Fan Involvement in Sports - Essay Example

 Abstract Sport has been instrumental in shaping the political, economical and cultural aspect of countries .Its the diffuser of differences and plays a significant role in influencing the factors that leads to peace and stability. The functional and social importance of sports is immense and is represented by the mass that elevates it. Every activity needs an audience. In sports, the level is emotional. Fans are the most vital link between the sport and the players. A loyal following is vital for sustenance and survival of a sport as there are numerous factors namely, advertising, packed stadiums etc that determines the overall success of a sport. Fans behavior has always been a point of contention amongst the fraternities of sports. Team sports such as football, hockey, cricket etc have a huge following where fans are seriously involved in the proceedings of the games. To witness a packed stadium with fierce competition is a lifetime experience. The magnitude of the event varies, however, the basic factor remains the same, i.e. the passion to win. Behavioral attributes such as belongingness, recognition are observed in a stadium of a high intensity match with enthusiastic fans. Keywords: belongingness, recognition. Fan involvement in Sports Sport has always exuded the feeling of belongingness of the unfamiliar mass and the culture prevailing in the society. Before the rapid modernization of sports with commercialism and showbiz that has overtaken the true spirit of sport, it was considered an event of cultural and political significance. The Gladiators (ancient Rome): the gruesome sight of gladiators and bloodthirsty animals slaughtering each other provided the much needed outlet of political suppression for the common mass . The vicarious feeling of pain and pleasure written with blood elevated the high, as experienced by the commoners, however, for a short time. Then it was back to the everyday mundane life. A subtle mixture of entertainment and violence at its prime. Bull fighting (Spain): strongly condemned by various animal rights groups, this sport represents the traditional pitfall in the Spanish legacy. For a few, it is an honor to be a matador, however, the real thrill is experienced by the live spectators and television audience, and hence the inability of the government to ban the sport. The above mentioned sports represents the degree of violence that has crept in the society in the form of hidden angst against the political oppression, social inequality and financial instability that leads to a deeper resentment and hatred as a whole. Not everything is on the negative side. Sports has a positive influence on bridging the gap between hostile countries. Most sport are played with goodwill and a stage where the talent is appreciated .Major sporting events such as the Olympics, the commonwealth games and so on, represent the common platform that hosts the symbiosis of different cultures, unique sporting styles, political statement . I witnessed one such sporting event that showcased different moods amongst the charged fans. The event was an inter college hockey game. The rivalry was palpable by the storm of supporters from both colleges. It took place a fortnight ago at an Astroturf stadium in my town. The spectator strength was approximately 1500. The majority comprised a sea of red and blue shirts that represented the two teams and the minority was the passive neutrals. Amongst the majority, based on their nature were the supporters and hooligans. There is a thin line between an enthusiastic supporter and a hooligan. It takes one spark to light the rowdy behavior in a mass event and turn a spectator into a hooligan. The stadium gates were opened by 1600 hrs and the game started at 1730 hrs. The mood was upbeat at the start of the game. Team support slogans were being shouted everywhere. Colorful wigs , painted faces were a common sight that symbolically represented the overall mood. Based on the given assignment parameter, I will study the major feelings that prevailed during the event:- a) Belongingness and social identification – the colors itself showed the overwhelming feeling of team spirit and an extension of the team who were actually on the field. This was one umbrella under which minor departmental differences were forgotten and a bond was developed as a whole. College students and the supporters alike were swayed by the festive mood to cheer for their teams and unique slogans were being shouted for the occasion. Their slogans were special as they were being coined impromptu by the enthusiasts, thus forming a special bond and a feeling of togetherness. The intensity of the slogans represented the frame of mind and the mood. Some were humorous and some on the darker side. There’s a human need to be recognized in the society. There was a provision of a wide screen display for the spectators having economy class tickets, i.e. farther from the ground. Each time the cameras moved, the crowd became hyper and jovial and the result was a conscious and an artificial display of emotions. The fact that the face was in the screen had more to do than the team spirit. This kind of display of emotions are common everywhere, no matter the magnitude. At the ground, the players were accustomed to it and the audience got 15 seconds of fame and recognition. b) The socially acceptable outlet for hostile and aggressive feelings: when the blood is young and thinking immature, youngsters switch on to violence and the brewed angst. Letting off the anger and frustration by shouting is a temporary solution for many. During earlier warfare, the foot soldiers were ordered to shout as much as they could in order to scare off the enemies. It was a psychological weapon that put enemies at the back foot. At the ground, the foot soldiers were replaced by the fans. The stadium was hustling and bustling with high decibels. There were segments in the crowd whose primary aim was to instigate a wave of disparaging slogans for the opponent team. The distraught feeling of fear of defeat often leads to the rise in the temper. On one instant, when a foul was committed, the players went with the referee decision of a penalty corner. Tempers flared on and off the ground. The insecure feeling of the opponent scoring a goal (and the penalty is yet to be taken) lead to a verbal dual amongst the players and the fans alike. The players were fighting for the cause of penalty, and the fans for their ego. After all, for some, college honor supersedes everything. Shockingly, there were empty bottles flying on to the ground. This sort of behavior leads to the unruly contamination in the emotions at that particular instant. The theoretical explanation is to capture the important feature of the representative sample of this kind of unintentional social networking and behavior.