Rationally, I should hate the Phillies more because they are the Mets perennial rival (for the last couple years anyway). Their fan base and their players irk me to no end. Plus the Yankees are after all from New York so shouldn't I like them more? I dislike the Yankees because I have to hear Yankee fans (mostly my friends) make fun of the Mets and hang their 26 championships over my choking head, so perhaps it's really the fans that I hate. Not the rational ones, just the arrogant, irrational ones. In the Mets' defense (and yes I'm being defensive), the Yankees were around for about 60 years longer than the Mets so who knows how many they would have won in that time.
I know that I dislike both teams but as I scanned back and forth from logo to logo I couldn't figure out which I liked less. Perhaps this is extreme but I've decided to put my psychology background to use and implement the scientific method to help determine which team bothers me the most. This is hardly valid, but I tried to be as genuine as possible, and yes I am very bored today.
Observation:
When New York Yankees or Philadelphia Phillies stimuli are visible alone or together, I have an averse reaction and become slightly angry and nauseous.
Hypothesis:
I will react with a stronger negative reaction to Phillies stimuli than I will to Yankees stimuli. I will have no reaction to Royals stimuli.
Experiment:
Sample Size: 1
I
I presented myself with the following logos for 10 seconds each and rated on a scale of 1 (no negative feeling) to 10 (extreme hatred) how I felt when viewing them. I presented the Yankees logo by itself, the Phillies logo by itself and then simultaneously. The Kansas City Royals are my control.
II
I visited the websites of the Yankees, Phillies and Royals and rated how I felt while browsing on a scale of 1 to 10.
Results:
I
Yankees Logo: 8
An onslaught of Jeter walk off memories and negative energy flooded my entire being. Plus there was the time I got beer thrown on me at the Mets-Yanks series in the Bronx.
Phillies Logo: 7
More anger than with the Yankees but was a little more indifferent. Thoughts of their championship didn't make me as upset as I thought I would be.
Royals Logo: 1
Absolutely no effect
Yankees/Phillies Logo Together: 9
I couldn't rate it a 10 because that would mean I would have jumped out the window of my office, but I couldn't even leave the logos on my screen for the full 10 seconds. Similar feeling to when I smell Absolut Citron.
II
Yankees Website: 9
I felt as if I was checking out porn sites at work, neither of which I should ever be doing...I was scared of getting caught.
Phillies Website: 7
Although seeing Rollins, Howard and Utley made me sick, I wanted to find out what was going on with them since I try to keep my enemies close.
Royals Website: 2
Who are these guys? Like the karaoke bar I was at on Saturday night, I really have no reason to be there.
Discussion:
I was fully expecting to find that I hate the Phillies more than the Yankees but the gut reaction results don't lie. I really should dislike the Phillies more than the Yankees but I guess my feelings toward our cross-town rivals are more negative than I thought.
In retrospect it kind of makes sense. I feel a guilty pleasure when the Yanks lose to the Red Sox, like I did during their 2004 collapse. Overall, I just don't like either of them very much at all, and with the recent A-Rod news I kind of feel bad for the Yanks. I fully expect the Phillies to lead them in the hatred department once the season starts and I am reminded of how much I truly despise everything about them.
