...Bray UNIV 200 10/31/2013 The Relationship Between Sports Fanship and Social Psychological Well-Being As a lifelong sports fan, I’ve experienced just about all of the emotional highs and lows that go with it, from my football team winning the Super Bowl twice, to my favorite baseball team going through 14 consecutive losing seasons. People love sports no matter how good or bad their favorite teams may be and they have become a large part of many people’s lives. And like many sports fans, my day to day mood can be greatly affected by how my favorite teams performed the previous night. Being a sports fan has positive benefits for your psychological and social well-being. In order to fully understand how being a sports fan can affect your life, we must first fully understand the different aspects of fanship. First the basics, fan. Walter Gantz, et al. define a fan as “a keen and regular spectator of a (professional) sport, originally of baseball,” but the term can also pertain to athletes and teams themselves (Gantz 96). Next is team identification. Team identification is defined as the extent to which an individual feels a psychological connection with a team and to passionate fans it is “‘a central component of their self-identity’” (Vallerand 1281). The relationship between team identification and well-being is the main topic of research for many psychologists and has shown to be a positive relationship. Being a sports fan provides countless possibilities for social interactions...
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...There can be great times being on a school sports team but, there can also be clashes with-in teams. Being on a school sports team helps students learn many things including teamwork, leadership but, most important you learn and accept your peers’ diversities Being on a school sports team does not mean just working out, you can also learn many valuable lessons. There are pros about being on a school sports team, it is fun and you have time of your own plus, you have time for other things as well but, there are also cons about being on a sports team, for example; a teammate may consider himself better than everyone else or, you must rely on others to succeed and continuous reasons. Being on a team can be good but, it can also be troublesome. Now keep in mind that you should pick a position; it is time for you to decide if it is good or bad for the following reasons. Being on a school team can be great because you have time for yourself but, it also takes time off the other responsibilities you may have. Yes, you may think that being on the soccer team or, basketball team is amazing and you have time for yourself. When you are home you are always too busy doing your homework and never have any time to yourself, Now that you are on one of the sports team in your school, you have that time to show everyone what you are capable of doing, because you have been waiting for that moment. Then again, think about this, you are way too caught up in your practices...
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...should be active in a team sport. When I play a team sport, it helps me build friendships, teaches me respect, and keeps me in shape. This causes me to look healthier and happier. I believe this is the most important thing in this universe. Having a team to play for and not being alone in getting active, it’s like heaven. Basically, every week I am active within a team sport. From me playing basketball or even getting involved with other sports. I love to stay active. Maybe even just learning how to respect player, coaches and other trustworthy people. Sometimes when I don't feel like being active I remember the positive things that can get done out of this. One day I went to a tryout with zero friends. When I made the team and the season had begun I ended up making...
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...Male Adolescent Development Through Sports Adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood, and there are a number of changes that take place. My goal for this paper is to address the influence that participating in sports has on the social development of males through adolescence. This is a time where individuals look to find their identity, and with new parental and peer influence, this can be a tough time. I found the interesting twist for this paper to be addressing how sports help or facilitate this development, because going through my adolescence, sports were very important. I feel that participating in sports gave entry to interactions with a number of new people, to keep you socially up to date. With involvement in a league, team, etc., people can establish who they want to be by establishing their relationships with others, and progressing towards a desired identity. In addition, being part of a team allows an individual to gauge themselves against their fellow peers, and see if they are on the same level, or feel inferior. Throughout this paper I am going to explore different steps and events that take place in the social development of adolescence of males in relation to sports. A starting point for social development of adolescence is finding an individual’s identity. At this adolescent stage, you are able to think more critically and abstractly than you do when you are younger (McGrath, 2009). Therefore you can find a deeper perception of yourself...
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...Why Playing Sports Keeps High School Teens Out of Trouble There are a lot of benefits that a teen may experience from playing sports. When teens participate in sports, it is a fact that their chances of being involved in trouble are minimized. Teens who participate in sports acquire a lot of life skills overtime that help them become better people. One skill that a teen may learn from playing a sport can be as simple as how to become a better team player. Also playing sports help teens build self esteem while also taking up the majority of their free time outside of school. There are also things that cause trouble for teens when it comes to playing sports. These would be that teens may sometimes resolve to doing something negative for the sake of being a part of the team, not know how to handle the fame that may come from being a star athlete, and also it could cause a teen to have depression if he or she faces a losing season in a particular sport. Although some of these aspects are negative, most of the things that are experienced from playing sports ultimately lead to sports keeping teens out of trouble. In today’s society, technology has become a very popular thing. As more and more things like the TV, movies, computers, and video games are becoming the popular things, it has led teens to being much more isolated. This leads teens to becoming bored, which then leads them to be more likely to involve themselves in dangerous behavior. It used to be that these teens would go...
