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Caleb Bruin English 1102-097 Dr. Sally Griffin April 16, 2014 Sports Fans Behavior Everyone wants to feel like they belong, whether its a family, a community, or a shared value or idea. People want to belong, which explains why people take something like sports and turn it into a very serious lifestyle, and a big part of who they are. Sports might seem like just games to people outside of the sporting community, but inside of that community sports are more than just a game, they become a part of who they are as a person. Sports fans connect with their teams on a physical and emotional level, and the teams performance and the atmosphere at the stadium can have a huge impact on a sports fans life. The atmosphere at the stadium, and the way other fans are reacting can have a huge effect on other people at the game. These feelings of belonging, the effect of a crowd on a person, and alcohol are the main reasons why so many fans forget who they are and act crazy, and even sometimes put them in harms way. Mob Mentality When a huge group of people come together over a specific cause, most of the time everyone starts acting like each other because the crowd as a whole get pulled into the mob mentality. If the refs make a bad call most individuals would get mad, but at the same time have the ability to control their anger because its just a game, but when a huge group of people begin getting loud and obviously frustrated with a call, then better chances than not many other fans

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will begin to get pulled into that anger because of the mobs anger. They no longer act like themselves but begin to act the way the mob acts, even if the mob reacts a totally different way than the individual fan would react. Clark Beckwith, a fellow sports fan, answered a multitude of questions about the mentality of the sports fan. When asked if he feels like he takes on the behaviors of the crowd around him during sporting events he responded by saying, Yes I get so hype when the crowd is loud and cheering, and get pissed when a bad call is made and the crowd is booing. When asked if he would rush the court in protest of a bad call if everyone else around him did he responded by saying I would if everyone else did to show support and because of peer pressure (Beckwith). Clarks comments show that sports fans are influenced by the people around them, and take on the actions of their peers because of peer pressure and wanting to show support for their team. The Brazil Incident In 2013 one of the most brutal and barbaric events ever to happen at a sporting event happened in Brazil. During an amateur soccer match in northeastern Brazil referee Otavio da Silva kicked one of the soccer players, Josenir Abreu, out of the game. When Abreu approached Silva to argue about the decision things got heated and Silva stabbed Abreu, which would end up killing Abreu while in the ambulance heading to the hospital. After the stabbing, fans rushed the field and stoned the referee to death, and once he died the fans quartered and decapitated Silva, and ended up putting his head on a stake in the middle of the field (Paulo). This is just one of the many very graphic events that have happened because of mob violence at sporting events. Tamara Avant made a statement which can explain why something as graphic as the Brazilian soccer madness could even happen. She states that When people are part of a group,

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they often experience individuation, or a loss of self-awareness. When people individuate, they are less likely to follow normal restraints and inhibitions, and are more likely to lose their sense of individual identity (Donley). Fans begin to take on the attitude and emotions that the people around them express because when individuals are in a group they unintentionally lose their sense of individualism and become just another part of the mob. Tamara Avant also states the Groups can generate a sense of emotional excitement, which can lead to the provocation of behaviors that a person would not typically engage in if alone. Think about the last sporting event or concert you attended. Its unlikely that you would have been yelling or singing the way you were if you were the only person doing it! The group seems to make some behaviors acceptable that would not be acceptable otherwise (Donley). Sports fans get rowdy and very energetic because everyone around them acts that way. If an individuals favorite team hits a game winning basket that person, as well as everyone in the crowd, is going to go crazy. Everyone will be screaming and cheering, even the people who are not big sports fans because they are influenced by all the people around them who are screaming and yelling with excitement. One real life example of how someone who wasnt very attached to a specific sports team but ended up being pulled into the mob is Bill Buford. In his book Among the Thugs, he describes his experiences as he followed a group of young soccer fans around to study their behavior while at the games. Buford noticed that a certain group of young men were always getting very rowdy while at soccer matches, so he decided to try to get in with that group to see what it was that made them so crazy. After spending a little while with the group he noticed that he was participating in the same rowdy activities he was observing before, and was participating in criminal and horrible acts after games because of the way the game went. He came to realize

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that it wasnt because he was upset about the events of the game that made him go crazy, but the fact that the rest of the guys in the group were upset, and that mob mentality pulled him into committing these terrible acts with the group (Buford). Dr. Wendy James shares a very similar perspective as Bill Buford does when it comes to the mob mentality. She goes as far as to compare humans to dogs in the way we act in groups. When a single human or dog becomes agitated or angry theres a good chance they will bark or yell at the individual who is agitating them, but a pack of dogs or a group of humans who are agitated and angry will mostly likely not just bark and yell, but will attack the source of the agitation and become a lot more violent than if they were by themselves (James). James believes this behavior comes out of three psychological principles, the Contagion Theory, which states that crowds influence their members to act in an irrational and emotionally charged way, creating a behavior which many refer to as crowd frenzy. The Convergence Theory, which states that crowds arent naturally violent, but that likeminded individuals in the crowd wanted to be violent, so they crowd as a whole suddenly, becomes violent. And finally the Emergent-Norm Theory, which combined the two theories above to state that the combination of like-minded individuals and shared emotions cause the crowd or mob to behave a certain way (James). Identity Its not only the mob mentality that causes sports fans to act crazy, but also the fact that a sports fans identity resides with their team. From a young age many fans become connected to their team, and always stay with that team their whole life because its part of who they are. For example, the young soccer fans that Buford followed around were all from the same social class and had no real ties to society, so they became aggressive about the one thing in their life that they could call as part of their identity, their favorite Soccer club (Buford). If the team plays

