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Dr. Richard Lustberg, Ph.D.


On The Couch:
 
The Week In Review
(3/03)



NEW BLOG!

New Regular Posts


Print Media Appearances

Nascar.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on burnout

NYDailyNews
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Sports Stars and Celebrities dating

Courant.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on office pools


ABC News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on ABC News

The Free Press - Mankato, MN
Dr. Lustberg's quotes are pure fiction

The Vail Trail
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
being a sports fan

OrlandoSentinel.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Forgiving Fans

Birkshire Eagle
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Red Sox's Nation

SignOnSanDiego
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
sports fans' emotions

Time
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the fans' reaction to the Mets' collapse

New York Post
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Met Fans lost season

seattlepi.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Mike Hargrove

reviewjournal.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Michael Vick and Dog Fighting

Newsday.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
fan behavior

STL Today
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Barry Bonds and why he's a polarizing figure

Athens News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
fan support

InfoSports
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
youth sport

KansasCity.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Post Traumatic NFL-Football Disorder

FresnoBee.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
focus, concentration, and preparation.

SignOnSanDiego.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
fan's behaviors

BerkshireEagle.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
how the fans relate to the players

Daily Herald:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the psychology of Rex Grossman

Courier News:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
being a sports fan

Examiner:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the Baltimore Ravens and the positive energy fans create

PajamasMedia:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the psychology of autographs

ESPN.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Teammate sabbotage

VC2:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Steroids

Kane County Chronicle:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Superstitions

Christian Science Monitor:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Issues about youth sport

smh.com.au:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
World Famous swimmer: Ian Thorpe

NewsReview.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the psychological importance of having a sports franchise in your city

Philadelphia Daily News:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Terrell Owens

Winston-Salem Journal:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Athletic Competitiveness

The Boston Globe:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
The Minds of NFL Kickers

USA Today:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Baseball Players' Fatigue

Journal Gazette:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Mental Illness in Athletes

The Associated Press:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Hero Worship

Newsday.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Alex Rodriguez

ReviewJournal.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Ben Rothlesberger

PJM News:
Phil Mickelsohn Infatuation

Unabated Sports:
A Doctor In The House

Sports Central:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Trash Talking

PE
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Rituals

Canoe
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Lucky Charms

Coloradoan
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Superstitions

Orlando Sentinel
Dr. Lustberg speaks on The Death of Tony Dungy's Son and Depression

Star Telegram
Dr. Lustberg speaks on fan and owner loyalty

Jacksonville
Dr. Lustberg speaks on losers

Belleville News Democrat
Dr. Lustberg speaks on emotional reaction to games

Star Telegram
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the line between players and spectators

Des Moines Register
Dr. Lustberg speaks on "how young is too young?"

DenverPost.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on perpetual losers in sports

dailypress.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on players and their uniform numbers

SignOnSanDiego.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant

latimes.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant

PE.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on athletes who have returned to their old teams

OCRegister.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks  on athletes and their jersey numbers

Mets Inside Pitch
Dr Lustberg speaks  on the psychological aspects of being employed in the major leagues and having your position reassigned.

post-gazette.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks  on enduring a long string of losing

Hartford Courant
Dr. Lustberg speaks on athlete's sudden illnesses

NorthJersey.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the Yankees/Red Sox epic rivalry

Mercury News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Barrett Robbins and Mental Illness in Athletes

phillyBurbs.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the passion of sports fans

York Daily Record
Dr. Lustberg speaks on superstitions in sports

Denver Post
Dr. Lustberg speaks on trash talking in sports

The Duquesne Duke
Dr. Lustberg speaks on fans and sports

Chicago Tribune
Dr. Lustberg speaks on superstitions

Sunday Herald
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Barrett Robbins’ struggle against bipolar disease

New York Daily News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the impact of the Jets playoff loss

The San Diego Union-Tribune
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the history of player/fan violence

New York Times

USA Today

Dallas Morning News

Denver Post

Chicago Tribune

The Baltimore Sun

Philadelphia Daily News

Daily News Sports

Denver Post

San Francisco Chronicle

Newsday

Orlando Sentinel

San Diego Union Tribune

timesunion.com

WebMDHealth

The Providence Journal

The San Diego Union-Tribune

UK Casino News

CBS NFL Kid Zone

The Kansas City Star

The Dallas Morning News

Star Telegram

San Diego Union Tribune

Forest Grove News Times

Scroll Online

The Daily Free Press

MyrtleBeachOnline.com

Toronto Star

San Francisco Chronicle

Orlando Sentinel

Femmefan.com

Monterey County Herald

Lincoln Journal Star

ChicKnits

Reveries Magazine

The Mercury News

International Network on Personal Meaning

Christian Science Monitor

Preteenagers Today

San Antonio Business Journal

eSports Media Group

The Marion Star

PsychNet-UK

The Record (Hackensack, NJ)

The Plain Dealer

delawareonline.com
The News Journal


iparenting.com

Christian Science Monitor

The Journal News

El Tiempo

The Observer & Eccentric Newspapers

outsports.com

 

 
Cool News of the Day
Reality Leagues. That "alternate baseball universe," that web-based version of reality in which the fans stock imaginary teams with real players, is "a metaphor for what could be a major switch in American life, writes Robert Lipsyte in USA Today. That switch is this: "Fans beginning to identify not with players, but with owners and general managers." And that "could be a "powerfully positive thing," suggests Mr. Lipsyte, "if it could be translated into other aspects of our lives." He then summons a psychiatrist, Ronald Kamm, to nail down his point: "Fantasy leagues offer a chance for community and bonding," says Dr. Kamm. "Fans feel disempowered. This gives them some sense of control over the players, who so often abandon their fans, leaving them with a sense of betrayal."

The phenomenon isn't limited to baseball, of course. So-called "fantasy leagues" -- the first of which was formed in 1980, "soon after free agency made it impossible for a fan to count on a long-term relationship with a favorite player -- now embrace "almost every sport, including soccer, cricket, and Nascar." Mr. Lipsyte, a journalist and author of a book called Warrior Angel, says the leagues "follow the trend of everyday people feeling alienated from traditional institutions. He cites "new forms of spirituality" and "home-schooling" as other examples of essentially the same trend. He meanwhile acknowledges a "darker side" by quoting a psychologist, Richard Lustberg, who runs a website called www.psychologyofsports.com, who says: "Fantasy leagues tend to further remove the players from the fans as human beings. It is really reflective of objectifying the player and showing how disposable he is. This reflects our consumer culture and even the divorce rate."

Mr. Lipsyte does, however, see an upside: "I do wish that fans used some of that energy and creativity now expended to create fantasy leagues to reorder their everyday universes," he writes. "What if we decided to stop taking what's handed to us as consumers, as patients, as voters? What if we banded together into leagues of our own?" He cites "food co-ops and neighborhood watches" as rudimentary examples, as well as music sharing, buying prescription drugs from Canada. The stock market, Mr. Lipsyte supposes, "smells ripe for an active band of investors sharing information not only on companies, but also on analysts whose information so often leads us wrong." Perhaps ultimately there's political parties and even government (indeed, visit any, random, political weblog for a taste of that particular alternate universe). After all, as Mr. Lipsyte concludes: "The Founding Fathers created their own fantasy league."

Tim Manners, editor

 

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