Sports As a Vocation
A sports film is an independent film genre which makes use of sports as the central theme of the movie. It’s a contemporary production where a sport, usually a sporting event, fan of sport, or athlete are heavily featured, and that depend strongly on sports for their story inspiration or resolution. Often, they’re not even about a specific sport at all; instead, they’re about a passionate fan who becomes involved with a particular sport. However, when it comes to these films, there’s little difference between them and any other movie: what makes them stand out is their subject matter.
There are two primary categories of sports movies. One is about athletes in action, the other about fans who become involved with the sport for various reasons. In between those are stories of people who just happen to be involved with sports. If a character falls seriously into love with a game or athlete, the story will inevitably center around that sport or that athlete. The same thing goes for stories about characters who happen to be big fans of sports, and are loyally following their favorite teams around the country. Whatever the story line or focus, the audience for a sports movie is almost always composed of people who follow a given sport or athletes for the sole purpose of being a part of that particular team.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the audience for a story about athletes will only be comprised of athletes. Some of them are only superfics, people who follow their favorite athletes’ progress stories because they want to be a part of it. However, even if they’re not following the progress of their favorite athletes directly, they’re still following a part of that team. Sports stories lend themselves to telling about improvements in physical ability, sportsmanship, mental toughness, etc. This is why sports stories are great topics for a thesis or dissertation, as they allow the writer to talk about all sorts of intangible qualities that improve physical ability, sportsmanship, etc.
The same thing goes for sports stories that deal with improvements in other aspects of the writer’s life. For instance, studies have shown that the mental game of sports tends to improve players’ performance in other aspects of their lives, too (e.g., better grades, stronger relationships). That’s why researching non-physical facets of sports, like training and dieting, can help the writer write about personal improvements. Similarly, studying the psychology of sports can help the writer talk about mental and emotional improvements that will translate well to the non-sports world of study.
Of course, there are lots of reasons why people watch sports. Sometimes, it’s because they enjoy watching another person struggle. Sometimes, it’s because they like to follow an athlete’s progress story. Sometimes, it’s because they just want to see spectacular athleticism on display. Regardless of why people are watching, though, the fact is that sporting activities produce powerful, positive results that are hard to deny.
As a writer, it’s important to recognize the fact that some people find certain aspects of athletic activity especially meaningful and appealing. It’s also important to realize that just because the spectator sees something happening on the screen doesn’t make the event that much more real or valid. As a sports writer, it’s important to remember that there are several factors beyond what’s shown on the screen that can make sports events more real and meaningful to the people watching or participating. As a writer, it’s important to explore those factors and include them in your writing.