Spectator sport

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A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches. For instance, basketball and baseball are spectator sports, while hunting or underwater hockey typically are not.

Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are more recreational; golf can be either.

While any sport may occasionally provide drama in one way or another, spectator sports typically have the ability to inspire vicarious feelings of victory or power in the person watching.

It is much easier to market a sport to people that have played the sport as a child. These spectators more readily imagine themselves on the field of play, in place of one of the players, making the winning score and drinking in the adoration of the crowd by proxy.

There are also many fans that associate themselves with certain players in an effort to express their own personal values, especially when they lack credentials that would otherwise provide evidence of such; for example, attempting to imply that they respect or aspire to consistency by wearing a Cal Ripkin Jr. jersey. This type of sports connoisseur-ship is encouraged by leagues in everything from “official jerseys” to team themed credit cards.

1 Spectator Facilities (Stadiums, Arenas, etc..)
2 Broadcasting
3 Reporting
4 See also

[edit] Spectator Facilities (Stadiums, Arenas, etc..)

Spectator sports require venues in which the fans may observe a game or event. These venues provide various socially declarative opportunities for the spectator. One may choose to sit in luxury suites, nosebleed seats or the student section, each of which provides not just a different view of the game, but a different sense in the mind of the spectator as to the status or authenticity they are conveying to others.

Often, if a venue is home to a team that belongs to a national league, that venue will be financed with public money, which can create controversy if the team is privately owned. If the collective desire for a means of vicarious victory is strong in the community, the owner of the team can dictate quite desirable terms. Conversely, if many citizens of the community enjoy fulfilling lives without any psychological supplement provided “their” team’s victories it can be difficult if not impossible for a team owner to persuade the local government to finance sporting venues. Recent examples of the later would be Los Angeles and San Francisco.

[edit] Broadcasting

Spectators can also take in events by watching or listening to broadcasts. These broadcasts are typically hosted by two commentators, one “play-by-play man,” a seasoned broadcaster with the job of describing the action, and one “color commentator,” usually a former participant of the sport. The interplay between these two presenters within this format allows a tuned in spectator to feel like they are actually watching with friends, thus providing the added benefit of not just association with the athletes, but a sense of camaraderie and an amelioration of their loneliness.

Watching a spectator sport on television is often helpful in revealing the psychological need it fills within the spectator, because the advertisers will attempt to convince the viewer that their product will also fill that need. For example, if the sport allows the spectator to fantasize about “being tough,” then there will likely be advertisements for goods that are “tough” or “rugged.” Or, if the sport allows the spectator to fantasize about being bold and clever, there will likely be ads depicting a young man getting the best of another through some form of trickery or bravura in order to obtain the advertiser's product.

[edit] Reporting

The results of spectator sports are also reported on various “news” programs as well as in print. In addition to raw scores and highlights, these reports may also contain “analysis,” which is usually designed to enable a spectator’s fantasy of team management rather than participation.