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...Youth sports can develop a lot of great qualities that can make children excellent individuals in the long run. Youth sports allow many children to form into great leaders by teaching them great leadership qualities. They also help children learn sportsmanship, problem solving skills and even something as a simple as time management. Being involved in sports teams comes with, many times, being part of a diverse group of people. Due to that, there will be members of the team that will play the role of the leader and others just as the members of the team. Forming part of a team also comes with having disagreements, which is okay. This is just another way for children to learn how to settle disagreements. Everyone sometime in their life faces situations where these skills are very important to have. The best time to instill these qualities is when children are young and this is why youth sports come to an advantage at an early age. Leadership comes in many different forms and is something definitely taught throughout youth sports. When I was younger, for example, I was very quiet and shy. I believed that I was a leader but was too afraid to express that vocally. My dad later explained to me that not all leaders are vocal and some simply just lead by example. Throughout youth sports, I always lead by example and was often considered a leader of my sports teams even though I was not vocal. Today, I remain the same and continue to lead by example, showing others that they can reach...
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...diamond, or ice. It doesn’t come often that someone gets to watch all these great sports players and they all share reliable and similar traits. Since being a positive and effective component of a team reinstates a great athlete, it allows them to excel greatly in their sport. In order for a great sports player to succeed, they should be a leader for their respected team. One player that exemplifies that is Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. When the team is in distraught, Sidney is there to guide them towards success. Sidney knows how to win and in order for his team to work together, their heads turn to him for advice. Another player that shows...
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...What NCAA Sport requires its participants to have the skills of so many different athletes? What athletes need to have the ability to flip his or her own weight, be super flexible, and even be able to pick up another human being at least 20 feet off the ground. Cheerleaders are these athletes who have to do all of things, but do not get recognized as an actual sport. In a huge arena filled with thousands of screaming fans, hundreds of anxious athletes, and thousands of some overly involved parents; and a huge national title at stake describes the weekly scenario for a competitive cheerleader. Many people like to say that cheerleading could never be a sport because all they do is cheer on other male-dominated sports right? Yet, this is not...
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...children whom either play or want to play sports, I often find myself asking the question if being involved in sports beneficial to children. Some believe that the risk is not worth the reward. Sports are very physical and can potentially cause harm to children and their bodies. Many parents and coaches put a lot of emphasis on winning, which can lower a child’s self-esteem if they do not win. It would be safe to say that there are several negative aspects to children playing sports, but past experience and research shows that the positives of children playing sports far outweigh those negative aspects. Sports can have a positive impact on a child’s life and can help them grow as an athlete and a person, and a child that plays sports can benefit mentally, physically, academically, and socially. Playing team sports can provide mental and emotional benefits for a child in many ways. Playing sports as a child can build mental and emotional capacity through improving self-esteem, introducing teamwork, and teaching a child to be unselfish. Growing up as a person who played sports as both a child and adult, I have experienced these mental and emotional benefits and understand the value in playing sports. My mother once told me that it does not matter what you do in life as long as you are good at it, and it brings joy into your life. This quote has always stuck with me throughout my life, and I first used it when playing sports. The first team sport I started playing was baseball when...
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...Hayden Liljenquist ENG 102 Dr. Pegram July 31, 2012 Team Effort: The Communities Created Through Sports Introduction Within today’s society, a number of small, unique communities exist. Communities can range from social, to religious, to occupational. In order to be considered a separate and distinct “community,” the group needs to share common characteristics or interests and be perceived as distinct from the larger society as a whole. Sports teams provide a particularly good example of a community. They separate themselves by the games they play, even by the name they call themselves. The entire world of sports itself can seem confusing to someone who doesn’t understand the rules. Behind each game is a complex realm of jargon, hierarchy, and guidelines. In order to play, you need to learn. And hopeful members work to earn their spot on the team. Through personal participation, as well as observation, one can witness for themselves just how the community created by a team functions. The team experience resonates with a lot of people, and has attracted film makers with stories of motivation, hope, and overcoming the odds. Many of the most well-known sports movies are often even inspired by true stories. In all of these films, similar themes can be found, demonstrating just how much the feeling of community within teams is shared throughout all areas of sports. Teams have a goal, face a challenger, and overcome obstacles, all in the hope of...
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...Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sports Eric Watson Washburn University With the social issues that are present today, we look to our leaders to take a stand on the problems. We associate their success as a means to justify why their ideas are some of the best. We also look to them to be the leading innovators when it comes to making the world a better place. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is just that, the capability to improve the lives of every community the company is able to reach. Over the last century, philanthropy amongst major companies has increased dramatically. This improves the society and is also great for the public image of the organization. The MLB, NBA and NFL are the most valued professional sports organizations in America. Professional sports have a unique characteristic that most businesses do not possess, and that is meshing different cultural backgrounds together and the power to make aware of the problems we face today and giving us the strength to know that we do not have to face them alone. This sole attribute alone is essential for professional sports leagues and their teams to have a prominent grip on corporate social responsibility within their organization. Let’s take a step back and not just look at corporate social responsibility from a professional sports point of view but from a business point of view as well. The professional sports industry, like the big business industry, has its pros and cons. Some...
