Research on what it means for people to be a sports fan; what do sports mean in ones life, I believe is one vital role in American society. Sports are all around, all year long, 24/7. We, as American citizens, choose what we want for entertainment, and by simply looking around you; sports are the entertainment of American society. What is the role of sports in one’s life? What teams they support and why? Or, why they choose not to cheer for a team. How do they show their support, such as clothing, flags, season ticket holder, viewing habits, social media etc.How does the person feel when bad news comes out about a player or a team issue? What is the social dimension of being a sports fan, is it just you? Friends? Family members? For example, if a fan is from Kansas City, and they choose to cheer for a team other than a Kansas City team, I want to research why they oppose. This is sociologically relevant because sports are always a part of people’s lives. Whether or not one likes it, sports are always around us, and it is rather impossible to ignore. Whether it is a specific player, sports news are on every news channel. Sports are entertainment, and we cannot live without entertainment. Sports matter in American history and in modern American culture. Our interest in sport reaches across dividing lines of age, income, geography, gender, and ethnicity. Wherever we go and whomever we meet, the world of sport gives us something in common—a shared language. It's no Schieber 2 surprise, then, that the study of sport gives us unique insights into American life. This is a research study of why and how people become a fan of sport. The sociology of sports is the relationship between sports and society. It examines how culture and values... ... middle of paper ... ...having a strong social media outlet. A research study by Daniel Beck and Louis Bosshart (2003) explains the relationship sports media and American society. “Sports and the mass enjoy a very symbiotic relationship in America society”. Both sports and mass media try to reach people as spectators, fans, and consumers. Sports relate to a lively self- Schieber 6 development, self-actualization, and competitive use of physical and mental skills. The development of sports from pre-historic times until now is a function of industrialization, modernization, and telecommunication. Sports are integrative and image building elements for individuals, segments of societies, and entire societies. They act as unifying forces and strong factors of socialization, improving the social acceptance of athletes and their fans. Sports can also
Sport fans, sometimes also called sport devotees, followers, or supporters, are persons who are enthusiastically devoted to a particular athlete, team or sport. They may show their enthusiasm by often attending sporting events or watch on television, being members of a fan club, follow sport news through newspapers, online websites, and creating fanzines. Their disposition is often such that they will experience a game or event by living through their favored players or teams. These behaviors manifest itself in different ways. To enable better understanding of these behavioral patterns, we have to classify these sports fans into groups based on their devotion to teams: fair-weather fans, bandwagon and the super-fans.
Sport is the new Opiate of the Masses it behaves in the same way religion does as it is used as a deterrent from our everyday lives. Religion main function is to preserve the status quo, which means that it serves the “haves” and keeps the “have-nots” down in their place. Sport may be very different from
Foer’s thesis analyses the idea that sports gives cultural and personal identification. Sports forms group identity; the same way religion does it. He states that individual sports and sports in general achieve popularity depending on the values that are express from it. Foer’s thesis can be analyze and see in a lot of communities. People look for values that they lack and would like to learn to make themselves better in a sport. Being active, committing to a routine, are some of the things people look in a sport. Just in the same way people turn to religion to find values that they lack; being compassion, having devotion, understanding and forgiving, learning to be a better person for the ones around them and for themselves are values people often look for in a religion.
Coakley, J. J. (2007). Sports in society: issues & controversies (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Known as the world’s most popular sport, professional soccer has helped create and define different groups of people around the world for longer than a century. The hoopla surrounding teams, geographic areas fans dwell in, and political ideals associated with individual clubs have carved an identity for millions of supporters whose heart and soul becomes dedicated to their favorite players, stadiums, and coaches. Soccer teams and their fans can give us a window into how people can be divided and defined by their allegiances and ideals, and why those with similar views band together to create a familiar environment for themselves.
Sports is what has molded us into the people we are today. The world of sports is so unique, and people have different interest and fascinations. From being a child I can remember watching the Red Sox and Celtics with my father and becoming a die hard fan for those teams due to my family being serious fans. Not only did watching those games turn me into a good New England fan but it also gave me some good quality time with my father and brothers.
American society has been affected over the years due to many people and laws. Athletes and sports have had their share of effect on society as well. Almost three fourths of society has played or watched some kind of sporting event. Where would society be today without sports? No one will ever know, but sports and athletes have affected society in many aspects all over the nation. Sports have brought people in the American society closer together. Some states in America rely on sports to help out with their economy, but sports have also created problems for society. Sports like golf, basketball, baseball, football and boxing all have effected American Society in their ow...
in Melbourne were influenced by socialisation and displayed sport fandom behaviour. Utilising the Sport Fandom Questionnaire and the Sport Spectator Identification Scale, the researchers identified that the respondents were more likely to engage in a sport related
Schackelford, M. (Jul 4, 2009). The Importance of Sports in America. Retrieve for this paper Mar 20, 2014 from, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/211946-the-importance-of-sports-in-america
Sports affect major institutions of society, including the mass media, politics, religion, education, and family. The Super Bowl gathers thousands of viewer’s attention, including those who do not usually watch the regular season games. Football is by all means an American sport. Since the day a baby is born in America, whether it be a boy or a girl, one of the first words they learn to say is ball, and after a few months they add the word foot in front of the word ball, and by the time you know it your baby boy is playing football, and your little girl is cheering “Go Steeler’s go!” and without intention their cultural identity starts.
Men and women from all walks of life in the United States watch sports and identify themselves with a team. Fathers and sons watch the big game together and talk endlessly about the outcome. This American culture has developed over the course of generations.
The values of sports can influence the way people view themselves and others. Being part of a team creates a bond between teammates that can last a lifetime. Also, enduring the criticism of the coaches distills proper direction and discipline that you would likely not learn off the field. In “The Real New York Giants”, the author, Rick Reilly, writes about how a football team of firefighters lost many teammates and friends due to the attacks on September 11th, 2001 on the Twin Towers, and how the bonds and closeness of that group helped them to keep playing football and honor their fallen friends whom they became so close with through the sport (**insert beginning pg #). While in this certain circumstance, the importance of sports does not affect the performance of the players in their everyday life, there are instances where the sports overtake other aspects of life and could become dangerous for the player.
In the world there are many different classifications a person could give to sports fans. Some examples are the Gamblers, the Jumping on the Bandwagons or the Coaches. The 3 most important ones are the “Everything I own must be related to my favorite team in some way”, the Uncle Rio wanna-bes, and the PSB fans. Especially in America there are many different levels of sports fan but these are the most important.
What is it about sports that make people so emotionally charged? If it is “only a game”, why does fan behavior sometimes border onto fanaticism? These are some questions that have been asked time and time again while researching fan behavior. The reasons for such loyalist, crazy fan mentality can be attributed to several psychological, biological and social reasons. The thrill of competition and result based format of sporting events creates an atmosphere charged with emotion that binds sports fans together. Sports fans thrive and feed off energy in this sphere. The addictive nature of the emotional experience of watching a team play and sharing their wins and losses motivates fans to invest heavily in their teams leading to extremely emotional fan behavior.
The movie Invictus brings up several key points about the media in everyday life. One of the most prominent points brought up in the film is that sports have the power to bring people together and unite them with a common goal. Sports are an enormous part of the media and cultures all over the world. Whether it be the Super-bowl, World Cup, or Olympics, millions of people continue to unite and cheer for the teams they support. The reason in which sports often unites people is that it gives people something in common with one another. No matter what race, age, or gender, people of all types enjoy watching and supporting sports teams which is why it is such a powerful means to unite people.