Sports by it's self has a huge impact on our society and everyday lives. Add to that the power and influence that the media can bring and it's no wonder why Sports media is so influential. Sports Media is often thought of as only in the newspaper or magazine sense but books and films have just as much of an effect on sports fans everywhere. This study http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/impact-media-coverage-42nd-world-archery-championships-audience-attendance-and-purchases gives proof to the impact sports media has on the audiences that it attracts.
Personally for me the Sports film industry has had a huge impact on my sports interests. Many of the sports films I watched when I was little have shaped the sports fan that I am today. Books have had similar results with sports fans. The movie Rudy had a huge impact on my life, I've been a die hard Notre Dame fan ever since I saw the movie and always will be. A movie or a book can show a different side to a sports story or add more emotion to a story more than say a newspaper article or magazine article. Fans will read a particular book or see a certain film if their team is going to be featured in it. Chapter 19 of our handbook talks about how sports allegiances is strong motivation for sports viewing, "These team allegiances are at the core of the first motivation for sports viewing....."
So do you think that films and books have as Strong of an impact as the evidence suggests, do they have a strong influence on you. What do you think makes their influence on sports fans so strong.
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Sports and the media go hand in hand. Simultaneously they create this need to be involved. The sport becomes so popular because of the way the media portrays the team. The sport team needs the media to create the buzz of excitement, while the media needs the team to perform well to keep the viewers wanting to know anything and everything about their team. The more you see a sport or team on TV you become more intrigued by it, even if no interest existed prior. If there was no coverage of sports, for some it would be out of sight out of mind. If the media portrays your team as a winner, then you feel like a winner.
Reading a sport novel I would assume that the novel would give someone the confidence and courage that they too can accomplish something intangible. As for films I can totally relate to the influential factor. Wenner suggests that people enjoy these sport aspects because of the drama and tension it creates, and I think that’s exactly it. Every sport film has some sort of rivalry, or big championship game. The tension is what makes you want to be a part of that team, along with the drama making you wish you experienced that personal excitement.
I also believe that your family has a huge affect on a person when rooting for a team. For example, all my life my family has been avid Yankee fans, so I grew up loving them as well. But the excitement of your team can go past that. Having family from New Hampshire creates a fun rivalry between my family’s Red Sox and Yankee fans. But I feel as thought we wouldn’t take such great pride in our teams if the rivalry wasn’t surrounded by the media every day. All in all, the media needs the excitement of the sport games to survive and the sports teams need the media to escalate the excitement.
I think the success of sport films will increase again. It has to be hard to try and come up with a new theme or story that hasn’t already been done. That’s why I think in more recent movies you actually see the underdog lose the championship, to put a new twist on the typical sports movie. Also, I wouldn’t classify Semi-Pro as a sports movie, to me it is just another one of Will Ferrell’s comedy movies. I think a movie that captures the true sense of the game and the will needed to play it relentlessly is what makes a movie a sports movie.
Films today have a very strong impact on the viewers. The way a story line or game winning touchdown or home run can be construed in a movie has the ability to evoke as much, if not more emotion, than watching the event in real life. The most microscopic element which can be overlooked during the time of the game, now in hindsight, can be blown up into a whole turning point with the proper music and all. This factor can touch the viewing sports fans in such a way that it can increase their overall love of the game, team, or specific player. The “Handbook” says that “people consistently seek information that is consistent with their prevailing attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts.” Since most sports movies glorify the sport and it’s players, this is most likely the reason why Hollywood movies affect their fan status.
The film 61* has impacted me in such a way. As I stated in class, I am not a Yankee fan, but after watching 61*, I have a newly found respect for Roger Maris as a player and a person, as well as a grown respect for the game of baseball.
I agree with Matt that the sports film industry has had a major impact on my sports interests and participation. I remember watching The Mighty Ducks as a kid and thinking that being on a team must be the coolest thing in the world, along with having Gordon Bombay as a coach. I also remember watching (and loving) The Sandlot. As I grew up and become interested in sports, I gave my particular interest to pee wee/college hockey, as well as the Boston Red Sox. I never grew into a Boston Bruins fan, however; I did go to their games. I believe that watching these films as a young child had a strong influence on me, helping form and shape the sports I prefer to follow now as an adult.
I think that sports film industry has such a strong impact on sports fans because it not only is a sports, but as well as a story. Most of the time the story consists of triumph and losing, glory and defeat, and performance and teamwork – all characteristics of athletics that a normal Joe sports fan can relate to. As the handbook states, “individuals tend to intentionally choose media content that is presumed to be, by and large, consistent with their existing attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts” (314). To support this quote, my parents probably allowed me to watch films such as The Mighty Ducks and The Sandlot because they were movies that mirrored me as a young athlete who was beginning to play on a team and learning to develop skills in teamwork, sportsmanship, determination, and hard work.
Sports film usually follows an athlete or a team as they grow and develop, as well as grow older and fade. When watching a sports game, it is just the sport. Whereas, when watching a sports film it provides to the viewer insight of the players, teams, and the sport. I think when the sports fan is able to connect and relate to the story being told, the sport as well as the film becomes particularly influential and significant to the fan. I know that watching sports films as a child helped influence and form my liking for certain sports, and interest to play certain sports.
