A few weeks ago, I’m sitting in the UC and the group of people next to me is reliving the two 53 yard field goals made by Nick Folk (the first one negated by a last second Bills timeout) during the Cowboys- Bills game (October 8, 2007). The controversial attempt at “freezing out” Folk generated a lot of talk about fairness and what attracts people to watching sports. Back to me sitting in the UC; one of the people said sports today is all about controversy, not the actual game and people get tired of it. Someone else in the group disagreed, saying sport fans thrive off controversy. It occurs to me that both people are right.
First, it is important to differentiate between controversy and scandal. Controversy usually refers to plays or calls during a game while scandal usually refers to events outside the game. For example, the last second timeout during the Cowboys- Bills game or the late Browns field goal that bounced off the uprights and then fell over the crossbar are controversial. Situations like Spygate, Isiah Washington, Pacman Jones, and Dennis Franchione are all scandals.
Controversy and scandal have both drawbacks and positives. When one team is constantly surronded by controversial calls, the average fan begins to think about things like conspiracy theories. Unless they are true die hards, they may become discouraged and lose interest in the team. For someone not devoted to the particular team, there may be increased interest to see what interesting things happen in the next game. Some people say that controversy causes people to lose interest in the game because they just want to watch for the love of the game. I think controversy makes the game more interesting and challenging. It gives people something to talk about and a chance to commiserate or celebrate. Scandals, depending on what they are tend to turn off fans but when they motivate players (like the Patriots this season) it makes for spectacular games. Also, minus a select few, I think the majority of athletes do it because they love the game and competing.
To me, it's part of the game and watching teams overcome negativity makes it worthwhile-- as a consumer and a marketer. I watch because I love sports; controversy and scandal ups the ante, attracting attention therefore ultimately they are good for sports. So the next time I'm sitting in the UC and I overhear someone talking about how sport is all about controversy and not about the game, I can tell them controversy helps sport.
1 comment:
I do think that controversy is good for the game, but scandals are things that, I believe, hurt more than they help. Controversy, like you said, stirs up interest in the sport, such as having people talk about the controversial thing that happened (like the Browns field goal) and also stirs up debate about the event. Scandals, meanwhile, such as the Pacman Jones and Isiah Thomas incidents, hurt not only their teams but their leagues with the negative publicity. Right now, its been hard for the Knicks to shake the Thomas scandal (although constant losing doesn't help either). I think there is a fine line between the attention received for controversy and scandals, and it would be hard for a team or league to totally control these things.
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