Introduction:
The 2012 London Olympics was a phenomenal media event, with the BBC reporting that 90% of the UK population tuned in to watch at least fifteen minutes of the television coverage. Televised sport regularly boasts impressive viewing figures, but the Olympic Games generally entices the public more than most, with people all over the world encapsulated by the international contests. On Saturday 11th August 2012, Mo Farah won the Olympic gold medal for the men’s 5000m race to secure a historic double triumph, and Britain erupted with pride. According to many theorists (Gantz 1981, Gantz and Wenner 1995 etc.), entertainment is the main reason why people watch sport, and the nature of the commentary which accompanies such occasions significantly assists spectators in achieving this goal. In this essay, I will analyse the commentary of Mo Farah’s victory, and ask the question: ‘How do commentators add to the levels of excitement and drama?’
Previous Studies:
The importance of sports commentary was highlighted in the study by Comisky, Bryant and Zillmann (1977), where they found that viewers were more excited and entertained when the hockey pundits used dramatic language. When comparing test groups with and without access to commentary, those with the audio reported far more thrilling and intense experiences than their counterparts, showing the impact narrations can have on people watching.
Gan, Tuggle, Mitrook, Coussement and Zillmann (1997) wrote how excitement amongst spectators is at its greatest when the sporting contest is close, and that commentators can highlight this uncertainty to dramatize an event. These claims built on the study by Bryant, Rockwell and Owens (1994) which focussed on the suspense present in ...
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...vric, G. Pisek, A. Skinner and W. Stadler (eds.) The Linguistics of Football. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag. 333-342.
Tolson, A. (2006) Media Talk: Spoken Discourse on TV and Radio. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Zillmann, D., Bryant, J. and Sapolski, B. (1989) ‘The Enjoyment from Sports Spectatorships’, In: J. Goldstein (ed.) Sports, Games and Play: Social and Psychological Viewpoints. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 241-278.
Zillmann, D. and Cantor, J. (1972) ‘Directionality of Transitory Dominance as a Communication Variable Affecting Humor Appreciation’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24:191-198.
Zillmann, D. and Paulus, P. (1993) ‘Spectators: Reactions to Sports Events and Effects on Athletic Performance’, In: R. Singer, M. Murphey and L. Tennant (eds.) Handbook of Research on Sports Pyschology. New York: Macmillan. 600-619.
Blood pressure rising and testosterone dropping are good symptoms (that is, to someone who is a sports enthusiast); nail biting, heart pounding, and barn burning games are bread and butter to sports enthusiasts such as me. Rivalry, unity, and relaxation help me bond with other individuals who share a common interest as I do. Within the article “Are Sports Fans Happier?”, author Sid Kirchheimer gives his bias reasoning over sports and its social, health, and psychological effects on sports enthusiasts, which elaborates and aligns concisely to why I passionately enjoy lacrosse and soccer. Fundamentally speaking, sports initially bequeath an array of positive benefits besides good health and mental stability; sports allow individuals to indulge
There can be no question that sport and athletes seem to be considered less than worthy subjects for writers of serious fiction, an odd fact considering how deeply ingrained in North American culture sport is, and how obviously and passionately North Americans care about it as participants and spectators. In this society of diverse peoples of greatly varying interests, tastes, and beliefs, no experience is as universal as playing or watching sports, and so it is simply perplexing how little adult fiction is written on the subject, not to mention how lightly regarded that little which is written seems to be. It should all be quite to the contrary; that our fascination and familiarity with sport makes it a most advantageous subject for the skilled writer of fiction is amply demonstrated by Mark Harris.
Wann, D. L. & Dolan. T. J. (1994). Attributions of highly identified sport spectators. The Journal of Social Psychology, 134, 783-792.
During an episode of SportsCenter “(It) all adds up to the perfect story: a staged contest that fittingly resembles the drama inside the ancient coliseum, from which they can carve a gripping tale of heroes and villains”(Pelosi, 2012). This shows that people feel the same about modern sports as they do about coliseum competitions.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Emotion is a big part of the psychological affect on society. We want to give the reader a framework depicting how the mental training improve their performance. After the testing, the author found (Chris, 2014)There are a number of psychological factors that have the potential to negatively affect an athlete’s ability to perform optimally, for example,anxiety, nerves, poor concentration,and self-doubt (Chris, 2014). And the detrimental thoughts, attitudes also will affect the athlete’s ability. In here i want to talk more about the somatic anxiety. We know anxiety will cause many different physical condition and mental disease. This is very dangerous if we do not use correct methods to treat. One of
When the coach turned his head, the seven-year-old stuck a finger down his throat and made himself vomit. When the coach fumed back, the boy pointed to the ground and told him, “Yes, there it is, Coach. See?” (Tosches A33).It emphasizes the fact that if a child gets hurt once, they will fear the possibility of getting hurt again ,so they try to find excuses to prevent themselves from playing the game.Second,Statsky states how competitive adults have drained the fun out of children's sports and made the game unappealing for children.She cites Martin Rablovsky, a former sports editor for the New York Times says that in all his years of watching young children play organized sports, he has noticed very few of them smiling. “I’ve seen children enjoying a spontaneous pre-practice scrimmage become somber and serious when the coach’s whistle blows,” Rablovsky says. “The spirit of play suddenly disappears, and sport becomes job-like” (qtd in Coakley 94). It shows the fact that competitive adults are oblivious to their actions and don't notice that what they are doing can really affect a child mentally.Third, Statsky is concerned that competitive sports will lower a child's self-esteem and make them lack confidence.’’Like adults, children fear failure, and so even those with good physical skills may stay away because they lack
Doing so establishes a sense of admiration and curiosity that otherwise would have been lost in the excitement and clamor of the crowd. This, in turn, allows Faulkner and the readers of this essay to resist being swept up from the frantic crowd and instead focus on the beauty of the game.
