Cardiovascular stress reactions in recent- and long-retired rugby players when watching a game

While hospital admissions for cardiac causes on a population level appear to rise when the national team is playing in a sporting fixture, little research has examined cardiovascular reactions in spectators watching a sporting event. In a sample of 41 male supporters of a rugby team, all of whom had played the sport themselves, cardiovascular levels and psychological ratings of stress and anxiety were measured pre- and post-match. Counterfactual thinking was also assessed. Mixed factorial ANOVA analyses showed that in supporters who had recently retired from playing, psychological ratings of stress and anxiety were significantly lower pre-match compared to those who had long-retired (all ps < 0.001). However, significant phase × player status interactions identified that systolic blood pressure, F(1, 39) = 13.93, p = .001, partial ƞ² = 0.26, diastolic blood pressure, F(1,39) = 24.62, p < .001, partial η² = 39, and heart rate, F(1, 39) = 23.02, p < .001, partial η² = 0.37, increased significantly in recent-retired players compared to long-retired players, indicating that they found watching the match more stressful than the long-retired players. Furthermore, this effect was moderated by counterfactual thinking in recent-retired players only, where greater levels of counterfactual thinking was associated with greater cardiovascular reactivity. These findings confirm that watching a sporting fixture induces cardiovascular reactivity in spectators who recently retired from the sport, with counterfactual thinking a possible underlying pathway.