Chronic Pain, Emotions and Professional Football

Chronic pain is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors, including emotions and environmental context. Prior research demonstrates that emotional states and psychosocial processes such as depression, fear-avoidance, and catastrophizing significantly shape the pain experience. Professional sports fandom is known to influence emotional well-being, but its relationship to chronic pain has not yet been examined. This longitudinal observational study aims to evaluate whether weekly performance outcomes of participants' favorite U.S. professional football (NFL) teams are associated with fluctuations in self-reported pain intensity, depression, and pain catastrophization among adults with chronic pain who identify as avid football fans. Participants will complete weekly online surveys throughout the NFL regular season, reporting pain ratings (NPRS) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-2). Team performance (win/loss, played/did not play, rival results) will be recorded by the research team. The study seeks to determine whether sports-related emotional fluctuations correlate with changes in chronic pain experiences.