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well then the fan will be in a happier state of mind, but if the team loses, fans normally experience depression, anger, and sadness. Clark stated after being asked about if he feels emotionally attached to his favorite teams that Yes, depending on how m y team is playing that is the mood Im in. If my team wins Im in a great mood, but if my team loses Im in a not so good mood (Beckwith). Paul Bernhardt, who currently teaches at Frostburg State University, found that testosterone levels increased about 20 percent in fans of winning teams and decreased about 20 percent in fans of losing teams (Van Schaik). This study shows that a fans biological makeup is affected by their favorite teams performance. When the team succeeds the fans experiences a happier lifestyle, but when the team loses, the fan literally goes into depression over their teams loss. That is why fans get so into the game, they are not just there for entertainment, but to cheer on a group that the fan considers as part of who they are, almost like their family. Family Effect Psychologists claim that the reason behind why fans are so attached to their favorite teams comes down to the idea of our primal instincts. Back when humans lived in small tribes, warriors fought to defend the village. In todays sports world many of the fans look at their team as their tribe, so they will become very emotional when cheering on and defending their team. The sporting events reconnect the fans to those intense emotional feelings that were felt by their ancestors many thousand years ago (Van Schaik). When Clark was asked if his favorite team was part of his identity he stated that Yes, when I describe myself to people I say I am a fan of (insert team here) (Beckwith). Clark, like many fans, doesnt just see a sports team as a form of entertainment, but as a piece of who they are, so they get emotionally about their love for the team. When fans yells We won after their team wins, those two words show how that group of

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fans see their team as part of their family and part of who they are. But wait a second, the fans arent on the teams roster, so why do that fans yell we won? It is because the team is the fans identity and when the team wins, they win. The opposite happens when the team loses though. When a fans team loses that fan will most likely say they lost because the pain of the loss is too much to handle, so they try to distance themselves from the team so they do not have to feel the pain they do feel (Van Schaik). This feeling of being a family isnt just one sided either, the organization as a whole considers the fans as part of their family and community. Teams love to involve their fans in what is going on with the organization. Teams post many articles online keeping the fans informed about the new information that has happened with the team. They invite fans down on the court/field for halftime or timeout entertainment, and also hold community events to show the fans that the team considers the fans as part of the teams family. The teams want the fans to associate themselves with the sports organization because it makes the game atmosphere that much better. The sports team also has merchandise and a team brand that the fans can embrace and cloth themselves with to show where their allegiance lies in the sports world. The sports organization also tries very hard to make sure the community as a whole can view the games on TV, and also works hard to create a great game environment for the fans to enjoy (Stevens). Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the basketball team the Dallas Mavericks, states that a sports team isnt just selling merchandise, concessions, and entertainment, but is selling an experience. The team wants the fans to get into the game, get loud, energetic, and just enjoy themselves so much that they want to come back to their sports family and create all new memories at the stadium or arena (Van Schaik).

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Tapping Into Your Senses The sports organization wants to touch all of the fans senses so that they feel like they are a part of the action. All the speakers around the stadium are used so they fans can hear every aspect of the game loud enough that it feels like they are a part of the action. The smell and taste of the beverages and concessions are there to make sure the fans are taken care of while at the game. Speaking of being taken care of the team makes sure that the fans feel special, comfortable, and taken care of. The seats for the most part are padded to make sure the viewing experience is enjoyable, and suites are available for those fans who want to be treated like a king while watching the game. The organization wants the fan to not just be able to see the action on the court or field, but also be immersed in it so much that they can feel, smell, and taste the action, if that was possible of course. The players and coaches of the sports teams are just like the fans in the fact that they also view their team as part of their identity. Players and coaches can get just as rowdy as the fans do about their passion for their team, but just do a better job of hiding it because they are in the public spotlight (Amoit). Sports in general have a huge impact on the fans, players, and coaches identities because it gives them a chance to belong to something bigger than themselves, and give them individuals around them who they can share their passion and experiences with. Alcohol One example of a family/identity that was established because of a sporting event is the Grog Squad. The Grog Squad is a group of men in Australia who follow an Australian Rules football team. The group acts very crazy and violet at sporting events when it comes to their team. Part of the reason is because of the mob mentality and identify with the team, but alcohol

