Monday, February 12, 2007

Prayers to the God of Sports: Comments on fans and their relation to sports

The goal of the blogosphere is to virtually connect people and their ideas at an exceptional rate. The point of leaving comments on a person’s post is to give them feedback about their thoughts, and to also create deliberation between members of the online world. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to write a blog dedicated to networking and probing, thoughtful commentary within this expanse of information. The point of this is not to prove any point, make negative comments, or to put others down with criticism, but to simply reply to others’ blogs and ideas, and to provoke discussion. I chose the following posts by other people to be fascinating and well thought out, with clearly stated ideas and stimulating discussion topics, so I decided to comment on their articles (I have posted the same comments below for easier access). In no way are my comments meant to offend; they are simply there for the sake of setting up connections and hopefully causing others to participate in the discussion as well.

Permanent Links:
http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/02/05/think-youve-got-magical-powers/

http://crawlacrosstheocean.blogspot.com/2007/02/is-sports-new-religion.html


In response to: “Think you’ve got magical powers?” by Emily Pronin

As an avid sports fan, I love to believe that I have some sort of influence over what is happening on the field or court. As you wrote, it does in fact make me feel hope for my team, and lets me believe that I in some way contribute to the game. However, common sense tells me that none of my efforts to cross my fingers in just the right way will actually make a difference. Despi
te all of this, I still think that my wishful thinking helps—in a very indirect yet significant way. I am a competitive cheerleader, and I know that it feels different to walk into a venue full of teams rooting against you, versus a venue full of your supportive friends. I know that even a stranger who supports you can make a difference as to how you perform, and that their energy and encouraging aura help with the mental part of the game immensely. So in regards to your live basketball game study with Mr. Wegner, Ms. Rodriguez, and Ms. McCarthy, I do not completely agree with your assumption that fans may not have influence on the game, simply because the mere support of the fans can mean a lot to a player. Could it be that fans believe they have some control over the game because they actually affect the players’ psyches? I wonder if you had already taken this into consideration, and if so, how did you account for this factor?

In response to: “Is Sports the New Religion?” by the National CAtO Post News Service

As I read this article, I was convinced more and more that some people do in fact treat sports as if it were a religion. I can agree with the comparisons between facets of religion and certain aspects of sport fan behavior. I would also like to point out that like religion, people turn to sports when they need something to believe in if they are feeling down and hopeless. For example, watching a football game temporarily puts my negative feelings on hold and acts like a momentary outlet for bad moods. I personally believe religion came about because people had an innate need for support and hope during bad situations. I think a perfect parallel can be drawn from religion to the world of sports—it provides inspiration to those who seek it, and also give fans and participants a sense of importance and purpose. Sports can lift the spirits of a fan or athlete, which is why there are so many people who participate in some kind of sport activity.

6 comments:

Backlinking Software said...

"I love to believe that I have some sort of influence over what is happening on the field or court"

I agree with you!

TAnthony said...

I like to believe my hopes and prayers add strength to my team.

Thomas Anthony
Facility Support Services
( http://www.acleaningbid.com )

Matchfinder Katy said...

Publish your content on the web on issuu

Unknown said...

Hi I found your site by mistake when i was searching yahoo for this acne issue, I must say your site is really helpful I also love the design, its amazing!. I don’t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. thanks for a great site.
Sports

Unknown said...

Hi I found your site by mistake when i was searching yahoo for this acne issue, I must say your site is really helpful I also love the design, its amazing!. I don’t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. thanks for a great site.
Sports

lisaannp said...

You have performed a great job on this article. It’s very precise and highly qualitative. You have even managed to make it readable and easy to read. You have some real writing talent. Thank you so much. Online educational magazine