Why Do We Watch: The Psychology of Sports Fans

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NFL To Pay Over $700,000 Back To Taxpayers For Sponsored Patriotism

Freedom is free again.

A resolution (at least for now) on sponsored patriotism, which we discussed in class.

[vusportspsych]

The Raleigh News and Observer confirms an Associated Press report that the University of North Carolina has received an amended Notice of Allegations from the NCAA concerning the school’s academic scandal.

Further development our discussion on the academic scandal at UNC from a few weeks ago. 

[vusportspsych]

Nikki & Anna are two single ladies who chat sports & dating. They don't claim to be experts. They do claim to have opinions. If you like sports (particularly NBA, NCAA basketball, and NFL football) and funny stories about dating, or just like listening to chicks banter on about random topics, this is the podcast for you.

Let’s admit it, podcasts are the best - but this one especially because it perfectly merges dating and sports - what could be better!? (and the name is also pretty perfect, though not entirely appropriate I suppose...)

[vusportspsych]

Almost every sportswriter I know loves to romanticize about the old days — when being a beat writer allowed you to get to know the people you covered on a meaningful level.

Not too proud of my team with this one

[vusportspsych]

For Edge in a Faster N.H.L., Players Turn to Figure Skaters

Hockey players are realizing that the attention to form and technique in figure skating can help increase their speed and fluidity.

There appears to be an intersection between hockey and figure skating. It is interesting that there are benefits to this cross training, even though there is a lot of stigma around males that figure skate.

-Clare

[vusportspsych]

At the Boston Marathon, Leading the Way for Women Fifty Years Ago

Roberta Gibb, who broke the gender barrier at the Boston Marathon and is the grand marshal of this year’s race, is among the pioneers of women’s running.

An interesting article about the progression of women in sports, specifically at the Boston Marathon. Not only was Roberta Gibb the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, but she did it in 3 hours and 21 minutes, which is faster than two- thirds of the male runners that day.

-Clare

[vusportspsych]

'The Olympics are dead': Does anyone want to be a host city any more?

Les Carpenter: With Boston’s bid collapsing due to lack of support, it seems now more than ever the Olympics exist solely for cities looking to make a political statement

As the theme this week is the future of sports, I found this article interesting. We’ve talked about how hosting the Olympics often costs a country, it seems that hosts in the future may only be interested in making a political statement, which could affect the future of the Olympics, especially if more and more countries are hesitant to pay the price of hosting.

-Clare

[vusportspsych]

Who will advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs? We polled our ESPN Forecast experts and a panel of fans. Here are the results.

Get excited people, NBA playoff season is here! 

[vusportspsych]

We show you the satellite photographs; you tell us the names of the MLB stadiums. No sweat, right? Well, it's not as easy as you might think.

[vusportspsych]

Since I referenced it in class, here’s a link to my masters thesis if anyone wants to take a look ! 

[vusportspsych]

Kobe Bryant’s Last Game Could Be the Most Expensive Regular Season Game Ever

What has Kobe Bryant's retirement announcement done to the price of Lakers tickets on the secondary market? A lot.

Kobe’s last game with the Lakers will be played tomorrow night (shown on ESPN2). This will also be the same time that the Golden State Warriors will be going for their elusive 73rd regular season win. Both games are reported to have extremely high ticket markup values, however, tickets to Kobe’s last game were already reported to have a price increase of over 200% after he announced his retirement in late November. Do you think that having the potential to break records drives people to buy tickets to sporting events more so than honoring a player/team that is already known for their ability to do great things?

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Sammy Sosa, who joined Mark McGwire in 1998 in pursuit of the single-season home run record, is said to be among players who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

My little brother was a huge Sammy Sosa fan when he played for the cubs and the doping scandal was devastating to him. This shows the negative affects on steriods for the players fans, especially young fans. Also, Sammy Sosa thought he would still make it into the hall of fame in 2013, which he did not, yet another consequence of his choice to use drugs.

- Clare

[vusportspsych]

A former Xavier University women's basketball assistant coach who was accused of groping a player was acquitted of misdemeanor charges on Monday.

We have discussed players committing sexual assault, but never coaches committing it to their players. This might be something that is more experienced in women’s sports with a male coach in a power position, but is also interesting that he was not proven guilty in this case.

-Clare

[vusportspsych]

Performance enhancement: Superhuman athletes

Enhancements such as doping are illegal in sport — but if all restrictions were lifted, science could push human performance to new extremes.

The article states that there are over 2,000 tweaks that can be made to a steroid molecule that can mimic the way testosterone works in the body, triggering protein synthesis and building more muscle tissue. I didn’t realize how steroids work or how effective they really can be.

- Clare

[vusportspsych]

Dear NCAA: Step up and stop the satellite camp ban

The satellite camp ban would hurt kids who might not otherwise get a chance at a scholarship. Don't let it become reality.

“Here's the problem: The administrators who passed the rule either did not consider or did not grasp the unintended consequences of their action.”

What do you guys think about this? Should satellite camps be banned or is a ban going to be another huge hurtle placed in front of low-income and/or low-spotlight athletes? 

[vusportspsych]

ESPN Host Says What We're All Thinking About That Hardy Interview

“I feel dirty in that ... we’re going to give him the stage for his redemption tour."

Related to our discussion of media’s role in sports controversies last night.  Warning:  some of the comments are ... let’s say a bit extreme; focus on the article itself.

[vusportspsych]

Leading Yahoo March Madness bracket up for $50k prize, but forgot to pick national champion...

Heard this story on the radio the other day... can’t even imagine the frustration this guy must be feeling. 

http://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaa-basketball/meet-the-super-genius-who-has-the-leading-yahoo-march-madness-bracket-but-forgot-to-list-a-winner/