No, It is NOT just a game: Sport's importance to raise the national mood

I did post this originally as a single body but decided to split it into three as you needed to break for a shave it was that long! -and lets face it everyone loves a Trilogy.

This First stab is to look at why Sport matters as a tonic to social angst and mental fortitude.

There has of course been a tidal wave of helpful (and perhaps less so) articles and posts on ‘Surviving the epidemic’ both from a business and personal health perspective. Good news ..I won’t be doing that here.

Firstly, I am not medically trained so any advice I could offer would be uneducated and regurgitated 'Wibble.' Sounds familiar.

Secondly, whilst I like to believe I am a fairly astute business professional – I know that people far smarter than I can contribute 'nuggets' in that respect, so I will leave them to it.

So what I thought I would do here is have a look at the human reaction to positivity vs negativity and my belief that Sport, when it comes back from its Covid holidays, will be a prime pillar in refreshing the nations mental health.

I run the Sports team for Tellyo, a cloud based video production platform, so hopefully can bring some vague authority to my ramblings about Sport. Please don’t be too surprised if I stick in the odd plug for our platform. You won’t mind, the thing is brilliant.

So, how are we all feeling right now?

I don’t know if it is just me but I must admit the inexorable tide of Covid 19 response posts has begun to dull the senses, as, whilst timely, they are a collective drain on the positive. A doubling down on the constant doom and gloom we are all collectively suffering.

If I am honest, I find it eye-bleedingly dull watching videos of Unicorn business owners stating their woke one-upmanship reactions to the pandemic. A collective aberration, as they all try and show they have a conscience that left years ago.

It feels like an un-necessary commentary on things they don’t need to comment on. Perhaps the same perspective makes this piece a tad ironic but there you have it.. Mic dropped, moves on.

As a comedy aside, there is also the head scratching, multitudinous advice posts on how to work from home. I think I can add some flavour on that one – You work... but you are at home. Impressive eh! I am free for out of hours consultancy on that – just drop me a PM- but take in to account my commute up and down stairs and to the amenities may mean a delay in response.

That said, within this sea of blandquility there have been standout outliers.

These pieces of video content primarily touch on topics that have risen to pinnacle prominence, such as how to keep mentally healthy amidst your own self enforced episode of Porridge/Prison Break/Orange is the New Black (denote according to age and gender) – and more importantly, bring focus to the stories of heroism and derring-do from the new battleground - The front line Medical and Care Services.

These videos are short edits. Clips full of passion points, that leave an impression. Despite the obvious contextual differences, they share a lot of the parameters that drive the highly engaging nature of Sport video.

Apart from stirring our admiration- there is a positive and celebratory psychology behind their context. The videos featuring NHS staff, who are struggling against very real adversity denote genuine heroism and promote figures who define what our admiration looks like. We hold these heroes up not only because of what they do, but who they are - brave, selfless and kind, doing something we can’t do ourselves. We like to imagine these character traits are there in all our Heroes of course– it is just this time – it is 100% true. It stirs ones pride in others.. and that collectively feels good. They are our new Olympians.

There is an inherent positivity then, in the collective belief that these people will see us through this crisis and we should all herd together in as much collective emotional and physical support as possible to help them do so. Anyone who doesn’t get on board and still thinks it’s cool to go BBQ in the park needs to tarred and feathered.

Basically, we have all become SUPER-FANS of the NHS.

It is this positivity that made me pen this – and has kept me upbeat when my kids are entering the kitchen-based campaign of their own personal World War 4 on a thrice daily basis.

So that’s my bit to acknowledge my deep respect for these pantheons of altruism - but; as others have done a far better job of spotlighting these wonderful human beings in our medical community, I will have a poke and unravel at the human response itself.

In an environ where negativity, anxiety and unrest are at play, so to, is a drop in Serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical that has a wide variety of functions in the human body from what I understand. It is sometimes called the happy chemical because…well, er,,because it contributes to happiness? That’s the depth of my medical knowledge folks, but the obvious link here is, when it goes south, so does our mood and wellbeing.

Nowt like a deadly virus and being locked in your gaff 24/7 to make collective Serotonin levels disappear like a pint on a hot day.

A raise in Serotonin however, in line with the occasional shot of Dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter—a chemical that well, er..makes you feel good? raises your mood, motivation and sticks a big smile on your face. Not just for the occasional person – but actually everyone!

There are a few things that engender such a collective response. There is eating something you enjoy, participating in a pleasurable activity, bedroom based athletics and then…..there is watching Sport.

I did promise not to go all Dr Watson/Who/House (delete as earlier) on you, cos I work in Sport’s Video, not in medicine: so I will segue away from the pure science here- but relate it directly to Sport; and the less obvious health benefits of watching of Sport in particular. To me though, there is a clear science that shows Sport’s return and the creative use of archive Sports content before it does, are the perfect tonic to our current social malaise.

Now don’t get me wrong- there will, no doubt, be some changes to life as we knew it before some irresponsible soul decided the Bat looked tastier than the Oxtail, but, some things cannot change. The chemical responses in our brains , developed since us monkeys stood up a couple of million years back, will no doubt survive a couple of months in lock-down and re-runs of Botham’s Ashes. Mind you, that’s not so bad. Apologies Australia.

I am a football fan – namely an Arsenal fan of the last 40+years. This relationship is ancillary to my relationship with my immediate family – but only just. Put simply, I feel a little lost without my football currently. I know at some point Sport will return. It is the realisation I am actually missing it that seems an odd awakening for a 50 year old that should know better. So, what am I missing?

Is it the Football itself - or in fact the tribal togetherness, passionate responses and synapse driven reactions that your body instigates when watching Sport. In reality its both. The chemical stuff is your physiology at play, the emotional connection with the players/team your psychology. Both in unison provide the powerful connection/reaction symbiotic that makes fans the life blood of Sports clubs and media.

A quick plug - This is where Tellyo comes in - our platform sets the Gold Standard for producing and delivering video assets that turbocharge the collective reaction with the ease of falling off a log. Our clientele seeing growth curves in audience and engagement of multiple 100's%. To quote 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' ''The light is on and burning brightly for the masses''

Another handy knack your brain has is the ability to block out feelings of loss and failure far quicker than the Dopmaine/ Serotonin fix. This is supported by psychological imprinting finding 'logic' to help dismiss these feelings of negativity - ie It was the Ref, Linesman, Weather, etc etc. So even disappointing results cant stop the ability of Sport to raise the mood.

The proof is there to see - I have enjoyed highs like winning the title at White Hart Lane (still makes me smile as I am typing it now), been emotionally drained by lows (Losing the 2006 Champions League when we were 1-nil up with 14 mins to go) and jumped on the roller-coaster of excitement and anxiety that was our unbeaten season (Sorry Liverpool FC, keep trying). But a fan I remain and through thick and thin, that has proven to be an inherently positive experience.

Sport.. is exhilarating, exciting, engrossing, intoxicating and stimulating – just what a Dopamine lacking populace need to feel good again; and just the right medicine for the mental health challenges this period of being ‘Billy No Mates’ will engender. Sport returning will flick the switches of social and mood enhancement and raise the national spirit.

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