AUSTIN, TEXAS: Joe Rogan recently had an enthralling conversation with Canadian psychologist Gad Saad on his podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience.' Their conversation focussed on the fascinating nature of sports and their emotional impact. Rogan revealed what made him decide not to invest emotionally in "someone winning or losing" in sports.
The duo discussed the implications of the outcome on supporters and sports fans in particular. The episode is titled "How Watching Sports Affects Testosterone and The Sport with the Fittest Athletes." Rogan also recalled Argentina's thrilling World Cup victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
'I was so devastated'
The reflective moment occurred as a result of Rogan's childhood affection for his favorite fighter. Donald Curry, a professional boxer, impressed young Rogan. Curry's technical prowess was remembered fondly, as was his successful professional boxing career. Curry had 34 victories and 6 losses in 40 matches in 16 years and three months.
Curry's career took an unexpected turn when he faced Lloyd Honeyghan of the United Kingdom in September 1986. He was defeated by TKO, which remains one of boxing's greatest upsets in history.
Rogan said, "I couldn't believe it and so I put up my running shoes, I couldn't stay home... I couldn't deal with it. I went running in the snow and as I am running and I am running down the road, I am thinking to myself 'I am never gonna be this invested in someone else winning or losing ever again. I was so devastated that he lost."
These watershed occurrences prompted Rogan to have a personal epiphany, forcing him to break away from emotional attachments to sports and players. He learned to enjoy sports as a spectator and commentator without becoming overly influenced by the results.
'That's the weird thing about sports'
During their talk, Saad vividly remembered Lionel Messi's brilliance in securing his team's triumph in December 2022. Rogan and Saad investigated the psychological components of sports fanaticism. This prompted Rogan to consider the strange phenomenon of sports. Rogan said, "What's fascinating to me is he's as happy as they are, the people on the other team that were rooting for them, they're devastated right now."
He further added, "That's the weird thing about sports, you can get so attached to what's happening that a loss is like really a loss, can't believe we f**king lost to Kansas City." The participation of Messi and his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe of France in the final raised the tournament's profile. Messi's expertise, on the other hand, proved beneficial as the icon ended up on the winning side, shattering France's hopes of successfully defending the FIFA trophy.