Leeja Carter is a faculty member at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in the sport and health psychology department of Temple University.
Studies have shown that, when confronted by their favorite athlete's bad behavior, sports fans utilize a number of coping mechanisms to retain their admiration for the athlete. These mechanisms include ignoring or refusing to believe the news of the athlete's misconduct (denial), forgiving the behavior outright, or gradually forgetting the transgression as the athlete works to repair his or her image. This willingness to overlook inappropriate acts is implicit in the athlete-fan relationship.
What do Alex Rodriguez, Michael Vick, and Tiger Woods all have in common? Despite being elite athletes …show more content…
When our favorite athlete is seen donating to underprivileged children, assisting in a literacy program, or positively contributing to the team dynamic, we find ourselves nodding our heads in agreement and confirming the goodwill of the athletic elite. Moreover, when athletes' on-court performance is consistently above average or exceeds expectations, our positive beliefs regarding the athlete or team are confirmed, allowing us to feel that athletes are worthy of our (e.g., the 'fans') admiration, respect, and praise.
However, how are fans perceptions affected when the athletic elite engages in poor or inappropriate behaviors? Moreover, why can fans retain a positive outlook towards athletes after they engage in poor or inappropriate behaviors? As fans, we are driven by the positive perceptions we hold of our athletes, which leads to the question, when considering athlete transgressions, do fans forgive, forget, or deny in order to cope with the occurrence of athletes behaving …show more content…
The bonds between the fan and athlete slowly become strong, cementing the fan's dependency on sport as well as perpetuating the fan's role within the greater sport culture. Thus, when athletes engage in bad behaviors, fans are forced to 'deal' which such situations emotionally as well as cognitively, due to their loyalty to the athlete or team. Moreover, the fan's response may be a coping mechanism designed to buffer feelings of anxiety or confusion that may arise because of the fan's conflicting thoughts surrounding the positive and negative images of the
Studies have shown that, when confronted by their favorite athlete's bad behavior, sports fans utilize a number of coping mechanisms to retain their admiration for the athlete. These mechanisms include ignoring or refusing to believe the news of the athlete's misconduct (denial), forgiving the behavior outright, or gradually forgetting the transgression as the athlete works to repair his or her image. This willingness to overlook inappropriate acts is implicit in the athlete-fan relationship.
What do Alex Rodriguez, Michael Vick, and Tiger Woods all have in common? Despite being elite athletes …show more content…
When our favorite athlete is seen donating to underprivileged children, assisting in a literacy program, or positively contributing to the team dynamic, we find ourselves nodding our heads in agreement and confirming the goodwill of the athletic elite. Moreover, when athletes' on-court performance is consistently above average or exceeds expectations, our positive beliefs regarding the athlete or team are confirmed, allowing us to feel that athletes are worthy of our (e.g., the 'fans') admiration, respect, and praise.
However, how are fans perceptions affected when the athletic elite engages in poor or inappropriate behaviors? Moreover, why can fans retain a positive outlook towards athletes after they engage in poor or inappropriate behaviors? As fans, we are driven by the positive perceptions we hold of our athletes, which leads to the question, when considering athlete transgressions, do fans forgive, forget, or deny in order to cope with the occurrence of athletes behaving …show more content…
The bonds between the fan and athlete slowly become strong, cementing the fan's dependency on sport as well as perpetuating the fan's role within the greater sport culture. Thus, when athletes engage in bad behaviors, fans are forced to 'deal' which such situations emotionally as well as cognitively, due to their loyalty to the athlete or team. Moreover, the fan's response may be a coping mechanism designed to buffer feelings of anxiety or confusion that may arise because of the fan's conflicting thoughts surrounding the positive and negative images of the