Archive for the '04-25-1140' Category

Audience Interactions and Responses with Actions on the Field

Published on April 24, 2011 in 04-25-1140. 13 Comments Tags: , .

Audience members and their reactions play an essential role to the analysis of a sports game. It is very interesting to investigate how they can act both as a group and as individuals, sometimes cheering as a single unit and sometimes not. In addition, when a momentum shift or a noteworthy play occurs, the reaction of the audience contributes greatly to the ethnographic details in a game because of the subtle yet significant ways in which different groups of audience members’ cheers differ—audiences then become characterized in a more specific manner that transcends basic generalizations.

In this paper, I will first use excerpts from field notes to illustrate how audiences can be perceived as a single unit. Next, using other field note excerpts, I will show how an audience can become conspicuously disjointed. Finally, the cheers of particular audiences, each associated with a different college, will be compared to show how ethnographic factors affect the specific way an audience acts. The type of sporting event has a strong impact on the overall identity of the audience and, when analyzed in further detail, ethnographic factors help determine the cheers of an audience.

Counting Atlantic bluefin tuna populations to stop overfishing – Alex Stevens

Published on April 19, 2011 in 04-25-1140. 5 Comments Tags: .

Since the rise of the sushi market in the 1980’s, the Atlantic bluefin tuna has become highly valued as sushi meat. As a result overfishing has become a huge problem, and currently the Atlantic bluefin tuna is listed as a critically endangered species. In order to stop overfishing, current management must be able to accurately predict tuna populations in specific regions throughout the year. To do this we must first understand the population structure and the migration patterns of the Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Sounds and Momentum in Sport

Published on April 13, 2011 in 04-25-1140. 10 Comments Tags: , .

By Jayson Garmizo

Abstract– Sports have become one of the most prominent forms of entertainment across the world, and this popularity can in many ways be attributed to the environment that is created by sound. Whether it is hits that are played through the loud speakers, a pep band, the fans cheering until they lose their voices, or the players themselves, sounds have had a profound impact on the game. Whatever it may be, the sounds have helped contribute to the formation of sports fan communities, which play a big part in a team’s formation of momentum.

The Purpose of Sound in Sports

Published on April 13, 2011 in 04-25-1140. 9 Comments Tags: , .

By Sam Friedman

Abstract:

If you have ever attended a live sporting event, you have undoubtedly witnessed the “Sounds of the field” first hand. The roar of the crowd, the voices of the athletes, the loud pep band (or Stadium pump up music), the piercing blow of the referee’s whistle, all are common place at any professional or collegiate level athletic contest. These sounds have become so familiar that fans don’t even think twice about their true purpose within the context of the event. However, each of these seemingly independent auditory occurrences plays a vital part in the strategy of the game. Each distinct sound has a certain role, for example, the cheers from a crowd can simply be viewed as reactions to events that have taken place on the court, or they can be seen as a way to intimidate the opposing team into making a mistake. Nearly all sounds that occur during a live sporting event have an application; it can be the shouts of the crowd intended to rattle the opposing team, the invigorating cheers of the home crowd, the trash talk between players on opposing teams, and the screams of the players on the field trying to organize themselves as a cohesive unit, all of these sounds are used in order to help a team maximize their chances to achieve victory.

Fans, Momentum, and Music

Published on April 13, 2011 in 04-25-1140. 10 Comments Tags: , .

By Ben Bleiberg

Abstract-After compiling a sizeable amount of field research on the subjects of fans, music, momentum, and sports, I have focused on the interconnected nature of these seemingly disparate elements and an identification of two other minor functions of music in sport.  Music can increase interstimulation by stifling the disruptive effect of opposing fans by drowning them out with music and changing fan’s focus from other fans to piped in songs.  Music can also cause momentum shifts to last longer by keeping the crowd stimulated.  The overarching theory I have developed with regards to music, sports, and momentum stems from my belief that music influences fans and players and can help spectators and participants make conscious realizations of momentum, which drastically influence play on the field. Piped in music, communication between players, and shouts from coaches to their players are integral in indicating to fans that a momentum shift has occurred and influence fans to make conscious realizations of momentum.  Spectators watch games closely for possible momentum shifts (spark starts and momentum breakers) and feed off of the emotions of one another, possibly motivated by a desire to illustrate behavioral patterns attributed to fan communities, if a perceived momentum shift is viewed.  At this point players may also consciously realize a perceived shift from the crowd reaction and the placebo effect can positively or negatively influence their play.