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...entire life working up to this point; you are a college athlete. You are being paid to attend school and play your favorite sport for it. Your coach walks in with an upset look on his face. You think to yourself that it’s just going to be a difficult practice. Your coach actually tells you that you do not have practice today. You wont have practice ever again. Your entire life work gone, just like that. With your heart crushed, you cannot understand why the sport is just, canceled. You walk up to your coach and ask what the problem is. Your coach, as disappointed as you, tells you that the University board of athletics has decided to drop your “life” from the program to abide by the Title IX requirements and for not being a profitable program. This actually happened here at the University of Utah 50 years ago and it’s because there is a problem going on at Universities like The U and it is that men’s non-revenue sports, like wrestling, are being impacted negatively. Wresting is beginning to fade from colleges that are not in the Big Ten or the Ivy League, and Colleges like the University of Utah are participating in letting the sport diminish. In an article written by Coyte G. Cooper, “Involving the core product” “While there were 363 NCAA wrestling programs in 1981, the number of men’s wrestling programs offered by the NCAA had diminished to 234 in 2005.” Schools should stop making excuses for dropping the sport and making reasons on why to add. This is exactly what the University...
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...COMM 3130: Case Studies in Sport Communication Lauren Nardelli February 5, 2015 Chapter Title: Coachtalk: Good Reasons for Winning and Losing Llewellyn, John T. (2003). Coachtalk: Good reasons for winning and losing. In R.S. Brown & D.J. O’Rourke (eds.). Case studies in sport communication (pp.141-1 57). Westport, CT: St. Martin’s Press. Content of section and relevance today: According to the author on page 141, winning is a big concern in the life of sports and life in general. The saying is “winning isn’t everything”, but in sports and to some people it is everything. Any sports contest or in life, there will always be a winner and a loser. Fans need to realize their team cannot win every single game. If that was the case, the team would be perfect and no one is perfect. Being a sports fan and an athlete, winning is bittersweet, but sometimes, everyone needs to lose in order to learn from their mistakes and to become a better athlete. I think sports fans who never played a sport, do not understand the true meaning of winning and losing. They need to realize no athlete or team is perfect. They never experienced the feelings that come with winning and losing. If they did, then they could better relate with their sports teams and favorite athletes. In the section, Professional Context, pages 143 and 144, discusses the coach’s role in winning and losing. Sociologist Harry Edwards quoted, “In American society, it is commonly accepted that the success or failure...
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...marketing strategies for expanding the market for American professional sports into China” (Kaplan & Langdon 2012). Marketing strategies are reviewed as one of the main topics. “One strategy of the NBA was to partner with established Chinese brands” (Kaplan & Langdon, 2012). This allowed the NBA to have an easy avenue for expansion as the market had already been developed. Take Nike for instance from the example. In Kaplan and Langdon’s article it is stated “China’s biggest seller of athletic shoes, Li Ning, recently surrendered its top position to Nike, even though Nike’s shoes – upwards of $100 a pair – cost twice as much. The new middle class ‘seeks Western culture’, says Zhang Wanli, a social scientist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. ‘Nike was smart because it didn’t enter China selling usefulness, but selling status” (Kaplan, Langdon 2012). Basically when Nike came in, they did not say that they had the best product. They did not say they had the cheapest product. They said they had their product. Because of the interest by these Chinese consumers that was created by their interest or “Fandom” associated with the sport of basketball where consumers were familiar with the specific brands because of their favorite athletes or teams, they were able to establish themselves as a reputable brand with little to no opposition. Technology Technology has played a major role in consumer behavior in sports fandom. If it wasn’t for the advancements made...
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...examples of the personal functions of sport such as feelings of belongingness and social identification, the socially acceptable outlet for hostile and aggressive feelings, and the role sport plays as a cultural element to bring meaning to life. Additional attention will be given to aspects of extra-sport character behavior and a determination of whether or not such behaviors support sport stereotypes and/or deviant characteristics. Through internet research, library study, and the use of periodical articles found in the ProQuest databases, I intend to apply the functionalist model of society to show that the fictional football team “The Miami Sharks” highlighted in the movie supports stability and equilibrium in the community of Miami based on common interests and convictions. The world of professional sports, especially professional football, is a world that most will only see on the television or through movies. “Any Given Sunday,” by Oliver Stone, is one such movie. It highlights a portion of a season for the fictional team The Miami Sharks with the interpersonal struggles on and off the field experienced by the characters related to the team. This paper explores the movie “Any Given Sunday” and attempts to discuss the movie in detail by focusing on the socially acceptable outlet for hostile and aggressive feelings, masculinity and gender roles, religion in sport, race in sports, character examples of the personal functions of sport such as feelings of belongingness...
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