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A Comparative Philosophy of Sport and ArtThe Spectator’s View

A Comparative Philosophy of Sport and Art: The Spectator’s View [Starting with the distinction between the “purist” spectator, who watches sport for the aesthetic satisfaction it provides, and the “fan”, who identifies with and supports one side, this chapter focuses on an anomaly concerning the fan. Kendall Walton argues that fans’ displays of extreme joy and disappointment at the successes and failures of their team as they watch a game are out of all proportion to the actual impact of the game’s outcome upon their lives. The lives of most fans, he says, are left largely unaffected by whether their team wins or loses. To explain these apparently irrational displays of emotion, Walton suggests an analogy with watching a play. Theatregoers react with sorrow and pity at the “tragic” fate of Romeo and Juliet, while knowing that no real tragedy is unfolding—something best explained by saying they make-believe events on the stage are real to enhance their play-going experience. Similarly, Walton maintains, fans watching a game only pretend that matters of great importance depend on the outcome, in order to enhance the fun of watching. I explain the appeal of Walton’s theory, but point out a third kind of spectator—the true fanatic—whose behaviour requires a different explanation.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A Comparative Philosophy of Sport and ArtThe Spectator’s View

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References (4)

Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
ISBN
978-3-030-72333-0
Pages
9 –23
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-72334-7_2
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Starting with the distinction between the “purist” spectator, who watches sport for the aesthetic satisfaction it provides, and the “fan”, who identifies with and supports one side, this chapter focuses on an anomaly concerning the fan. Kendall Walton argues that fans’ displays of extreme joy and disappointment at the successes and failures of their team as they watch a game are out of all proportion to the actual impact of the game’s outcome upon their lives. The lives of most fans, he says, are left largely unaffected by whether their team wins or loses. To explain these apparently irrational displays of emotion, Walton suggests an analogy with watching a play. Theatregoers react with sorrow and pity at the “tragic” fate of Romeo and Juliet, while knowing that no real tragedy is unfolding—something best explained by saying they make-believe events on the stage are real to enhance their play-going experience. Similarly, Walton maintains, fans watching a game only pretend that matters of great importance depend on the outcome, in order to enhance the fun of watching. I explain the appeal of Walton’s theory, but point out a third kind of spectator—the true fanatic—whose behaviour requires a different explanation.]

Published: Jun 17, 2021

Keywords: Kendall Walton; Purist spectator; Fan; Fanatic; Imagination in watching sport; Sporting spectator

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