Being a sports fan is good for you and the country, expert says

[00:00:00]when the final buzzer sounded Saturday night, thunderous cheers 53 years in the making echoed across the five boroughs.

[00:00:07]I can confirm that from Brooklyn, but there's no denying that Knicks fever is real. It's been a a mood booster around here as well, and as it turns out, there's science behind this. In this latest column, author Brooks says being united in fandom is good for you, and what do you know, it's good for the country, too. He joins us now in studio to talk about this. Author is a CBS News contributor and a columnist for the Free Press, both CBS News and the Free Press share Paramount Global as a parent company. Author, good morning and welcome.

[00:00:34]>> Good morning. Great to be with you. And congratulations.

[00:00:37]>> Thank you, right? To me and to everybody here. Why is being a sports fan one of life's You say you say it's one of life's unalloyed sources of joy.

[00:00:46]>> It really is.

[00:00:47]>> Specifically, what do you mean, and what are the benefits?

[00:00:49]>> It's an innocent pleasure, to begin with. It's something that really feels good, but it also gives you a sense of belonging, and that's really important.

[00:00:54]Now, that's not a trivial thing. You know, people who are super sophisticated will say, "Oh, that tribalism." Uh-uh.

[00:00:59]Aristotle talked about that. He said that what will bring people together in a sense of belonging is a shared love for a third thing, even if it seems trivial, even if it's fishing or building birdhouses. And and sports is perfect for that. That's gets you closer to your family. As a matter of fact, there's data coming from a colleague of mine at Harvard named Todd Rogers >> Yeah.

[00:01:17]>> that shows that two people who love the same team, who are on opposite sides of the political aisle, that they will actually come together across their political differences, and that's pretty much the only thing that'll do it.

[00:01:28]>> How?

[00:01:29]>> It what It gives you gives you the shared sense of something that you know >> It gives you a >> it affects your emotions. It actually brings you in. It gives you a sense of a bullions, a sense of real happiness. And And again, you know, people who don't like sports might not be able to understand that, but but what I recommend to everybody right now, we're going into the World Cup. I mean, this is a big deal. This can bring America together if we don't let the politicians spoil it.

[00:01:51]>> And it's interesting because I'll see people come together over a shared history, a shared experience, and they'll go back and realize, oh, we enjoyed the same games at the same moment. In your article you also write though that some people will push back against this notion and point to unhealthy traits and ways that fans celebrate. We saw some, you know, damage, some vandalism after the New York Knicks >> Seven shootings, 63 arrests.

[00:02:16]>> it was rough in a city of millions of people. What What is What is What is that? What do you say to people who point to that?

[00:02:20]>> That's that's an aberration. That's actually not the ordinary thing. Those are people who are taking advantage. The vast majority of serious uh sports fans they're actually better citizens than people who aren't fans. They vote more, they're more active in their communities, they're actually more civic-minded. Fans are, you know, great people as a matter of fact. They also have more friends. They also tend to be generally happier people. So when you see a few weird things happening in New York City, pay attention to the fact that this really brought the city together and these are the people who are going to be better citizens as a result of this great Knicks victory.

[00:02:51]>> How do we keep this coming? How do we take the benefits of sports unity and and apply it?

[00:02:56]>> So a couple of different ways. Number one is we're in the middle of this big worldwide festival called the World Cup.

[00:03:01]Go team USA and I don't care if your neighbor's a Democrat or Republican, let's, you know, get get together and watch it together in in your neighbor's living room because that'll bring you together. That's an important thing to do. The second thing is think about somebody you want to get closer to.

[00:03:13]Maybe a sibling you haven't talked to in a long time. Maybe it's one of your parents. Maybe there's a little bit of distance between you. Use sports to actually get that. Sports is the best way to do that. Call it You're not You're not kind of on the outs with your old man. Give him a call and say, "Hey, the Seahawks are looking good this season." Or whatever it happens to be.

[00:03:30]That happens to be my team.

[00:03:32]>> You know what, Arthur Brooks, it's a great idea. Viewers, you've been nudged and reminded. Text that person now. Use sports to get close to them. It just might work. Arthur Brooks, great to see you. Thanks for being with us.