(Watts,1999) At this juncture, there is not much difference between a chaotic riot mob and uncontrolled sporting fans in the ground. What is vital here is the chain that links the mob or the fans. Each individual has a certain boiling point beyond which he becomes violent. In a mob or a sporting event, a group is more prone in the escalation of chaos which in turn is governed by the fact that how the linking of the boiling point has taken place. In a group of hundred people, if an individual has a boiling point of one, in order to continue the chain, the second individual has to have a boiling point of two. If there is no continuity, then the damage is minimal and the chaos controllable. Hence, in most of the cases, we find that even there are unruly mob or fans, a riot like situation is averted owing to this factor. Please note that it is all dependent on the cultural and social upbringing of individuals in the group and nothing to do with external circumstances like the presence of riot police. At the hockey game, thankfully, the chain didn’t link up. The above mentioned feelings are further instigated by alcohol consumption. Much to my dismay and surprise, there were groups who were consuming alcohol with soft drinks as a cover. This group was the most sensitive of the lot as under heavy influence of alcohol, one’s reasoning power is superseded by the intense urge for the outlet of the repressed energy that slowly brews up in one’s life. Abusive language and unruly behavior were the indicators of uncontrollable drinking. They were the ones who threw three empty beer bottles to the ground. Luckily, nobody got hurt. Thanks to timely response of the security personnel, these two groups were disintegrated and the volatiles ones escorted out of the stadium. c) The driving force: the fuel here is the vast expectation that fans have it from the players. Everybody wants to do well in life. Few are lucky. The socially inept ones are the ones likely to enjoy the game the most as they connect mentally with the players and have one thing in common, the quest to win. This is a volatile lot. Fortunately, at the game, fans had come for entertainment. Even though there were tense moments, however, the friendly spirit prevailed. The urge to excel is intense in situations and demands full concentration and effort. Here, a particular section of fans, had understood the mood of the players and encouraged them to perform their best. This form of encouragement from the fans excited a few more and subsequently the home team fans were united and the ground was echoing with slogans. d) The role of sport plays as a cultural element to bring meaning to life: smaller towns in most countries, have sports as their religion in broad terms. The passion that engulfs them is unparalleled. Sports like cricket, hockey, soccer, basketball gains much popularity owing to its team spirit than solo sports such as Lawn tennis, Squash and so on. Team sports are channels to connect with people of different cultures, religions and social status. Sports popularity is entirely dependent on : - i: Nature of the game – simple rules, number of players etc ii: Affordability of sports gear iii: future in sports – making star players as their idols, the young ones dream of reaching the top level i.e. to represent one’s country. This feeling can further be bifurcated to the feeling of pride and commercialism. The harsh reality is only few achieve that. There must be focus in life to do any activity. True achievement is when one can understand oneself. Everything is secondary. When one has focus of any magnitude and bearing, the journey leads to self realization. Sports provide that realization in the form of selflessness, patience, strength of character, team spirit, and the spirit to excel. Since the last twenty years, all the major sports that are publically accepted has seen a surge in the investment made by multinational companies. It has now become a tool for advertisement. The hockey game was no alien to the commercial onslaught. I could see that the exterior parts of the ground were with loaded with advertising hoardings and promotional banners. The blue and Red shirts were provided by the soft drink company which were of inferior quality and expensive. The advent of commercialism has blended the entertainment factor and the sporting spirit with the result as confusing as chaotic mob. e) Sports are a form of entertainment that gives the feeling of victory: fans vicariously enjoy the jubilation felt by the winning team. When the winning goal was scored (the game ended with reds beating the blues by 2-1 goals), the passionate red fans broke the fence and rushed to the ground to congratulate the players. At this instant, it felt like the symbiosis of emotions with the floodlights giving it a dramatic effect. The final stage of a game made me feel that how much I was involved, even though I was a passive observer in the outbursts and disappointments, it felt like a jamboree of colorful representatives of different strata of the society. I witnessed the magic that was created at the beginning of the game, the momentum gained during the game and slowly disintegrating after the trophy handling ceremony. After the game, the crowd dispersed with the red fans euphoric in their team’s victory. There were a few minor scuffles between the rival fans. Peace prevailed and it took two hours to exit the stadium. It was a nice experience in terms of watching an exciting match and being a part of the audience that was fully involved in the game with the players. The existence of organized endorsement, support and sustenance is vital to study the significant social impact of sport(Coakley,2000).The magnitude fans in a sporting event clearly represents the behavioral attributes of the society in general. The intensity varies with the nature of the sport. It provides an outlet for fans to display their emotions which otherwise would not be socially acceptable or permissible in the normal functioning of life. References Watts, D.J. (1999). Small worlds: the dynamics of networks between order and randomness. Volume 1999. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.  Coakley , J. J., & Dunning, E. ( Eds.). (2000). Handbook of sports studies. London : Sage Publications. Notes 1- Colorful red and blue shirts 2- Slogans of humor and player specific. 3- Alcohol consumption , rowdy behavior 4- Minor scuffle near the cafeteria Read More