This is Your Brain on Sports

The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon

By: L. Jon Wertheim

Narrated by: Sam Sommers, Keith Szarabajka

This is Your Brain on Sports is the book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. Sports Illustrated executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us—on the field and in the stands—and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives.

In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. They explore why Tom Brady and other starting NFL quarterbacks all seem to look like fashion models; why fans of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and any franchise from Cleveland love rooting for a loser; why the best players make the worst coaches; why hockey goons (and fans) would rather fight at home than on the road; and why the arena t-shirt cannon has something to teach us about human nature.

In short, this book is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games.

— Boston Globe, Best Books of 2016, Sports

well done!

really enjoyed it! plenty of everyday circumstances to coincide with the sports narratives from a psychological approach.

FAN-tastic!

I recommend this book if you A) are even remotely interested in sport(s) and are curious about sports myths/legends, or B) enjoy social psychology and wide applications of studies to the human experience. I fall into both of these categories, thus the 5 stars. Do not let the title fool you. There is a plethora of sports facts and figures, for certain, but equal amounts of study of the business world, education, and media. The most valuable takeaways are that sports fans are just human and that everyone has an inner sports fan. In other words, you can apply the lessons here to many settings. It helps that along with serious data, there is plenty of humor. The narration is 5 stars hands down.

I am not a sports fan...

I am not a sports fan! I'm reading books that will hopefully give me an idea of what makes someone such an avid sports fan. This book is written by a sports fan who doesn't realize his audience may consist of non-sports fans. I listened to the audiobook and there must be a total of 30-minutes of recited stats for various pro athletes. I can't even remember the context but it's like listening to adults talk in a Peanuts television special. “AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

Awful

Trying to listen to this book and early on all I get is point ratings on the 'good' looks of quarterbacks. Really? Just a few number and make your point. I have been listening to names and numbers for at least 15 minutes.
This book fails to hold my attention.
I get it symmetry goes hand in hand with our perception of good looks. Must we rate all of the NFL quarterbacks... 5.8, 5.3, 4.6 etc
I thought this book was about athletes sports not the NFL...