During Lockdown 1.0, many sports fans rejoiced when the Bundesliga returned in the middle of May.
A sense of normality abounded, and with it the prospect of more live action to satisfy one's needs. And that's what followed, albeit with no spectators at venues. Yet, the sound of crowd noises to augment the coverage of soccer matches was designed to give one a 'normal' viewing experience.
In Lockdown 2.0, elite sport has continued, with the green light also given for the GAA championships to proceed. On the night that the Government announced that we would be entering another full lockdown, Colm O'Rourke, on the Claire Byrne Show spoke about the importance of having elite sport continue.
"We need sport, it's the modern opium of the people," he declared.
"It’s not just football and hurling but horse racing and soccer and all the other games as well, the rugby internationals.
"They will help brighten up the dark days in the winter."
"For a lot of people GAA was the last thing they have" - David Brady
— Claire Byrne Live (@ClaireByrneLive) October 19, 2020
Former Mayo Gaelic Footballer @D9BMayo chats to #CBLive about how the GAA Championship is set to proceed under the new Level 5 rules. pic.twitter.com/mMds2onWUf
There are many who would share Colm's view that having all this sport to watch is good for one's mental health. Yet, there is also an opposing camp and we should not be surprised at that.
Not everybody follows sport. There are those who have a passing interest, and that interest may be heightened during soccer and rugby internationals, for example. Some may follow only one or two sports and there is no doubt there are constituencies who don't get the lure of the Premier League or what big days at Croke Park really mean.
Clearly entrenched in the opposing view is Orla Muldoon, Professor of Psychology at the University of Limerick. Writing recently in The Irish Times, she stated that watching team sport on television "has no lasting positive effects on mental health and can in fact be very damaging to both mental and physical health".
Muldoon, indeed takes a certain umbrage at having to listen to one "sporting grandee after another tell me about the value of watching sport".
"Fully paid-up fans tend to lose themselves a little bit if they are watching a game - they can mindlessly eat, mindlessly drink"
Elucidating her point even further, the professor told RTÉ Radio's Today programme: "There is very strong evidence that sport and exercise are good for you, but it's the participation in it that's good for you, not the watching.
"I wrote the article because I was getting a bit weary listening to people talking about the mental health benefits for us all by watching a match. That is just simply not true for everyone.
"The argument being pushed by some people was in support of their sport, not in support of mental health. I wanted to step in and say that if we are serious there are things we can do and one is participating in sport and not watching."
Pressed on what the harmful effects of watching televised sport are, Muldoon said: "Fully paid-up fans tend to lose themselves a little bit if they are watching a game - they can mindlessly eat, mindlessly drink. In the current context, they might start kissing and hugging people because they are so pleased.
"There is a lot of evidence that when people are overly invested and when their team loses, there is a dip in mood. Surveys have shown that.
"We should not confuse relaxation, enjoyment and diversion with mental health," the professor added.
The 'dip in mood' is understandable if your team comes out on the losing end. I can a recall a former work colleague who went 'quiet' for just under three months after Kerry lost the All-Ireland football final in 2005. Thankfully, he perked up just before the Christmas party.
On the day before the 2014 All-Ireland hurling semi-final, I met an elderly gentlemen who had arrived in Dublin well in advance of the Cork v Tipperary meeting. A whisper in my ear informed me that he loves his hurling, whether watching it on TV or going to games, but that when the championship is over "he's not himself".
Brazil's elimination from a World Cup invokes a mood of despair in the country, while things are just as bleak in New Zealand when they are no longer in contention to win the Web Ellis trophy.
Studies in the USA have found that watching sports has, in some cases, caused reckless driving, heart attacks and even domestic violence.
Research examining the eating habits of NFL fans by the Journal of Psychological Science found that people eat better when their football team wins and worse when it loses, especially if they lost unexpectedly, by a narrow margin, or against a team of equal strength.
However, there is also research out there that highlights positivity.
Elizabeth Tindle from the Queensland University of Technology states that watching sports with friends and family prevents the sense of isolation that often precedes strong cases of clinical depression.
She adds that even when you're viewing a game by yourself you can still do so as part of a community, with the assistance of mobile devices and social media.
Professor Muldoon is right when she says that watching televised sport does not benefit all and it's naive to suggest that it will. Unfortunately the debate has extended into arguments as to why the GAA is allowed to continue, when the arts, in the main, has been shut down since March. The two aren't comparable in the present circumstances, even though one must have great sympathy for those in the arts and the wider entertainment industry.
The weekend's between now and Christmas will see sport dominate the tv schedules. Die-hard fans don't know how lucky they are. Enough said.
