There is no escaping the fact that sports are a very important part of not just our society in America but all over the world as well. Along with the impact of sports on a country are of course: the fans. I believe that fans are one of the most important parts of sports today and without the fans, maybe sports wouldn't have the impact that they do today.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/mar/22/game-on/
This article describes a few sports fans and their behavoir which is very similar to how the handbook of sports media (Ch. 19) describes sports fans. It describes fans as planning their weekends and parties around games and matches, facing cold weather to sit through live games, and discussing their knowledge of their favorite teams with other fans to show their pride. One of the men in the article is described by his wife as not being able to talk or disrupt him during a game and also going into detail about what he wears to live games (sounds like my dad and brother).
But why are we so dedicated to being fans? Well, the book also explains that sports fans use sports as their escape from reality. "Like a film or book, sports can be picked up when a fan needs comfort, relaxation, or release." I believe that many sports fans use sports as an outlet. Playing sports isn't just an outlet to release stress, but so is watching them and being a part of them by being a fan. People show up to their favorite team's games painted in the team's colors and decked out in jerseys of their favorite palyers because it's fun for them. However I do also believe that being a fan can lead to stress, if you're the type of sports fan to let a loss of a game get you down so much it affects the rest of your day or even week (I've seen it happen). Even watching games on TV can be stressful. I've seen my brother yell at the TV during basketball games as if it was gonna yell back at him.
I also think that being a sports fan of a certain team isntantly makes you part of a larger group of fans. You can clearly see this with New York and Boston fans. Fans from these cities are so proud of their teams and where they come from. Often, this is why they are fans of the teams that they love. New York and Boston fans I think also have a reputation for having the biggest rivalry and do some pretty crazy things to support their teams. But one question to wonder is how much is too much when it comes to being an outrageous die-hard fan? Is there such thing as too much?
I also found this from espn.com, it's some rules for being a sports fan and I thought it was funny:
http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020227
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I agree with Nicole that being a sports fan connects you with people that you would never meet under other circumstances. I know I've done some pretty crazy things at live sports events. In 2002 when the Celtics were in the playoffs, a friend and I got completely decked out from head to toe in green Celtics gear. We even drew shamrocks over our entire face and wore green bowler hats with streamers coming from them. We looked ridiculous but we had a blast and we met tons of people. We were on the Jumbotron four times and people would come up to us and compliment our outfits, cheer with us and just have a great time. Sports fans like to see other people going all out for their team because it gives them a sense that they're not alone in their passion. We discussed this in class last week, I will compliment a complete stranger if they are wearing Boston sports gear, especially if I'm out of New England, because it's a great way to meet new people and you immediately have something to talk about that you have in common, it's emblazoned right across your chest or hat or car bumper. Wenner talks about the connection we have with our team, how it becomes second nature to us and how fanship can be a great tool on meeting new people.
I definitely think there are sports fans that go too, the soccer hooligans in Europe are a great example of that. The fact that they are killing one another and the players just because they root for the other team or played a bad game. It's ridiculous, we don't see that kind of obsession and fandom here in the United States. I just youtubed soccer hooligans and the first video was a CNN clip of a reporter on site at a Manchester/Chelsea soccer match and the poor reporter was getting pints of beer poured over his head and then the microphone got taken away while a Manchester fan sang into the mike. This is behavior that I have never witnessed during an American sporting event. Brawls and violence take being a sports fan too far. As much fun it is to have a cold beer at the park when watching a game, it's another when the drinking gets out of hand and it turns violent. So yes, there is a limit to being a fan, fanship has to be controlled.
Sports are definitely a major aspect of American culture. To respond to Nicole’s blog, I agree with her when she stated, “I believe that fans are one of the most important parts of sports today and without the fans, maybe sports wouldn't have the impact that they do today.” Fans enjoy rooting for their favorite teams. People are motivated to watch sports as a social activity. Casual and diehard fans can identify with a winning team and enjoy living through their imagined participation in the competition.
According to Lawrence Wenner in chapter fifteen, “Research on sports spectatorship and fanship provides a variety of clues about why people are motivated to watch sports.” Wenner explains that the fanship dimension is all about the “thrill in victory.” It centers on the excitement of competition as well as the desire to identify with the winner.
I believe that being a sports fan of a certain team, makes you a part of a larger group of fans—a community. I consider my-self a “die hard” Yankee fan, knowing pretty much all about them. I support there team by wearing jerseys, hats and anything with their logo on it. I don’t consider that “too much.” There is no such thing as “too much.” When you are dedicated to something, you become very enthusiastic about it.
Being a sports fanatic myself, I think that promoting and rooting for your team is not a bad thing. Things could get out of hand when you are “drunk” at a game or at a bar. But to stand by your team is never too much. My eyes are always glued to the TV when the Yankees play, even when they are losing. Yes, I do yell at the TV, but that’s another story. If the Yankees are playing, I am in front of a TV if I can’t get tickets; otherwise I am at Yankee Stadium a few times a year.
The New York and Boston rivalry is mostly fun. I think that the Yankee fans are more sympathetic than Boston. When Boston wins, the Boston fans are always “Ha, you didn’t win this time.” And Yankee fans are always like, “There’s always next year.”
I don’t think it’s possible to be too much of a hardcore fan, I mean as long as you don’t start stalking the players or anything creepy like that. But if you want to buy as much memorabilia and go to as many games as you can, I don’t think there is a problem with that. I enjoy the fact that I know as much about my teams as I do, If I meet a fan that knows more than me about one of my teams I feel disappointed in myself. I dedicate a lot of my energy to sports so I make it one of my top priorities to make sure that I keep myself informed on the team.
