Sociological, psychological and pedagogical aspects of sport

- Part Three -

" second part

Following a sport as spectators involves particularly gratifying situations: Russel affirms that one of the many passions with which the human soul comes into contact during life is the "love of excitement". He does not prove this hypothesis, this opinion of his. in other way than by citing those examples that can be found in everyday life, including, particularly noteworthy here, football matches, and other less current examples. - social, as in our country, as well as in any other, there will always be a tendency on the part of the people to approach something that gives excitement (drugs, alcohol, wars, conflicts, sports, gambling, etc.). Following a sport as spectators, perhaps cheering, gives the possibility of subjecting one's soul to an excitement that is not at all indifferent. After all, the state of excitement is the first characteristic that most will notice in the observation. vation of a fan to the stadium during a game of his favorite team.

It is therefore possible to conclude that the reason why the children interviewed showed interest in the sport followed by spectators is mainly the excitement that this act entails. The spectators of a particular sport follow the game actions with great attention! they completely identify with their favorite team or their favorite champion to the point of wearing their symbols, clothing, etc. Following a sport without practicing it can be a great way to feel emotions, to experience that "excitement that men are so inclined to love, without making physical effort or running the risk of getting hurt. There is, however, a risk that even for those who follow a sport without practicing it it is not possible to avoid: the risk of losing (for fans). Football fans identify very much with their favorite team, wear their shirts and symbols, and engage in more or less simulated battles with fans of rival teams. For these people, cheering on a team is obviously a very important aspect of their life and identity (Argyle, 2000). According to the Canadian sociologist Gruneau, most of the episodes that occur during sports competitions can be attributed to the "excitement induced by the symbolic meanings that sport assumes, which takes on" colossal and utopian aspirations to conquer a world of freedom, of heroic deeds and equality. ”A" further argument lies in the same choice, by the children, of the champions, almost all of whom are practicing football. The excitement that can be perceived by attending a sporting competition is felt in the moments in which a situation is highlighted which, in the very short term, can modify, in one way or another, in a decisive way the outcome of the race (for example, when an attacker approaches the "penalty area in the game of football and" fights "with the defenders of the opposing team); moreover, the greater the time during which the situation of uncertainty continues, the time during which this situation of probable modification of the outcome of the race continues, the greater the excitement that will ensue. Psychological studies have shown that there are differences in the temperament of various individuals, these differences, sometimes very marked and frequent, which can influence the way of experiencing arousal and the cause that causes it, but it is evident that for most of the people, the frequent presence, in the game of football, of those situations mentioned above, implies love for this sport.
As for the female sex, evidently there is not the same interest, given the results of the questionnaire: as many as 5 out of 9 girls said they had no preferences in terms of sports champions, moreover only one girl said she had a preference for a soccer champion (Kaka). Evidently, with regard to the female sex, there is not the same passion for excitement that is found in the male sex, as in sports, so, it is observed in the history texts, for many other fields. Girls prefer sports in which , rather than indulging in the excitement of the game action, they can admire the elegance of a technical gesture (they love gymnastics and dance, above all). In fact, for the sports and for the champions that the vast majority of them said they prefer, the only thing you can find interesting (and this is not just my opinion, but that of many) is precisely there. elegance of the movement, where by elegance, in this context, I mean the approximation, more or less markedly, to the perfection of the gesture, for what are the canons established by the competition regulations and / or by the history of the sport in question, with everything the fascination that can emanate from it.
Returning to paying attention to the practice of sport, rather than following it as spectators, there is another point on which I would like to dwell: I have argued my opinion on the fact that children tend to follow football on television and to have very specific preferences in terms of sports champions, however, the children also declared that they regularly practice this sport, which fascinates them so much through their champions, and that they know how to perform better all the typical movements of this sport (running and kicking). "frankly very unlikely that the interest they have in football to watch on television is independent of what they have in playing it; instead, it is much more likely that the passion for one has influenced that for the other. It is clear" that the spectacle produced by a football match is such as to cause pleasure regardless of the practice of the same sport for the aforementioned reasons, I believe instead that the practice of football that is, it is strictly dependent on the passion one feels in following a game at high levels, especially as regards the sphere of childhood. To begin with, even while playing a game, you experience sensations of excitement similar to those you can experience following it on television: situations that can modify the outcome of a game are encountered equally whether you are following it passively or you are playing in the first person; cheering, another (almost) fundamental element that can be found in those who follow a game on television or at the stadium and which, in most cases, influences, in this type of sport, to generate excitement , is also found in playing a football match: obviously you cheer for the team you are playing with. Another factor that can lead you to choose to practice this sport among all (because, as we have seen, physical activity , in itself, regardless of the sport taken into consideration, stimulates the production of endorphins), is the identification with the character of the favorite champion: the child has an ability to use the prop fantasy much higher than that of the adult, in the vast majority of cases. This undoubtedly favors the identification of the child in his favorite sample, through the imitation of the gestures that characterize him as a character. In fact, it is possible to frequently observe children who try to imitate football champions in their clothing, in the attitudes they have in front of the cameras, even in their technical gestures and athletic performance.

Continues "