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Running Head: ANALYSIS OF THE SPORTS FAN

NameCourse name and numberName of paperInstructors nameDate-

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Running Head: ANALYSIS OF THE SPORTS FAN

ABSTRACT The research paper is regarding the Analysis of sports fan. In this research paper I have shared mine personal experience as sports fans and evaluate the behavior and reactions of fans during the game. Sport fans are involved in many ways. Some of the ways that they involve themselves are support, motivation, loyalty, and home field advantage. There are almost no industries in which fan loyalty carries such a high level of emotional and psychological investments, than sports industries.

In the present world, sport touches everyones life, either they play sports or watch them .No matter who you are or where you are, there are sports all

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Running Head: ANALYSIS OF THE SPORTS FAN

over. Since the impact that sports has on people is so high, there are fans all over the world. There are so many different types of sports for a single person to follow and to be a fan for. Without fans there wouldn't be as much hype for the athletes as there is now. Fans are the key factor to a lot of athletes and a lot of teams across the world. Without fans it would be pointless to play. I am a great fan of hockey and crazy watching hockey match live in the stadium. It is Friday, may 14th, 2011 when I and one of mine friend decided to watch hockey match which was between Houston Aeros hockey team, the American Hockey League affiliate for the Minnesota Wild. I resort to support the Aeros in their chase for the Calder Cup. Although I want to give all of my attention to the ice, I must pay attention to the crowd around me as I use the concepts I have read about in class to analyze the sports fan. As my friend and I pull into the center parking lot in downtown Houston , I see families walking together into the arena, friends meeting up with each other for pre-game drinks and barbeque, , childrens running around the grassy areas . This is one of the social aspects of sports. . Being involved in sports, either as a fan or a participant, is a great way to meet different types of people because you share the same passion for the sport. This is why most cities have sports and social clubs such as Austins SSC Sports and Social Club.

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Running Head: ANALYSIS OF THE SPORTS FAN

Set up outside of the Toyota Center is a goal and there are kids taking shots at it, winning an Aeros t-shirt if they make a goal. We stopped and watch for a moment and I was slightly disappointed by some of the behavior of the adults. Some were yelling at their children about their form and demanding that they make a goal, all for a silly t-shirt. Sports can be a very positive outlet for children of all ages in many different ways. Youth sport participation is associated with many general indicators of development, including identity development; personal exploration; initiative; improved cognitive and physical skills; cultivating social connections, teamwork, and social skills; extending peer networks; and improved connections to adults (Arthur-Banning, S., Wells, M., Baker, B. L., & Hegreness, R., 2009). However, forcefully no one can make the childrens do better; it provides negative impact on them. When we arrived at our seats, the Aeros and the Hamilton Bulldogs were on the ice warming up. We had nice seats, on the glass at center next to the Aeros penalty box. Looking around the arena there was definitely a difference in social class that stood out to me. According to our text, social class refers to categories of people who share an economic position in society based on their income, wealth (savings and assets), education, occupation, and social connections (Coakley, 2009). Behind the goals and along the top there were seats filled with people of various races, but mostly the faces were those of African

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Americans and Mexican Americans. Some people were of business class wearing suits and ties, for me that was an indication that they were in a higher social class than some others at the game, whose main motive was to show off their status rather than watching match.. We sat next to a very nice older couple who had a teenage boy with them, around 13 years old. The couple appeared to come from a higher class, as both the man and the woman were wearing autographed Minnesota Wild jerseys, were season ticket holders for the seats the three of them occupied, and seemed to have no problem buying anything they, and the boy wanted. We made friendly conversation with them, as the man recognized my friend as playing for a rival team as he called it. I assumed the teenager was their child and was his first hockey game, and what an experience he had in those seats and with those amazing people. I wish I could have gotten their names and number; I would love to have contact with them and find out what other type of work they do in the Houston community. Hockey has the very fitting stereotype of being a violent sport. This game was not different than any other hockey game I have ever seen. The players checked each other into the boards, they pushed and shoved, and they fought. During the bad calls by the referees I would look around at the people sitting around me and took in their reactions. Some people booed, as I often have done

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myself. Others yelled nasty things I shall not repeat to the referees. There was this one man sitting in the section next to us who I could not help but pay attention to. He was obviously a huge Aeros fan, decked out in an Aeros jersey and hat, holding up signs, cheering and hollering for, and even at his team. He even had his face painted all green and white in support of his team. He was with a group of guys who were dressed similar to him, minus the face paint, and acting much the way he was. Next to them I noticed a family with two smaller children I had seen many times at the Stars games in Cedar Park. The Aeros fans clearly identified strongly with their team. As the game went on the group of Aeros fans got aggressively annoying. They were throwing popcorn at the glass and yelling rude comments to everyone. One of the children in the family next to the group yelled Go Stars at one point in the game. The man I had kept my eye on, turned to the five-year-old child and started yelling at him that this was the house of the Aeros and that no Stars fans should be allowed in. The poor kid started crying and did not know what to do. Of course his father did not like what the drunken Aeros fan had said and asked him to back off of the child. The Aeros fan brought the violence and aggression from the frustrating game, into the stands tried to fight the father of the child. Luckily security came and escorted the inebriated man out of the game.

