ABSTRACT
Reactions also run rampant at sporting events. Imagine two fans watching a Monday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos. The 49ers win 35 to 17. The Bronco fan walks away saying, "That was a terrible game. The referees were unfair. The 49ers got away with murder. The poor Broncos were victims of unfair treatment all the way around." In contrast, the 49ers fan says, "What a great game! We beat 'em fair and square. That game really proved where the talent lies this year!" Both fans respond from their glands, relying primarily on their personal preferences and biases, making little effort to see the game from any other point of view. This point of view is legitimate. We would expect no less from a fan and, in fact, it's what the players need. But we would expect something different from a sports analyst. In fact, with some training, one of these fans could learn to take her initial critical observations of refereeing and develop a more systematic analysis of how the refereeing impacted the game.
