning the same colors as you, it can be a unifying experience, to say the least. It doesn’t matter who these people are that surround you – you’re all there for the exact same reason. The guy sitting next to you at the game could be a coal miner, a CEO, or even a schoolteacher and you probably would have no idea. In a world where people are becoming more and more individualistic through the emergence of electronic interaction, sports fandom serves as an amazing common thread that people can use to put their differences aside and come together.

Hopefully I was able to open your eyes a little bit as to how being a sports fan isn’t all about crazy traditions and tailgates. In my eyes, sports bring most people far more happiness than sorrow. Just remember that next time a friend or family member throws the remote through the TV, it’s only coming from a place of love.