Toward an Understanding of the Very Real Health Benefits of Watching Sports Evan Bleier, provided by FacebookTwitterEmail While he was coaching the Celtics around the turn of the century, Rick Pitino coined the phrase “the fellowship of the miserable” to refer to the legions of Boston sports fans who loudly vented their frustrations with the team and his performance as coach (102-146, .411) via the town’s sports talk radio airwaves and internet forums. Pitino, who was familiar with the notoriously demanding market before he took the job after previous coaching stints at Boston University and Providence College, meant the comment to be a dig at his detractors, but at least among a certain segment of the population, it was galvanizing and created somewhat of a sense of pride. After all, its misery — not victory — that loves company.