Participants Vs. Spectators

I really enjoyed reading about the importance of separating the two acts of participating and spectating a sport. At first, I didn’t understand but the tackle football example made what they were saying completely obvious. Football is geared toward the participation of younger players; however, the ages of those who watch football covers a much larger range. Football really is just a popular spectator sport in the United States.  I also agree that watching sports and participating in sports go hand in hand. The majority of those who watch sports have played a sport during their lifetime. I still see the importance in studying the participation in, and watching of, sports separately.

With dance, I would say I dance for the intrinsic rewards, “such as fun and fitness.” While I would LOVE the extrinsic rewards of money and fame, I hate competitive dance. I don’t think it is fair to judge dance, or better yet, I don’t think there is a fair way to judge dance, beyond the basic realization of a really poor routine vs. a clearly talented group.

“Many college students who have grown up playing sports find themselves shut out of sport opportunities simply due to the competition.” This is completely true, but luckily larger universities like FSU offer several other on-campus intramural teams they can join to continue the sport of their choice.

It is crazy to think that a sport you joined for fun at five years old could turn into work… a full time, high-demanding job. At five, the sport is often seasonal and consisted of little or no training. As athletes get older, the sport requires year-round practicing and training to get to the professional level.

This reading brought up a point that I had never thought of before. Designating elite athletes at a young age can be problematic and cause difficulties because people develop at different rates. Kids who hit their growth spurt earlier than others might have an advantage in basketball over the shorter kids. The actual skill, or lack thereof, of the taller player might be masked by his height.

With high-performance sports, more rules and boundaries are set on how the game is played and what equipment/clothing is permitted. On a little league team, the players might use a variety of bats in a baseball game, but strict rules are applied to which bats are acceptable and allowed for high-performance athletes. With the high level of competition in these sports and the large amounts of money invested in their success, these rules are necessary to keep the competition focused on who has more skill or talent, and less on who has the best or most expensive bat, for example.

Sports and the dedication we put toward them are influenced by our families, friends, and the community we live in, as well as by our own thoughts, emotions, and aspirations. This is nothing new though.  Almost everything we do or believe in is influenced by the people and things around us, like religion and our political affiliation for example. As we get older, we rely less on our family to make our decisions, and more on our friends. While we want to do what makes us happy, we often make sure our friends “approve” before we head in to something fully committed.

I am surprised that tennis is played more in New York than in Florida. I feel like there are tennis courts around every corner in Florida! Even small hotels are equipped with tennis courts.

The availability of a sport is also a determining factor in whether or not you will participate in that specific sport. For example, I just recently learned what lacrosse was. Lacrosse is not offered where I am from, and I watch very little sports to learn about it elsewhere.

You would think you could resort to sports to get away from all the discrimination, but it still exists with sports. Sports such as skiing, equestrian, and gymnastics that are not offered at school can be hard for people from lower-class families to join. Joining a sport can be very expensive, especially when your school or community does not sponsor it. This is unfortunate because, while you might not succeed or enjoy the school-sponsored sports of football, basketball, and wrestling, you may really enjoy skiing or riding horses.

It is amazing to see the tremendous effect that the media has on almost everything in this world, including sports. Technology has grown so rapidly in recent years allowing people to still be spectators of a sport in the comfort of their own living room... which I must say, is quite nice.  Even if a game is at an inconvenient time for you, the Internet allows you to watch the game at a later time, or simply just look up the score. The online or radio versions of sports allow you to keep up with your favorite sports and teams without the dreaded expense of buying tickets. This luxury eliminates the exclusion of lower-class families who cannot afford tickets for their family. It also allows the game to be viewed by a larger audience of all races all over the world. This brings the American sports to other countries, and often attracts huge sponsorship dollars… which is always a plus.

Why has in-person attendance increased over the years?

There is definitely technique behind successful advertising. A company must appeal to the audiences that will give the most of what they want, whether it is viewers, money, or media attention. Before, most sports were played by males, so it would not be effective to have female models in their advertisements. Now, you would push females participants away if you didn't appeal to, and include, females in your advertisement process. 

At the end of this reading it mentioned that you must use models that look like the audience you are trying to attract. If this is so, why do weight loss commercials always display the skinniest people in their commercials. I feel like this discourages people who actually do need to lose weight, and in fact, turns them away rather that attracts them. 

Prior to reading this chapter, I did not realize how much sports are actually categorized by economic status, much like everything else in the world is. Sad, but true. I understand the importance of spending large sums of money for high-performance sports, but I think more money should be invested in recreational sports to keep people of all ages, races, and genders more physically active without going out of their budget.