Perhaps one of the most uniform and significant aspects of today’s culture is sports. Sports act as an equalizer among people due to the widespread availability of sports and the ability for fans to actively participate in them. It is this consistency found in sports that create a unique type of fan, in the sports fan. These sports fans have several similarities and differences with other fans that totally set them apart. One of the major questions that is raised by the uniformity and uniqueness of these fans is the question of whether or not sports fans or more socially accepted than other fans and if so why is this true.
The first among the many facets that make up the sports fan that I will analyze and research to answer the problem mentioned above, is how do the differences between sports fanfiction and the other forms of fanfiction contribute to the nature of sports fans? Perhaps the main thing that makes sports fanfiction unique is the widespread availability of it through sources such as the Internet, books, and magazines. In fact, often times, people do not even realize they are participating in fanfiction. For instance, the hugely popular realm of fantasy sports serves as an outlet for fans to communicate and share ideas, thoughts, and views of teams and players of virtually all sports. Unlike fans of other genres, such as anime, these fans generally do not even realize that they are participating in fanfiction.
The second major part of the sports fan I will analyze is how the nature of sports effect the fans ability to interact. Unlike other fans, sports fans have the special opportunity to participate as fans of their sports through live, unscripted events. Sports are a unique fandom in that they unfold in real time and do not follow set scripts or storylines. This adds a very different aspect to sports fans, as tit allows them to participate through predictions, attendance of live events, and betting.
A third major aspect of sports that greatly impact the sports fan is the global widespread accessibility of sports. Almost anywhere in the world, a fan of any type of sport can be found. This is shown greatly in worldwide events such as the Olympics, The World Cup, and The World Baseball Classic. Through events like these it is easy to see that sports fans exist worldwide and have the ability to easily communicate and share ideas with fans of similar sports via cell phone, Internet, magazines, etc. In America, for instance, sports serve as one of the most watched shows on television, making virtually everyone the easy ability to become a sports fan.
Through my current research, I have generated the hypothesis that sports fans are indeed more widespread socially accepted than other fans. This is due to the widespread nature of sports, the uniqueness of sports fanfiction, and the distinctive ability for fans of sports to interact and participate in their fandom.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
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