Football, it’s only a game. (Anonymous)
You know how the discussion goes, there’s an important match on. You are a bit on edge or maybe the game has already played out, things didn’t go well and your partner/spouse/friend comes out with the line ‘what are you getting so upset about, it’s just twenty two people kicking a ball around, it doesn’t mean anything really.’ They might even go a bit deeper. ‘It’s not like a factory closed, people lost their jobs, family members are suffering ill health. Get some perspective.’ And then its followed by the inevitable punchline ‘it’s only a game’.

And it’s not that you don’t know all those things are true. Personal/family issues will probably be life changing, there will always be another game and yet, and yet…………… you do feel better following a win than a loss the bigger the win the bigger the feeling.

What if there was a neurochemical explanation behind the spousal alleged ‘disproportionality’.
What if there were a feeling of connection between you (and other fans) and your team. One that operated at a non-verbal level?

Well it turns out we all possess ‘mirror neurones’ some strictly congruent- they only fire when we see the player doing actions we’ve done ourselves (but who hasn’t kicked a football). Others, two thirds, are broadly congruent - they fire when actions are observed that are similar but not identical to ones a spectator has performed. When the neurones fire they lead to an increase in heart and respiration rate. It really does feel like you are playing in the game.

Then consider the associated release of neurotransmitters and hormones that occur. They will significantly affect your mood. As the time of the game draws nearer testosterone (status and dominance) and cortisol (stress) levels rise. It’s almost as if your own position depended on the result of the game.

The game starts, your adrenaline levels rise. Things aren’t going well, cortisol levels are up. Dopamine production (reward and pleasure) is down. Serotonin levels reduce leading to feelings of anger and depression. Then the final whistle goes and your team have lost. Immediately your testosterone levels fall through the floor. Serotonin will crash. Unsurprisingly you feel anxious, depressed and angry.
Or perhaps it’s a better day, the team play well, it’s a close game but they edge it. Your dopamine levels are raised as your brain says ‘this was great, lets do it again’. Testosterone levels surge, you feel dominant, elated. Oxytocin (intimacy) levels rise as you see the team and fellow fans celebrating, you feel really connected to lots of other people sharing the same positive feelings.

You explain all this to your partner. ‘Well don’t watch it if it affects you so much’. Do they have a point? I’m sure they’d like to think so but followed to it’s logical conclusion everyone would have to stop watching to prevent the games societal effects.

And what if they point out the negative societal effects ? Well football is probably a better safety valve for tensions that would inevitably arise than alternatives and consider when it’s a positive rather than a negative.

In the Ivory Coast in the early 90’s tensions were growing. The president, who’d been in post for 33 years died. In 2000 the government drafted a resolution immediately before an upcoming election. It required both parents of a presidential candidate to have been born in the country. In effect it excluded a north country based contender popular amongst poor immigrants from neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso. Within two years discontent led to mutiny by soldiers based in the north and a three year struggle that killed 4,000 and displaced a million people.

In 2005 with the war still raging the Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup as Cameroon lost to Egypt and Ivory Coast beat Sudan 3-1.

It was the first time they had ever qualified for the World Cup. The players came from both the north and south. As the whole divided country rode the signature neurochemical wave of success Didier Drogba took a microphone and led a team that had players hailing from all corners of the country in an appeal for peace . The whole team begged their country to forgive one another, lay down their weapons and hold elections.

"We had just qualified for the World Cup," said Drogba, "and all the players only wanted one thing – Ivory Coast to be united. The country was divided in two, but we knew we were calling people in the country and they were saying, 'When Ivory Coast is playing the country is united. People who don't [normally] talk to each other, when there is a goal they celebrate together.' Their plea was answered with a ceasefire that came after five years of civil war.

Two years later, with further tensions rising in the country, Drogba stepped in again. He convinced the president to move the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier from the southern part of the country to the rebel-held city of Bouaké in the north in an effort to unite a divided nation. The Ivory Coast thrashed Madagascar 5-0 and the country rejoiced.

“I have won many trophies in my time, but nothing will ever top helping win the battle for peace in my country”. Didier Drogba.

So the next time your partner tells you it’s only a game just point out that though it usually is sometimes it’s a lot more than just a game and in it’s better moments, when it brings people together, then it can even stop wars – not bad for only a game.