‘Head Games’: Chapman professor launches sports psychology podcast

The podcast “Head Games,” co-created and co-hosted by Chapman psychology professor Ben Rosenberg, aims to bridge the gap between psychology and sports. Photo courtesy of Rosenberg

After COVID-19 pushed sports leagues like the WNBA into a bubble cut off from the outside or players’ families for their past season’s playoffs, many teams struggled to adapt. Yet, Napheesa Collier, a forward for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, said her team was able to make a run to the semifinals of the 2020 playoffs because of the chemistry she and her teammates developed during the bubble. 

With the pandemic’s unprecedented impact, there have been few more interesting times to discuss psychology in sports, and Collier is one of a few guests who have appeared on Chapman professor Ben Rosenberg’s podcast “Head Games” to do just that. Co-hosted by Bret Levine, a senior researcher at marijuana marketplace Dutchie, the podcast examines the mental side of sports and why team chemistry is often the key to team success.

Upon meeting in graduate school and realizing their mutual love for sports and psychology, Rosenberg and Levine embarked on a journey to explore bridging the gap between psychology and sports. That five-year journey has culminated with a blog and a podcast under the same name “Head Games,” and the two hope to eventually publish a book on similar topics. The podcast’s description on Spotify is simple: Rosenberg and Levine mark themselves as “sports junkies who happen to have Ph.D.’s.” 

“Our biggest goal is twofold,” Rosenberg said. “One is to break down and explain complex research topics in a way that your general sports fan can understand. The other is to emphasize the role that psychology plays in sports.”

Through the podcast, Rosenberg hopes to normalize conversations about psychology in sports. The impact of physical health is well-known in the sports industry, but mental health is much less frequently discussed. 

“The role of mental health and mental well-being in performance is abundantly clear from years and years of studies — both aspects (are needed) in order to perform,” Rosenberg said. “You need to be mentally fit because so much of the game is recognizing what is happening and being connected to your teammates.”

Rosenberg also believes psychology has a large influence on team chemistry within professional sports teams. 

“One way teams can buff up their team chemistry is through team goal-setting,” Rosenberg said. “A lot of times, coaches will set the goals for the team, but it can actually be more effective if the players come up with the goals so that they can feel ownership over them.”

That trickles down to the college level, as players within Chapman’s own programs know the importance of team chemistry well — a concept particularly heightened during the pandemic. 

“Competing requires a lot of trust and team chemistry builds trust,” said Anthony Giomi, junior forward on Chapman’s men’s basketball team. “When you trust your teammates, you are able to keep each other accountable and it makes people realize that they’re part of something bigger than themselves.”  

In addition to Collier, “Head Games” has hosted sports figures such as MLB player Eric Sogard and former NFL coach Evan Burk. Episodes have touched on a variety of topics, including discussions about the psychology behind a fantasy football draft or the reason for the “Madden curse,” a phenomenon where an NFL player seemingly performs worse the following season after appearing on the cover of an installment of the video game “Madden NFL.” 

“Presumably, you get on a cover because you had an amazing season,” Rosenberg said of the concept of the “Madden curse” in one episode. “Next year, it’s not that you’re suddenly bad, but it’s just that you performed slightly worse and so when judged in the context of your previous season, you suddenly look slightly more pedestrian.”

In the future, the two hope to continue conversations about psychology and sports, as the mental side of sports is just as important to them as the physical, Rosenberg said.

“We’ve hit upon the idea that our psychology, our thinking, our attitudes, the people, the social side of it — (they not only) influence athletics, (but also) influence player and team outcomes,” Rosenberg said.