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also has a lot to do with it. Alcohol has a huge effect on a persons social behaviors, including aggression and lack of good decision making (Steele). So many of the times it isnt just the mob mentality or a fans identity to a team that causes them to act in crazy or criminal ways, but may also include alcohol in the discussion as well. Dehumanization Sports fans are not just disrespectful and rude to the referees, but opposing fans as well. Fans of a specific team consider the other fans of that team as the in-group, and anyone who isnt a fan of that team is part of the outgroup. Fans of the in-group hate people who are in the outgroup for no reason other than they do not cheer for the same team. Both groups of people are passionate about their favorite teams and follow them very closely, but they just root for different teams. Fans just associate others who dont root for the same team as lesser of human beings. They believe their group is better than any other group. The truth is though, without the outgroup, theres no in-group. If there werent other rival teams or rival fans then people wouldnt be so crazy about their own team (Van Schaik). When Clark was asked about fans of rival teams he said I hate them before I even meet them (Beckwith). Thats a pretty crazy thing to say but quite honestly its very true for a lot of sports fans. Just the fact that someone else roots for an individuals team to lose can feel very infuriating. Looking at it from a 3rd person point of view that doesnt sound so bad because both people want their team to win, but to the fan of that team it doesnt matter because someone else is rooting for their family to lose, so that fan automatically dislike the other rival fan and dehumanize them to the point that they dont even consider the other fan as a person anymore because they are cheering for the enemy.

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Its not just other fans that get dehumanized, but cops as well. A police officers job at sporting events is to keep everyone safe, so when a group of fans become a bit too rowdy for the cops likings they try to calm the situation down. The problem is once a group of sports fans are in the defend my family/team mentality its hard to break out of it, especially if alcohol is involved as previously mentioned. It is then when a lot of the problems arise because the fan no longer is in an argument with a fellow fan, but now a police officer. Dehumanization plays a big part of why many fans become very rowdy around rival fans, and why fans are disrespectful to cops who just want to calm down the situation. Not Everyone is Crazy Now just because many fans act crazy like what has been previously stated, not all sports fans are like that. There are many levels of fandom, and the fandom described in this paper revolves around the super-crazy fans that live and breathe for their team. Many people who go to sporting events go because of the fun and entertainment provided at the arena or stadium. Sure many fans care about who wins or loses the game, but they do not have the same emotional connection to their team as some of the other fans around them do. That doesnt mean that the calmer fans are always calm, because the mob mentality can pull anyone in, but many of the calmer and less fanatic fans can control themselves enough where they wont put themselves in a position where trouble could start. Conclusion Sports Fans can be very crazy people, but they do not go into sporting events with the mindset that they are going to cause trouble and pick a fight with someone. The environment and the atmosphere at the game combined with a fans personal relationship/connection with a team

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cause these fans to act in unsatisfactory ways. Just like how a father is passionate about his children and wife because they are a part of him, a sports fan is passionate about their team because its a part of who they are. It isnt just a game to a lot of sports fans because sports has been something that has been intertwined into their beings ever since they were little, so one cannot just snap out of something that is a part of them, and something that they are passionate about. On the same note it normally isnt just one fan that is causing trouble, but is actually a whole lot of fans. Thats because of the mob mentality that can take over a group of people, and make they do and say things that those people normally wouldnt do on their own. So over all I do not believe fans are naturally trouble makers, but that the atmosphere and closeness to the game creates a whole new person inside of the fan.

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Works Cited
-Amiot, Catherine E., Sophie Sansfaon, and Winnifred R. Louis. "Uncovering Hockey Fans' Motivations Behind Their Derogatory Behaviors And How These Motives Predict Psychological Well-Being And Quality Of Social Identity." Psychology Of Sport And Exercise 14.3 (2013): 379-388. PsycINFO. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

-Beckwith, Clark. Personal interview. 1 Apr. 2014.

-Buford, Bill. Among the Thugs. London, England: Secker & Warburg, 1990. Print.

-Donley, Megan. "Examining the Mob Mentality." The Green Issue [Savannah, Ga]. South Secure, Jan.2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. <http://source.southuniversity.edu/examining-themob-mentality-31395.aspx>.

-James, Wendy, Dr.. "The Psychology of Mob Mentality and Violence." Life Consultants, Inc. (2013): Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://www.drwendyjames.com/thepsychology-of-mob-mentality-and-violence/>

-Palmer, Catherine. "The 'Grog Squad': An Ethnography Of Beer Consumption At Australian Rules Football." Sport, beer, and gender: Promotional culture and contemporary social life. 225-241. New York, NY US: Peter Lang Publishing, 2009. PsycINFO. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

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-Paulo, Sao. "Fans kill, quarter referee in Brazil." Fox Soccer. Fox Sports, 6 July 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/latinamerica/story/fans-kill-quarter-refafter-he-stabbed-player-in-brazil-070613>.

-Steele, Claude M., and Larry M. Southwick. "Alcohol and social behavior I: The psychology of drunken excess." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 48.1 (1985): n. pag. PubMed.gov. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3981386>.

-Stevens, Shawn, and Philip J. III Rosenberger. "The Influence Of Involvement, Following Sport And Fan Identification On Fan Loyalty: An Australian Perspective." International Journal Of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship 13.3 (2012): 220-234. PsycINFO. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

-Van Schaik, Thomas. "The Psychology Of Social Sports Fans: What Makes Them So Crazy?." Sports Networker. TIME, Forbes, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. <http://www.sportsnetworker.com/2012/02/15/the-psychology-of-sports-fansmakes-them-so-crazy/> what-