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Sports fans must have certain rules and regulations against them in order to maintain violence outbreaks during games. For the past decade, fan violence has gotten more and more out of control. There should be certain limits for fans so that violence can be prevented during games. After witnessing that event, when I arrived home and started doing research I came across an article about sport fan aggression and team identification. My thoughts instantly went to that Aeros fan and his group of friends. The article states that team identification is defined as a fans psychological connection to a team. Research indicates that highly identified fans are more likely to act aggressively than lowly identified fans. For highly identified fans the role of team follower is a central component of their identity. Consequently, the outcome of a competition involving their team has relevance for their feelings of self-worth. The increased importance of the contest can lead highly identified fans to act violently (Wann, D. L., Peterson, R. R., Cothran, C., & Dykes, M., 1999). I find the socially acceptable outlet for hostile and aggressive feelings at a sporting event would be to yell and no one in particular, usually the referees. However, it is not socially acceptable to be yelling things at them such as death threats (even when meant is a joke) and it is definitely not socially acceptable to yell at a five-year-old child who is just having a good time watching the hockey game. Another thing I noticed fans doing at the games, which I do

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myself, is pounding on the glass. Now this can be done as a way to get out frustration from a bad play or call, but it is also used as a way to pump your team up. During one of the intermissions I left my seat to go get a drink and get some fresh air outside. While I was standing outside, I was approached by a man in a business suit. He started talking to me about the game, which I chatted with him about. His conversation then took a political route and he started campaigning for himself in his run for mayor of Houston. I listened for a little bit, mostly shocked that he was at a game and trying to gain voter support while at a hockey game. I was finally able to tell him that I do not reside in Houston, therefore I could not vote for him, and he walked away. After thinking about this event, I decided it was actually a good strategy on his part. Show the voters that you are on their level and enjoy the same things they do. It would have been better had he been sitting in one of the lower priced seats, but he was probably in a luxury box. On television when I am watching a game of some sport, if there is a celebrity of any kind, be it an actor/actress, singer, other athlete, or politician, they always zoom the camera onto them and make a statement about them being a fan of whichever team. Looking around the sold-out arena, I could not help but notice that there seemed to be just as many women in attendance as there were men. The

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women seemed just as into the game as the men were, cheering when their team scored or when their goalie made an amazing save. I did notice however, that during a fight, it seemed as if a few of the women were the first to their feet, ahead of some of the men. It got me thinking about what it is about the sport of hockey that draws men and women to the game as a fan and not a player. The fighting aspect of hockey is one of the things the sport is mostly known for, not the gracefulness of one of the skaters, which is actually one of the first things I notice about a player, how nice he moves on the ice. Are men drawn to hockey because the violent fights that tend to break out? Do women like the fighting during the games because they represent a strong man? Unfortunately I was not able to find any research on this, I may have to look into it myself and see what I can find. Jeffery James and Lynn Ridinger conducted a study to extend our knowledge of sport fans by examining whether the motives for being a fan of a specific team were similar or different for females and males (James, J.D., Ridinger, L.L., 2002). The study also looked into whether reasons for being a fan of a womens sport was different than those of a fan of the same sport played by men. Their research showed that females and males were not equally likely to be sports fans, in general or for a specific team. They did show a higher rating of male fans than females, however.

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Running Head: ANALYSIS OF THE SPORTS FAN

During the second intermission I stayed in my seat and did some people watching. There were all kinds of different people there. Not just different races, but different stereotype groups of people. There were a few girls dressed up as if they were going to go hit the club after the game; wearing short skirts, stiletto heels, and low cut tops. My first thought when I see girls dressed like that at the games is that they are not really there for the game, but for the men who play the game. My second thought is that they must be cold. My initial reaction really is not all that farfetched. While standing in line for the restroom I was behind some of those girls and listened in on their conversations. Their conversation consisted of which player was the hottest and who the single guys are, I could not help but laugh to myself. A few rows behind us were some good ol country boys wearing their cowboy boots and hats talking to a group who, back in high school, I would have labeled as being jocks. In another direction there was a group of people, dressed in Aeros gear much like everyone else at the game. But there were two people within that group who completely stood out to me. One was a male, the other female, probably in their late teens to early twenties. They were dressed all in black, the male had his ears gauged and in the holes were plugs in the shape of a horn. The female was wearing a dog collar as a necklace and had pink and orange stripes in her hair. In high school they would have been called Goths. What was most interesting to me, however, was that all of these groups,

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of clearly different opinions, and were gathered together, getting along, and having a great time. They were uniting because of their enjoyment of hockey. A sports event is a melting pot for all kinds of people, of various social classes and upbringings. It is a time to socialize, show spirit for your town and your team, and unite with people who you may not have anything else in common with, except for the love of the game. Moreover fans must follow certain rules
and regulation, doing these things it will make games a safer environment where people don't have to worry about their safety. It will also make it a better environment for the children. This will help prevent violence in a very effective way and help the fans watch matches more peacefully and enjoy it to the full.

References:

Arthur-Banning, S., Wells, M., Baker, B. L., & Hegreness, R. (2009). Parents Behaving Badly? The Relationship between the Sportsmanship Behaviors of Adults and Athletes in Youth Basketball Games. Journal of Sport Behavior, 32(1), 3-18. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

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James, J. D., & Ridinger, L. L. (2002). Female and Male Sport Fans: A Comparison of Sport Consumption Motives. Journal of Sport Behavior, 25(3), 260. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

Wann, D. L., Peterson, R. R., Cothran, C., & Dykes, M. (1999). SPORT FAN AGGRESSION AND ANONYMITY: THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM IDENTIFICATION. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 27(6), 597. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Coakley, J. (2009). Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies. New Youk: McGraw Hill.

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