Reasons behind the ever changing face of sports

Social media has played a huge part in making sports more accessible and has, in fact, changed the way fans consume the sport by giving them the ability to directly engage with their favourite players and teams. MN Vishwanath, a sports psychologist and author of the book, Success in Sports Mantra, shares his views on the pros and cons of fandom in sports industry.

Edited excerpts: What major changes do you see in fans’ interest, engagement and viewership? Earlier, one could follow sports as a spectator or by listening to commentary on the radio. Television coverage changed things and now with the internet and smart phones, things have changed again. E sports and live video game competitions bring live sports to mobile apps.

Almost all sports have digital media sites with fan bases and fan interaction pages where they can actively involve and engage in discussions. What do you think is the reason for aggression, hostility and violence on part of fans? Fans identify with sportsmen and teams. When you internalise something as yours, your ego comes in to play and you defend yourself no matter what.

Fans also take everything about their sporting heroes or their favourite team personally. What kind of negative engagement happens on social media? Fans tend to be the harshest critics. When their team loses or some of their players make crucial mistakes that lead to a defeat, players are abused and their families trolled and threatened.

Does the media have a role in shaping the current behaviour of sports fans? Most negative reactions of spectators and fans are their own doing. The media has little control over how fans behave. Is elevating sportspersons to the status of demigods good or bad for sports? It is a mix of both. When the country produces someone like a Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Neeraj Chopra or Sunil Chhetri, millions are inspired.

On the flip side, youngsters can lose their way trying to emulate their heroes as they waste time on social media. The number of followers help sportspersons monetise their brand for advertisements, sponsorships and investments. Hence, for an aspiring sportsperson, gaining followers becomes the motivating factor rather than the game itself.

What can organisers, authorities and players do to curb the overreaction of the spectators during a contest? The authorities and law enforcement should enforce every power vested in them to restrain fans and advice them not to take the happenings on the arena too seriously. On many occasions when the crowd gets violent, key players were seen making appeals to them, asking them to calm down.

Sports icons should post rejoinders to clear the air on certain issues. Coming to fan reaction on social media — they get away under the guise of freedom of expression. There are laws to check social media activity. Banning the sale of alcohol at a stadium and barring the entry of drunken spectators could be a step in the right direction.

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