Can watching (or not watching) games impact the result?

the valiant effort

settle down, bud
Apr 17, 2017
5,154
6,322
I mean, imagine your team is losing at the start of the 3rd, and you think about, should you start (or stop) watching the game.

As far as I understand, worlds where you watching and not watching the game are different. But are they different enough to impact the game and change the result?

Everything we fans do impacts the game.
 

Blueline Bomber

AI Generated Minnesota Wild
Sponsor
Oct 31, 2007
41,154
49,038
An individual game? No, that’s ridiculous. But if enough fans stop watching enough games, then you can start to see an impact on the organization.
 

LokiDog

Get pucks deep. Get pucks to the net. And, uh…
Sep 13, 2018
12,280
24,861
Dallas
Theoretically infant worlds exist where you watch/don’t watch and infinite instances where they win/don’t win… and your watching/not watching effected whether it did/did not impact the outcome in equally as many infinite instances. So… yes/no.
 
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K1900L

Registered User
Dec 27, 2019
1,187
1,414
No, because not watching the game doesn't change anything about its permanence, whereas merely watching the game doesn't have any energetic influence on the game itself. Of course, given that you are an average male watching from your home and not some naked 20 year old blonde standing right behind the goaltender (or not).
 

Calderon

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
1,208
816
Of course it can and it does. It's called observer effect and is rather elementary. The observed system is disturbed by the act of observation. That is also why I only enjoy hockey by not watching it.
 

Martin Skoula

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
12,330
17,368
Theoretically infant worlds exist where you watch/don’t watch and infinite instances where they win/don’t win… and your watching/not watching effected whether it did/did not impact the outcome in equally as many infinite instances. So… yes/no.

I can’t wait to use this defense in court.
 

DitchMarner

TheGlitchintheSwitch
Jul 21, 2017
11,263
8,301
Brampton, ON
Of course it can and it does. It's called observer effect and is rather elementary. The observed system is disturbed by the act of observation. That is also why I only enjoy hockey by not watching it.

During the Middle Ages, people were superstitious and believed stupid things.

Then people (in the West at least) became more scientific and put much more value in cause and effect than in arbitrary notions.

There's really nothing in classical physics that suggests the act of watching a sporting event at home on television affects the outcome of the event. The players aren't directly influenced by individual fans at home, nor is there any palpable transfer of energy.

However, we still don't have a complete understanding of quantum physics. There is the observer effect and who knows how it relates to something like hockey.
 

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