Watching local students participate in the wide variety of school sports activities offered throughout the year, one begins to notice the increased amount of spectators at almost every event compared to previous years. Has our demographic been altered greatly with more young people moving to the area? While the saying “life is not a spectator sport” remains true, the greatest spectator sports of all time — football, wrestling and basketball — have morphed into something else completely.
Most everyone watching does not appear to stay seated. While they are officially watching the seasonal sport, they join the fray forming on the field or in the stands. No one is sure why or how this massive transformation takes place, although the general atmosphere has changed in public arenas. The one characteristic that remains the same in the smaller communities is how invested the entire community becomes in the outcome of each game.
It is that old “everyone knows your name” phenomenon of small-town living. In this case, it seems to be a positive for choosing to live in a small town. Different theories abound. Have the old-fashioned rules of the game including good sportsmanship gone away for good? Do simulated computer sports games create a monster where everyone feels they have as much experience as real players?
These days everyone shares their own opinions about what seems to be a change in the definition of the word spectator. But even more instrumental in this trend is the increasing number of viral videos. There are some communities where everyone continues to complain about the lack of youth activities and say “There is nuthin’ to do.” No matter how many community activities are provided, this lament will continue to heard.
The lifelong love of one or two particular activities is usually created early in life from organized sports. Whether someone spends a great deal of time dedicated to club sports after their school days, or follows a professional team, the importance of regular spectators makes all the difference.
By Dolly Viscardi