Sports films and books do in fact have a strong impact on the lives of viewers. A majority of people are able to reminisce about their favorite sports films from their past. Last Wednesday night in class many of us talked about our favorite childhood sports films and we were all able to agree on the classic unforgettable films. We were all able to exchange stories on the emotional attachment many sports films had on us during our childhood and even today.
I feel as though those who do not enjoy watching live sporting events are able to find enjoyment in sports films because each of the hundreds of sports films has a story line and many of story lines are emotional. Personally I am an avid viewer of live sporting events and I have a strong passion for sports in general. Therefore I would pick a sports film over any other genre due to my emotional attachment to sports. Chapter 11 of our handbook states, "Overwhelmingly, media consumers report that they view mediated sports because of the emotional rewards they receive from doing so" (315). The emotional attachment I have to sports films is what keeps me watching them. I could watch Rudy ten times in a row and still get emotional. I have cried during many sports movies because many films have such a high impact on me.
Sports films have such a great influence on my life and I will continue to watch films that I have previously seen over and over as well as viewing new sports movies. To me, they never get old.
A League of Their Own greatly influenced my softball team in 8th grade. Before every game we sang the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Victory Song and I will never forget that.
Sports films can also influence my personal beliefs. Million Dollar Baby is a perfect example. This sports film did not influence me to be a professional female boxer but it influenced me to never give up on my dreams. I felt an emotional attachment to the main character Maggie because she inspired me to fight for my dreams even if no one else believes they can come true.
I definitely agree that the sports film industry has a major impact on sports viewers’ interest and participation. As the people before me mentioned, almost every child grew up with a sports movie that made them idolize a player, or actor, and fall in love with a sport in general.
The sports movie appeal goes so far beyond the actual sport, however. The Handbook mentions that there are four emotional motivations for consuming sports events on television: “entertainment, eustress, self-esteem, and to escape the stress of daily life.” These are essentially the same factors that make sports movies so appealing as well. Also included in these motivations are a learning motivation to know the players and teams, and the motivation of being a part of a larger group affiliation. With every sports movie I have watched, I can say that it has been these factors that have made the film so enjoyable. Whether it’s lighthearted movies such as The Sandlot or The Mighty Ducks, classics such as Rudy and Rocky, or true underdog thrillers such as Miracle, every movie allows the viewer to escape into a realm where anything is possible. You as the viewer become associated with a character (s) that make you feel like you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
One of my favorite things about sports movies is that you can experience the same “escape,” self-esteem, and emotions that you would watching a sporting event on television, but without the stress and anxiety of watching your team with a game on the line. I’m not saying that I would ever pass up Superbowl Sunday for a movie, but watching the Patriots lose to the Giants was not the most uplifting or stress-free “escape” that the book refers to.
Overall I think that it is the emotional reward involved in sports movies that makes their influence on sports fans so strong. As I mentioned earlier, almost every dramatic sports movie (with a positive ending) leaves the viewer with a feeling that truly every game can be won if it’s done right. The impact of sports movies translates onto the field when people play sports, as well as when they watch their teams in big games on television. Who wouldn’t love to be sitting on top of their teammates shoulders like in Rudy or standing on the gold medal podium like in Miracle? Anything can be accomplished, and sports films help us believe.
Movies and books in the sports field take sports to another level. In these media, movies and books have the ability to immortalize historic moments in sports and also add the fiction factor and create scenarios many would not beleive happening but if they did would be amazing.
I have watched numerous movies and read many books that deal with both the historic aspect and fitional possibilty of sports. The great part about these movies and books are that its all entertainment so no matter if your a sports fan or not you can watch a sports movie or read a book and be entertained. Movies like Cinderella Man and Remember the Titans are able to use sports to get across a point that may not necessarily deal with sports.
For those diehard fans, movies and books are another way to engulf their lives in sports. By using the historical stories it allows people to learn more about their favorite sports and about other sports they may not no as much about. The fictional stories add the sense of "what if" that everyone sports fan loves and being entertained is always an important factor in the life of a sports fan.
So I believe whether its a movie or a book, historic or fictional. Sports will always have a spot in the media world.
Sports films have had a big impact on my life when I was younger. I can't say I created any allegiance because of a movie, but have grown closer to movies that encourage the teams I'm a fan of. Rudy is a movie that I used to watch almost every Friday before a Saturday Notre Dame game. In our last paper, I discussed how I watched "Little Giants" for motivation towards the actual Giants in the upcoming playoffs.
People can use these movies as motivation factors all the time. At jumbotrons at games a scene from say Rudy or the locker room speech in Varsity Blues will be played to pump up the crowd. You can also edit movies to motivate a crowd (prime example, every Giants-Eagles game at Giants Stadium, they play a clip from Rocky where at the end a Giant is edited in and steps on Rocky. This is also used by the Jets when they play the Dolphins, having a mixed edit of Flipper and the last scene of Jaws).
Sports movies are something that will also be used as a motivational tool. The stories will always inspire.
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