The great college football rivalries will be played this weekend. Yesterday Auburn staged a thrilling come from behind victory over Alabama. My family soon will drive down to the horseshoe to see Ohio State and Michigan go at it. Norte Dame-USC is later this afternoon.
Have you ever wondered about psychological functions of rivalry week? These sorts of games have been staged since the dawn of civilization. They address some of the deepest and most fundamental needs of human nature. Here are some examples.
Feel the Power
When the Buckeyes score, a surge of power will hit Ohio Stadium like a bolt of lightning. People will jump and shout and throw clenched fists in the air. Achievement = Power. Competence is about Power. If you doubt this, start counting the clenched fists when your team scores.
Careful analysis of fight songs shows a repeated theme of power. Over in Cambridge, Massachusetts, there are "10,000 men" who demand victory over at Yale. When the Dartmouth College Indians score, the "echoes ring." But when the Buckeyes score against Michigan, the Earth itself reverberates. Now that's power.
Feel the Vengeance
Although the first few Ohio State touchdowns are about power, if the Buckeyes gain a comfortable lead and keep on scoring , fans' emotions move into the realm of revenge. The crowd will roar for more, because this is Michigan, and it is no time for mercy. Across the field Michigan fans, who haven't seen their wolverines beat Ohio State in something like six years, will be singing "Hail to the Victors." Rivalry games are about the need for vengeance, or guilt-free hostility and anger. It's primal: Competition is a universal reinforcing stimulus (which means it motivates everybody, or nobody is indifferent to it), although different intensities of competition motivate different personalities in different ways.
Feel the Loyalty
Michigan is expected to lose today by 17 points. So why don't the Wolverines find an excuse to root for Ohio State and enjoy the "thrill of victory [vengeance]?" It's because rooting for a loser arouses feelings of loyalty (which falls under the need for honor.) Michigan fans know this feeling all too well.
Feel the Order
No matter what happens in life, you can count on Ohio State and Michigan playing football every year. An economic depression isn't going to stop this game. Nor could a war or two. Coming as it does at annual increments, the game provides an element of structure of time in the lives of the fans. Tradition is motivated by the need for order.
Feel the Status
Ohio State and Michigan will play "The Game." All Ohioans, no matter how dirt poor they may be, can act snooty when it comes to "The Game." All citizens of Michigan, no matter who they are, can take pride in realizing that their state is so important it is the only one Ohio has a rivalry with. Why just the other day Ohio State's usually down-to-earth president, E. Gordon Gee, told the Associated Press that Boise State is playing the "little sisters of the poor" and is unworthy of a shot at a title game, whereas the Buckeyes play in the prestigious "Big Ten." Win or lose, the Buckeyes are important (they must be, everybody pays attention to them), and that makes their fans important, at least in our own minds and the mind of our college president.
