Written by Baseball and football are different in many ways. They represent different cultures, different lifestyles, customs, and traditions. The mere presence of a timeclock, or lack thereof, defines separate ways of life. Football is fast, and baseball is slow.
Baseball fans and football fans also are different. A while back, a wise beer vendor in Seattle studied the differences to maximize his profits when he worked the aisles of Mariners and Seahawks games. He learned that it was essential to stock many choices when working baseball games. The fans are more social and are willing to pay more for a craft beer that meets their particular tastes. Football fans prefer Bud Light and lots of it.
However, the fans themselves may not be too different. What the article didn’t say about the study was how many of the fans representing the two distinct cultures were, in fact, the same people. I think it is safe to assume that many of the Bud Light-drinking people at a Seahawks game also attend Mariners games and drink IPAs.
I can relate. I love baseball and football—a lot, and I honestly cannot say which one I enjoy better. Suppose my favorite baseball team is in contention. In that case, I am constantly switching back and forth between being a baseball fan and a football fan during September and October. To enjoy each, I must watch football fast and watch baseball slow because that is how our brains work.
This conflict is because of systematic thinking, a term made famous by Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow. Human judgment and decision-making fall into two systems, called System 1 (fast) and System 2 (slow).
The definition of System 1 is “A perceptual and intuitive system, generating involuntary impressions that do not need to be expressed in words. This system is fast to react, automatic, associative, emotional, effortless and learns through repeated experiences and gradually over time.” System 2 is “The conscious, reasoning self that has beliefs, makes choices and decides what to think about and what to do.”
Watching football is a System 1 activity. Things happen fast, and fans react to what happens on a given play, a missed assignment, bad call, or penalty, and then quickly move on to the next one. Our emotions are on display, and bias heavily impacts how we view a given play. Logic and reason only come into play when the game is brought to a stop to review a replay.
Fans gathered to watch football get loud. They high-five and celebrate. Their eyes focus on the action, and they do not talk a lot to each other. There is no time. If you play fantasy football and watch the NFL Red Zone channel, you can go six or seven straight hours mesmerized to the screen on a good Sunday afternoon. It is the ultimate System 1 activity, especially during “The Witching Hour” when host Scott Hanson tells us how wins turn into losses and losses turn into wins.
Watching baseball is a System 2 activity. You are constantly analyzing data and judging the System 1 decisions made by players, managers, and umpires because you have a lot of time to do so. Fans get loud when they react to a play and while they anticipate what may happen in the next one. They talk to each other more, and they tell stories.
Stories are a big part of watching baseball games. The World Series this year is filled with great storylines. There are lots of connections between members of the Braves and Astros. Astros manager Dusty Baker can fill a book with stories about his playing career, managerial career, and personal life. Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Jimi Hendrix, Barack Obama, and many others have influenced Baker. Current and former players love playing for Baker and listening to his stories.
The best story I heard regarding Baker this year that I had not heard before was his relationship with teammate Glenn Burke. Burke is considered the inventor of the high five. He was on deck when Baker hit a home run off of Astros great J.R. Richard at the end of the 1977 season, making him the fourth Dodger to hit 30 home runs that year. In his excitement, Burke raised his hand and asked Baker to slap it. Burke also is known as the first openly gay player in Major League Baseball. Like Aaron looked out for him years earlier when he was a rookie, Baker looked out after Burke.
It is easy to point out the faults in baseball, mainly when you apply System 1 thinking. The games are too long, and it is boring. You need to embrace System 2 by purposely slowing down to appreciate it, possibly with a decent beer. Baseball is not football. One is not necessarily better than the other; they are just different. Watch both.
Learning how to adjust your thinking can be the secret to a happier life. Our society pushes us to value money over time, causing us to overload our schedules and forcing us into constant System 1 thinking. By flipping the script to prioritize our time over money and then allocating our time appropriately between System 1 and System 2 activities, we can teach ourselves to make better decisions over time. Happiness, and even money, will then follow as a result.