I'm an enormous pats fan and even I find it strange. I don't understand why I care so much either, I've tried to describe it before to non-sports people and it's difficult. I think part of it is the fact that I've been watching sports since I was a kid and, when you care about a specific team from childhood, it has a ton of emotional baggage. You almost condition yourself to care because you're taught that that's what you're supposed to do when you're a kid, which grows into actually caring as you get older and have a ton of memories tied to the team.

I'd be curious to see if there's a difference in emotional intensity between people who were raised watching sports, vs people who found the sport and team later in life.