Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports

The importance of mediated sports in contemporary global society is undeniable. Teams and players unify and divide communities and nations. They generate billions of dollars in advertising revenue and merchandising sales. And they arouse feelings of euphoria and despair among their loyal fans. Therefore, it may come as little surprise that the formal academic study of mediated sports boasts a rich tradition; in fact, this volume is a testament to that tradition. The current chapter seeks to illuminate a small portion of that research tradition by discussing factors that motivate the use and viewing of mediated sports. While a fair amount of descriptive work has been conducted in this area, few have attempted to connect these motives to the various theoretical perspectives from mediaentertainment research. These perspectives provide a nice framework from which to begin my discussion.