Just another Face

Analyzing how fans influence players’ performances and ultimately the outcomes of

games.

in the Crowd? Allison Nogi

English 110—George Hlavaty 2010 College Writing Showcase

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Op-Ed Paper

About MeMajor: Biology with a Minor in Spanish

Hometown: Marietta, GAHobbies: Volleyball, Duke Basketball,

Photography, Cooking, Bird watching and Reading

Goals in Life: To live to be 113, so I can been in my teens twice; positively effect one person everyday; live near the ocean.

Fun Fact: I have won both a log rolling competition and a pie eating contest

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Op-Ed Paper

PROJECT DISCRIPTIONProject

DescriptionOp-Ed: An article that would appear in a popular periodical that is designed to convey the author’s opinion and persuade the reader using logic and facts. However, specific studies and references are not cited.

Argument: Fans influence the outcomes of games

Popular Periodical: My article could possibly be found in Sports Illustrates, NY times sport section or USA Today’s Sport section

Persuasion: I persuaded readers by illustrating the stereotypical football fan, questioning why people feel so connected to the game. I then followed this by explaining how fans influence confidence levels of the players and referees.

My Project

Home About Me Project Description Writing Process English 110 Objectives Lessons

Op-Ed Paper

WRITING PROCESSWriting ProcessInspiration: After brain storming various topics, I decided to

write about how fans affect players, because being a student athlete, I have always wonder to what extent fans contribute to gamesBiggest Challenge: Research—I thought finding scholarly sources would be relatively easy. However, I was surprised to find out that there are not many articles relating to sports psychology as I thought there would be, despite the growing importance in the “mental” game in all spots. Strengths: oVariety of Sources—I was able to inform my readers about different possibilities and strengthen my ideas by using various scenarios and examples oConclusion– the conclusion of my paper, clearly stated how my illustration of the stereotypical fan effects teams and is an integral part in players’ performancesWeakness: Making sure my argument was lucid. Up until the last draft, I was describing fans, rather than persuading their impact.

Home About Me Project Description Writing Process English 110 Objectives Lessons

Op-Ed Paper

ENGLISH 110 OBJECTIVES

English 110 ObjectivesRelationships

Audience: Writing this op-ed for a popular periodical, I had to change the diction of my writing to a more conversational and casual style rather than using academic jargon and examples, because it would not suite the audience I was targeting—I had to be consistent of my audience at all times while I was writing.

Sources: A major component of the op-Ed project was to transfer information that was found in scholarly sources into an article that everyone could understand; therefore, I had to express abstract ideas involving sports psychology in an applicable and understandable example.

Purpose: Rather than to inform the readers about how fans affect the outcome of games, I had to persuade them that I was correct, I did this by stating facts and applying them to a stereotypical example of an American football fan.

Appreciation for the capacity of writing to change the world: Writing an article that tried to change opinions and views of a simple matter like sports, made me have a greater appreciation for columnists, like Lenard Pitts, that try to change peoples’ opinions on more pressing matters.

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Op-Ed Paper

LESSON LEARNEDLessons LearnedoPersuasion is more effective when the audience can relate to

what you are saying, rather than solely relying on statistics and academic facts.oAdding interesting examples and facts throughout the article will engage the reader, causing them to read more, and gives more opportunities

Interesting Facts:oThe home field advantage can negatively affect players for the home team, because the players add more pressure for themselves to succeed in front of their fans.oAlthough fans do affect the players performance, the largest factor that fans change is the officiating.oMirror neurons cause people to feel as if they are actually participating in a championship game, epitomizing the idea of vicariously living through someone else’s experience. Regardless of the fans’ activity or athletic talent, the mirror neurons are activated through watching the game. Without knowing it, the fans’ mirror neurons for running or other physical activities are activated, making them feel as though they are a part of the action .

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Op-Ed Paper

Op-Ed PaperEvery season is distinct, not in terms of leaf colors and temperatures, but by

sports. Despite sports' differences, there is one unifying factor—fans. Cheering on the home team is a cross-cultural event that happens in every game from buzkashi, an Afghan sport where horsemen fight over a dead goat, to the most recognized sport in the world—football, known as soccer in the United States. To many people, it seems absurd when fanatics chant “We’re number one”, because they form a sense of identity to a team that may not view them as part of that team. However, recent studies have shown that there is more truth to fans claiming that they are number one when their team wins the World Cup, World Series, or Super Bowl, because they directly influence teams, referees, and ultimately the outcomes of championship games.

Despite fans’ claims that they impact the game, society stereotypes the American fan as a lazy, unproductive, irrational, and often drunk member of society on game day. After all, who hasn’t thought or criticized the middle aged man wearing the official jersey, screaming at the top of his lungs, spending ridiculous amounts of money for every game, instead of doing something productive with his time and money? Because everyone at one time in their life has thought, whether they are cheering for a team or simply observing, that it is pointless to jump up and down for an hour while losing their voice, because it seems like a moot point and has no effect on the outcome of the game. However, there might be more value in losing your voice at the championship game, because fans do positively affect the outcomes of games.

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Op-Ed Paper, continued

When fans chant and move in unison, they create an intimidating scene to opponents. This causes opponents to feel anxiety, make irrational decisions, and to “choke” resulting in more fouls, more penalties and more turnovers. Mentally, the opposing team negatively reacts to booing, chanting, and unanimous motions because it creates the mirage that the home team incorporates hundreds, if not thousands of people. Instead of facing one team, the opponents feel the need to take on the whole stadium.

While affecting the opponents, fans often get submersed in the game. Vicariously living through athletes, fans steal their identity and often feel as though they are a part of the game. Rationalizing their behavior, they participate in rude and obnoxious chants directed to the referee when a call is made against their team. In a perfect world, it would be acceptable to say referees are unbiased and that every call is made based on their best judgment. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. Referees are human—it is impossible to call a totally unbiased game. Various studies show that referees tend to favor the home team because they are intimidated by the negative reactions of the home crowd.

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Op-Ed Paper, Continued

If crowds have the opportunity to positively affect the home team while intimidating their opponents, then why are fans criticisized in society for spending hundreds of dollars on team artificial tattoos, apparel, and coveted jerseys? They are part of the team. Even though they do not participate in practice or run the suicides, they are just as important as the second string that pushes the first sting to success. Even though the forty five year old wearing a jersey and improving his beer belly with a Coors Light cannot throw a perfect eighty yard spiral, he is just as important as the coach that taught the star quarterback how to throw it. Why? The fan instills confidence in the player to make an incredible play. He is a part of a large group of people that acts as an oversized family, or moreover an oversized team—he makes players believe that they are number one, while instilling fear in their opponents. Through buying the tickets, traveling miles for one game, watching games in any type of weather, fans are not just faces in a crowd, but rather a critical and influential part of the team.

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