When I played soccer in High School the aspect of playing that I enjoyed the most was being apart of a team. That’s kind of how I feel when it comes to being a fan, even though I’m not a player or a member of the team, I am apart of a group of fans that feel connected to the team and it’s a great feeling. Chapter 20 in our Handbook talks about this, “one does not have to be an active participant in group activities to feel connected to the group”.
Rivalries such as the one between New York and Boston is something that I feel contributes to craziness of die-hard fans. That’s why I feel fans from New York and Boston are considered the most hardcore of any. There are more and more rivalries growing in sports so I would imagine that the number of hardcore fans are going to increase.
There once was a guy who went to college and got the mascot tattooed on his upper leg/lower rear. He runs track for this school and every race his tattoo is seen beneath those short shorts that track athletes are required to wear. He loves the tattoo and feels because he is one of them, he must be identified with them (for the rest of his life). Some people may think that it is stupid to have a Blue Hen tattooed on your body but he thinks it’s a great conversation starter.
I tell this story to ask this question; why do we go to such great lengths to be associated with a specific team? Chapter 19 in the Handbook discusses some of the behavioral motivations for sports consumptions and I happen to think they are the strongest. Companionship and group affiliation are two major drivers of sports consumption. I have loved sports my entire life and have no problem watching a game alone, but I don’t get the same feeling as I would if I were watching it with friends or at the sports bar. The companionship idea is very strong. As the book states, “sports programming provides people the opportunity to interact on a common ground.” You could be with a perfect stranger and by the end of the game be their best friend. Group affiliation is also a strong idea. There is nothing like high-fiving your friends after a big play. Group affiliation provides a comfort zone and a sense of belonging. Sports have helped bring people and communities together no just through televised events. Texas high school football is more important than life. Every Friday night, people from all over these small towns will meet at the high school for the weekly game. People young, old, male, and female turn out for theses games because it is their town, their team. The sense of group affiliation one gets from just a simple high school football game is indescribable.
I have to agree with Nicole when she states that being a sports fan can also lead to extreme stress. Fanatics tend to take losses personally and it can ruin their entire week. (We saw this in the last Superbowl) Although sports consumption can be considered an escape and a release from our stressful everyday lives, what happens when your team loses the big game and you’re heartbroken? Some fans have allowed for team defeats to affect their personal and professional lives. I am a die hard sports fan but I don’t think I could let a team loss ruin my life. As long as I’m not the one wearing the jersey, at the end of the day it is just a game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NypXiCtXe4
This is the Sheraton commercial for the NCAA rivalries. Enjoy!
I think one of the greatest things sports can do for people is bring them together. As much as it can do that, it can also divide, but with both ideas, it depends on your level of involvement and passion to the team or sport. Chapter 19 in the Handbook states that "Melnick highlighted the unique communicative experience between strangers he called "sports encounter. The author suggested that the sports viewing, like air travel, provides strangers interesting and legitimate opportunities to interact." (323). So similar sport interests has that same ability to unite people in the same way you can experience that commonality with a stranger when you're out of the country and find out, hey, this old couple is from Florida- I'm not, but I'm from the U.S too! What's that? You love Big Papi too!? Let's go get drinks together. And before you know it, you've made a friend or two that you wouldn't even have bothered to smile at if they didn't have that commonality in place. (This has happened a couple of times to me, and it is bizarre to look back and think...why?)Those are the milder examples, or when people decorate their homes, car, pets, selves, in order to show their commitment to relative strangers, the players. It gets scary and dangerous when people start to lose lives, steal and cause riots. I remember friends calling from UMASS schools in 2004 when the Sox finally won the Series again- it was complete mayhem. That to me shows how passionate people are, how fandom can be all consuming and all too intense. Remember- this is a game, these are real people who happen to (probably) be living out your dream. Respect them, admire them-don't lose your life, get in fights or go ballistic because of them. Sports need fans just like celebrities, artists, and musicians need fans to support them and create a reason for them to perform. For the majority, Americans are pretty tame, but we need to focus on the sport and the talent and not get so blinded by all the "Stuff" that comes with clever marketing, or whatever, for the team. Show the love, but don't player-hate.
The article definitely shows how different people deal with the compassion for sports. Some people deal quite well with the situation where one member of the family is an avid fan and the other could care less. The “Family” section of chapter 19 in “The Handbook of Sports and Media” explains that, “Sports television leads to relatively few conflicts between married couples.” and “Others credit the growing number of multi-television households.” I can personally attest to the multi-television theory. If the Huskies (Men or women) are on TV, chances are that I will be watching while my wife will either watch something else on a different set or find something else to do. She doesn’t get upset because she knows that is something I enjoy. I don’t get upset because I understand that college basketball is not her thing. Life is good! However, I do suppose her patience might be tried just a wee bit if I were to spend $600 a week to fuel my obsession like Rubbie King’s husband.
I agree that being a fan of any particualar is a type of release, but the game can become so engullfing that you are always looking for more. When your team will win it is an amazing feeling to have the pride in your team. Also, if your team goes on a losing streak fans are there to show their support for their favorite players even when they are down. Those r the signs of a true fan. However, in the end it is just a game and even though athletes have risen to heroic status people can not obsess as much as they do. Those fans who take it too far are the ones who need help. The fans who let sports ruin their mariiages and even lives. Sports can bring together many people who share a common bond but it can also tear people apart. So all fans out their should be proud of their team but also take it in stride and realize, IT IS ONLY A GAME.
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