Why Do Fans Commit Crimes at Sporting Events - Research Paper Example

?Why Do Fans Commit Crimes at Sporting Events? In a Giants fan was badly beaten by other fans at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to the extent that he was likely to suffer brain damage . Unfortunately, for all concerned, this story is not unprecedented or even unusual. Fans at sports games are well known to commit a wide range of different crimes, commonly including violence against other fans. Violence among fans is commonly associated with European football, with numerous examples of riots and violence among fans. However, American games have their own share of violent and criminal behavior . This has been an ongoing problem for many years, despite efforts to curb the behavior, such as preventing many stadiums from selling alcohol on the premises. Criminal activities among fans at sporting games tend to focus around violence against other fans, but they also include vandalism, rioting behavior and other criminal acts. These acts are driven by the interaction of a number of different factors, including the fierce loyalty that many fans have towards their teams, the atmosphere present at a sporting event, the emotions that are associated with the outcome of the game, the size of the crowd and the presence of alcohol. These factors interact to produce a charged atmosphere, where it is easy for fans to take events or conversations out of context and to react in an extreme manner. Not all attendees of a sporting event are the same. They come to the event with different desires and for different reasons. Many are casual watchers, who enjoy viewing the game, are not overly concerned about the outcome and who like the atmosphere that is present. However, some fans are more devoted to their team, and whether they win or lose is of significant consequence to these fans, and they can often feel cheated or disheartened if their team loses. This is particularly true if there was some aspect of the game that is contested, such as when it is not evident whether a move by the opposing team was legal. These are the fans. They have one team that they follow and consider to be their own. They will attend as many games, which their team is in as possible, and listen to information on the game on television or radio if attending is not possible. Many fans wear their team colors to games or team shirts in day-to-day life. Others will paint their faces or carry props associated with their team to the game . For fans, there is a lot at stake in any game, and regardless of the result, emotions will run high. A sporting event consists of two teams playing each other; one of which will win and the other will lose (except in the case of a draw, which is only possible in some sporting games). Whatever the outcome of the game is, some observers will be pleased with it and others will be upset. The sports event environment involves a strong clash of cultures as each team has its own fans that have their own distinct opinions, beliefs and desires. This can be especially prevalent where the two teams are from different states or different countries. Additionally, sports games have the ability to draw in large crowds of fans and the concentration of people can increase the opportunity for altercations or disputes to occur between the fans . The polarity between the sets of fans alone is often enough to cause disputes as there are occasional, although much rarer, reports of fan altercation outside of a sports event. For example, in some American cities, wearing a shirt of an opposing team will result in substantial heckling. In a sporting event, not only is this polarity present, but these fans are in a confined space for many hours with many other people, some of who they agree with, some that they do not. Alcohol is often seen as a playing a pivotal role in the behavior of fans at a sporting event. It is well known to decrease inhibitions and has been documented to result in an increase in aggressive behavior, an effect that is intensified when the fans are already frustrated , such as from a game that is not going well or from their team losing. In an effort to combat this, many stadiums do not sell alcoholic beverages during a sporting event . Drinking during a sports game is considered to be part of the tradition, and is employed by a large number of fans that attend these events. Furthermore, parties prior to the game, such as tailgating, results in many of the fans entering the game already intoxicated or having consumed a significant amount of alcohol. All of these factors result in a highly charged environment where there is a high potential for fans to become agitated and the risk of violence is prevalent. College football is an area where behavior of fans can often become destructive and aggressive. The atmosphere at these events is often charged, and intoxication is prevalent. Research indicates that during the college football season the number of offenses such as vandalism and assaults was significantly higher on a game day than when there was no game being played. These trends were strong when a home game was being played, but was not present during an away game . This may indicate that it is the interaction between the teams that drives the violence, or the atmosphere that is present in stadium games. In general, college football games have a higher percentage of young fans, many of whom are studying. This results in an audience that has more potential for provocation, as they are younger, less experienced and more emotional. Nevertheless, it is likely that the association that was found between offenses and at-home games will also be present in games of other leagues. There are a number of psychological theories that seek to explain how fan behavior can become criminal or aggressive in nature. Bandura’s social learning theory predicts that the observation of a sporting event has the ability to drive an act of aggression. The frustration-aggression hypothesis predicts that the criminal and violent acts that occur are the result of their desires being denied, in this case referring to their team losing the game. This predicts that fans are more likely to commit a criminal or violent act if their team loses. The actions of fans may be an attempt to regain self esteem that is lost when their team loses the game . From the other perspective, there is a strong rush of euphoria that many sports fans feel when their team wins a game, particularly one that is important. Consequently, at the end of a game, one group of fans is feeling excited and enthusiastic while the other is feeling humiliated and often angry. Most of the fans have been drinking, and many are legally intoxicated and jokes and jibes from one group of fans to another can easily result is extreme reactions. Decreasing the uncontrolled nature of fans at sporting events is the desire of sporting unions worldwide as well as law enforcement. However, this is not an easy task. One of the simplest solution appears to be to remove the ability of fans to drink alcohol at games, and from entering stadiums with a certain blood alcohol level. However, in America particularly, drinking during the game is part of the tradition, and having this right taken from them would significantly reduce their enjoyment of the game as well as their desire to watch. Another option is to increase the police presence at and around such games. Ideally, this should be done in a way that does not agitate the fans. One way of doing this is to have police members mingle with fans, making their presence known, but at the same time interacting with fans and enjoying the game. This would result in fans being aware of their presence, but not feeling threatened by it. This may be enough to reduce some of the most extreme behavior that occurs. There are many examples of violence, aggression and criminal activity at sports games. Although, this is a widely recognized problem, there is no easy way to solve this. The presence of a competitive atmosphere, devoted fans, alcohol and high emotions results an ever present risk of fans misbehaving. It is likely that nothing will ever solve this problem fully, but efforts are being made to reduce the amount and severity to which criminal acts by fans occur. Whatever happens, events such as the 2011 attack on a Giants fan should be avoided at all costs. Such events give both the sport and the fans bad names. If such events continue to be prevalent, there is the risk that sports events will be changed in a way that significantly reduces the ability of these to occur, but also removes much of what is enjoyed about these events, such as the ability to drink during or prior to the game. Works Cited Read More