Peterson, Sherri L., J.C Weber, William W. Trousdale. "Personality Traits of Women in Team Sports vs. Women in Individual Sports." (pp. 324-329) Contemporary Readings in Sport Psychology. Ed. William P. Morgan. Charles Thomas: Springfield, 1970.
Psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists study humor because it is a fundamental culture value, but they still can’t determine why certain things make some people laugh and others not. There are “humor quotient” tests that are designed to measure an individual’s sense of humor, but these tests are questionable. These tests aren’t accurate because almost all humor depends on cultural background knowledge and language skills. Not every person in the whole world, or even in one country share the same background knowledge and skills, therefore they cannot have the same type of humor. “The fact remains that individuals vary in their appreciation of humor” (Rappoport 9). Since humor varies from individual to individual, humor lies in the individual. How successful or funny a joke is depends on how the person receives the joke, humor cannot be measured by a statistical
Professional wrestling is, and will always be, one the premier social, entertaining spectacles in our society. The masked-luchadore, the 500 pound hairball, even the beautiful valets at ringside. The glitz, the glamour, and the spotlight. Every man that steps in the ring knows their duty; to perform in front of capacity crowds while enveloping each fan in the stands with a passion and characteristic of self-worth. The reassurance that even in a world where entropy seems destined to live, the good shall always prevail. The actors and playwrights in the drama explode through the camera using various different techniques or styles, which present each as having a "unique" quality to them. These artistic styles can be classified into one of the following categories: Technical, Lucha Libre or High-Flying, and Ground Grappling.
Super Bowl Observations The Super Bowl is one of the largest sporting events in America, it even holds the title of the most watched program in the history of the United States. This year around one hundred-thirteen million viewers tuned in to watch the game and that number doesn’t even account for those viewing the event in bars and restaurants. Since this day is consistently one of the largest consumptions of media by Americans, I thought it would be interesting to study and observe the interactions of the people watching the game. Through studying the interactions of those viewing the game I hoped to gain a better understanding of how this event impacts people’s emotions and how it is able to bring so many people together.
There were many new terms introduced in the readings provided for Team A, Case Study #1. The first article “The Social Psychology of the Creation of a Sports Fan Identity: A Theoretical Review of the Literature” stated that current sport literature does not often address the means by which a fan is created and their identities. The article states that fan identity is beneficial to the individual as it helps in providing the person a sense of community and belonging, including “the development of diverse interests, the minimal skill level necessary for participation, and the low cost.” (Jacobson, pg 2) Two key terms that were introduced in the first article were: Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory.
Sports are an important aspect of society. They help people to strive to reach certain goals and join people together, but they also can divide people and turn a fun game into the main purpose of someone’s life. Taking sports games too seriously can be harmful to both the athlete and the spectator. The attitude of always winning at any cost in sports has managed to distract us from other important parts of our lives, such as health and education. This importance of the value of sports can heavily influence the way that we see ourselves as both the spectator and the athlete by creating a positive self image and distilling confidence and discipline within the player, or by embedding self doubt and inversion.
The majority of viewers are never able to witness these events first hand, which is where television comes into play. Without television, the people who are able to view sporting events would be restricted by the size of the arena. However, television allows sporting events to be broadcasted to millions even billions of people allowing them to experience the events and feel more connected to the teams they so dedicatedly support. Without television, people would not have as much access to sports, and therefore the ability of sports to unite people and nations would not be nearly as successful. Sporting events are one of the biggest media spectacles in world culture. Douglas Kellner writes “media spectacles are those phenomena of media culture that embody contemporary society’s basic values, sever to initiate individuals into a way of life, and dramatize its controversies and straggles, as well as its modes of conflict resolution” (108). The movie Invictus depicts how Nelson Mandela used sports, in particular rugby, as a means...
In conclusion, it is explicit that sports is a positive influence on athletes, spectators and the world as a whole as it teaches imperative life lessons as well as allows its participants to experience enjoyment, fulfilment and gratification. As mentioned previously sports enables its players to bring out the best in others and create unity amongst groups as team work is so essential. This highlights the views I have in conjunction with the views of Joe Humphrey.