The Old Versus the New: The Effect of Nostalgia Bias on the Way We View Sports

          Sport has an almost uncanny ability to unite people of different generations together. The passion, the thrill, and the lasting moments that our favorite athletes create on the field become indelibly etched into our memories. However, as time passes, the tendency for people to show favoritism and nostalgia bias towards older players grows, especially when comparing them to the newer generations. This bias clouds not only the judgment of fans but also hinders their ability to hold fruitful sports discussions, preventing them from completely appreciating the current era of sports.

           Nostalgia bias is a cognitive bias that causes individuals to view the past as being better than it really was. This bias has deep roots in overall human psychology, as we have a tendency to only remember the positive aspects of our past experiences while also downplaying or completely forgoing the negatives. When applied to sports, this often results in an idealization of athletes from previous eras. One major reason for nostalgia bias is the emotional connection people develop and form with childhood heroes on the field. Those athletes who captured our imaginations during our formative years hold a special place in our hearts. It is this attachment that can lead to the view that no modern player can compete with the legends of old.

          Another factor contributing to this nostalgia bias is our selective memory. Most of the time, people tend to forget the less appealing aspects of past games, focusing solely on the highlights, the moments that captured their attention. The problems with that line of thinking arise when you come to terms with the fact that today’s athletes are undoubtedly at a higher level of performance than in the past, however. Modern athletes benefit from advancements in training, technique, nutrition, and technology. This increase in knowledge directly contributes to a more competitive and higher-level playing field, allowing for feats of athleticism that previously would never have been possible, rising above the levels of even our favorite old legends. This disregarding of these advancements serves as nothing but a disservice to present athletes and their hard work.

           Nostalgia bias often serves to trivialize discussions about modern-day athletics. Debates about current players become ridiculously polarized, with each generation passionately defending their respective champions, usually based on purely subjective arguments and hypotheticals. These biases cloud objective conversation and prevent constructive analysis of current rosters. Rather than properly appreciating unique talents and the respective contributions of each player to their team, fans find themselves stuck in unending and ultimately unanswerable arguments about whose hero was better. In addition to this, the media also plays a hefty role in perpetuating this bias. Sports networks often show classic games, documentaries, and perspectives that romanticize past athletes. While celebrating history is important, the constant over-glorification of past events, such as the ones that are present in modern-day media, can cause the public’s eye to disregard the achievements of present-day athletes. A balance between remembering the past and acknowledging the present is crucial in today’s sports world in order to avoid constant comparisons between current and older players.

           To fully appreciate current athletes and their accomplishments, we must learn to overcome such nostalgia bias. Firstly, change must be embraced, and we must come to accept that like everything, the world of sports is constantly changing and will continue to do so. New advancements will lead to higher levels of competition and athleticism, and such changes should be embraced as part of the natural progression of athletics. Moreover, we must strive for objectivity and impartiality when discussing the current state of the sports world. This can be achieved by taking into account the differing levels of modern-day challenges and obstacles back then as well as putting aside the ego. The challenges and constraints that athletes faced in their own respective times should be considered and it should be recognized that greatness is not limited to any single time period.