Brain on Sports: Cameron Hughes on crowd energy, dancing with Djokovic

Professional superfan Cameron Hughes joins the Brain on Sports Podcast to discuss dancing with Novak Djokovic and the impact of crowd energy on the world's top athletes.

“This is Your Brain on Sports” is a new podcast from Sports Illustrated in which SI executive editor Jon Wertheim and Tufts University psychology professor Sam Sommers explore the intersection of sports and human nature—what the world of sports has to teach us about who we are, what we care about, and the forces that shape our behavior. In this week’s episode, professional superfan Cameron Hughes joins Sommers to discuss the impact of crowd energy at big-time sporting venues.

If you don't recognize Hughes's name right away, you'll probably recognize his dance moves from the opening week of action at the U.S. Open, when he came onto the court to dance with Novak Djokovic after the No. 1 seed finished off his second-round opponent. Hughes travels the continent riling up crowds at big-time sporting events, and he breaks down the importance of fan participation to a stadium's atmosphere and reveals what top athletes and teams have told him about how much it means for fans to get into the game and make themselves heard.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and check back every week for a new episode.