Maybe it’s just a more individualized form of insanity rather than the collective madness of football. Or maybe the guys running around in spandex are doing it because they’re paid oodles of money to do it, which is a logical motive, rather than the insane delusion that one is a mythical sea creature.
The latter are mentally ill and part of their delusion is that they don’t realize it. They need to be brought back to reality before the delusion turns destructive.
You make a good point