Sports are an interesting cultural milieu that people like to tap into when they need that dose of mindless enthusiasm. I read a Dave Barry column once where he was talking about how people seriously believe that if they cheer hard enough for their team, that their support really makes the team play better. I am not sure if you could ever prove or disprove such an assertion, but it does seem to be widely believed. I think in some ways that's what an embattled political party does to: "just believe hard enough and we can make a miraculous comeback!" is what happens when you no longer have any policies or ideas that appeal to the people.