Why Men Watch Football: A Report from the Couch by Bob Andelman

Every weekend in the living rooms of America, from August through January, millions of men are seated in front of their television sets watching college and professional football. Meanwhile, others are pouring into stadiums all across the land, a bounce in their step, hope in their heart, and a beer in at least one hand. What is it that excites men about football? What the big attraction? Why is it that some men will sit down for three, six, or even nine hours in front of a TV set when football is on, yet they won’t sit still for more than 15 minutes for anything else when they’re home? Why is it that some men get so emotionally involved in watching football that they’ll scream, jump up and down, cheer and otherwise act as if they have a screw loose when their team wins—and become upset or even severely depressed when they lose? With the help of some of the nation’s leading sports psychologists and sociologists and dozens of male football fans, author Bob Andelman explores the male psyche and arrives at several intriguing and controversial conclusions about why men watch football.