With Boston being home to several successful professional teams, students and teachers at WHS often find themselves caught up in the excitement of live sports, and while faculty and students choose the teams they are fans of for various reasons, the range of options can sometimes make that choice challenging. 

   Some members of the WHS community enjoy watching many of the local sports teams, and considering the success of Massachusetts sports teams, they are able to appreciate a range of sports equally. 

    “I follow the majority of Boston sports teams,” senior Brendan Fleming said. “Keeping track of just one team can be boring, so I try to cheer for many local teams.”

   The results of a poll of 30 WHS students and faculty on the sports and teams they watch confirm this tendency toward broad-based local team support, with the Boston Celtics and New England Patriots emerging as favorite teams among respondents. The most popular team emerged with 24 of those polled saying  they enjoy watching basketball, with the next three most watched sports being football (22 students), soccer (20 students), and hockey (16 students). As these numbers indicate, most respondents selected more than one sport as a favorite.

   The success of our local teams is a major factor in drawing viewers. According to ESPN, Boston teams have a total of 40 championship titles, leading to many referring to the city as “Titletown.” For this reason, many students find themselves supporting multiple local teams, regardless of the sport. 

   “The sport I most enjoy watching is soccer, but I support most local sports teams,” senior Noah Silva said. “My favorite of the Boston teams is the Celtics.”

   One of the reasons WHS athletes find themselves interested in watching professional sports is that they feel a personal connection to a sport because it is one that they play.

   “I watch professional soccer,” sophomore soccer player Eva Ferris said. “I especially enjoy watching the U.S. National Team. Watching soccer professionally is a way for me to improve my own soccer skills.”

   An added benefit to watching a sport one competes in is an understanding of its rules.

   “My favorite sports to watch are track and field and cross country at the collegiate and professional level because I run those sports; I find it interesting to watch them at a higher level,” junior cross country runner Jessica Bourne said. “I don’t enjoy watching game-based sports as I don’t understand them or relate to them as much.”

   However, students often watch sports for reasons other than playing them. 

   “I’m a fan of the Bruins. I don’t play hockey, but I enjoy watching it,” senior Lucas DeFillipo said. “I enjoy the intensity of the sport as well as the players who get into fights.”

   The fast pace of the game is another reason why watching certain sports live is so enthralling, as every moment in a game can count.

   “I enjoy watching soccer, hockey and football because they’re fast-paced and competitive,” Ferris said. “The intensity at all times makes them captivating to watch.”

   This preference for action carries over to members of the WHS community who therefore don’t choose to follow sports that are slower and less action packed.

   “Golf is my least favorite sport to watch because it isn’t very lively or entertaining as not much happens during a match,” Silva said.

   Personal history and family traditions can also play roles in determining which sports some fans choose to spend time viewing.

   “One of my favorite sports to watch on TV is basketball, with my favorite team being the Celtics,” English teacher Michael Kelley said. “I was a high school senior when the Celtics won the [1986] Championship, and watching their games together has become a family thing.”

   Major sporting competitions can also inspire more viewing and more related activity.

   “During events like the world championships and Olympics, I watch track and am running more often,” Kelley said.

   According to Olympics.com, around 5 billion people – 84% of the world’s population – followed the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

   A large reason these events make sports more popular is due to their availability.

   “The only time I’ll get really into watching sports is during big events such as the Olympics because those are the most impressive and the only time the sports I find interesting are widely broadcasted,” Bourne said.

   No matter which sports viewers choose to watch, many WHS students and teachers make them their preferred viewing option due to the possibility of real-time drama, which some prefer over watching traditional TV shows.

   “I like that sports are live, not scripted, and unpredictable,” Kelley said. “When I watch TV shows, I’m keenly aware that [the shows are] scripted. I understand I’m being manipulated as a viewer, while in live sports, anything can happen.”