Spectators in Sports

1
Spectators in Sports

• Audience effects on athletic performance
• Fan behavior

2
Audience effects on performance

• Social facilitation
• Audience watches you perform... does this
  facilitate, harm, or do nothing for your
  performance?
• Triplett (1896)
• Inverted-U curve Drive Theory (audience
  effects depend on skill level of athlete)

3
Audience effects on performance

• Social facilitation
• Is there a Home court advantage?
• Courneya Carron model (see notes)
• Home crowd facilitates functional assertive
  behavior and may cause an Away-court
  disadvantage (e.g., visiting teams drop in
  performance)
• Hostile crowd (impact on visitors on officials?)
• Not always an advantage
• Too much pressure? Too far along the inverted-U
  curve. Heightened self-awareness. Game 7
  stats.
• Expectations

4
Fan Behavior

• Small group discussion
• Why are you a sports fan? (if you are)

5
Fan Behavior

• Social psychology of sports fans
• Our identity is not just personal, its social
  (e.g., personalized license plates as social
  identity)
• In-group vs. Out-group Basking in reflected
  glory
• Having a rival increases in-group identification
• Attitudes and behaviors We like things because
  we do them (e.g., attending a game is the start)

6
Fan Behavior

• ESPN video (sports fans)
• Fan violence (e.g., fans running onto field
  punching a player / coach / official)
• (e.g., soccer riots)
• Explanations?
• Influenced by
• Context
• Group diffusion
• of responsibility
• Alcohol
• Expectations
• Arousal levels