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The Experiential Aspects of Sport Stadiums: An Examination of Emotion and Memory

Gordon, Kiernan O.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366236922

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services.
Sport stadiums have become important municipal and cultural landmarks within American society. Although their primary function is to serve as the spaces within which our favorite athletes and teams compete, we often imbue stadiums with a level of significance beyond their primary function. As spaces intended for large social gatherings, sport stadiums have the potential to be sites of enjoyment, anger, anticipation, fear, and a host of other emotions and experiences. Moreover, as municipal landmarks, sport stadiums have the potential to be important to our identities as members of a city, community, or subculture. This project attempts to provide an explanation as to why, how, and to what degree sport stadiums are significant in peoples’ lives through an interdisciplinary examination of our interaction with them. The interdisciplinary emphasis inherent within this examination integrates elements from sport sociology, sport geography, and sport management. Synthesizing elements from these sport subdisciplines promotes a theoretical and applied nexus, the result of which has the potential to promote future research and practice. This project consists of three articles, where each subsequent article builds on the assertions and implications of the previous one. While the specific focus of analysis may differ from article to article, the general emphasis on the relationship between emotions, memory, and the experiential aspects of sport stadiums is consistent throughout. An introduction and a conclusion surround these three articles to present a cohesive project. The primary theoretical thread throughout this three-article project is a microsociological framework called `interaction ritual’, or `IR’, theory (Collins, 2004). IR theory centers on the role that emotions and memory play in our choices to engage in various social situations every day. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of human relationships as the foundation of larger social structures and processes. IR theory is a grand unified theory that enables scholars to examine a variety of human experiences and institutions, such as love, conflict, education, government, and sport, through its emotionally- and memory-derived prism. As such, it appears in each article and does so differently, as its breadth allows for nuanced application to a variety of circumstances. These three articles all complement each other and fill a niche not previously explored within the sport-based scholarship. Moreover, this project represents a new application of theory and methodology primarily to the field of sport management. Through an interpretive, interdisciplinary approach, the results of this project have the potential to stimulate future scholarship.
Sarah Fields, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Brian Turner, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Timothy Curry, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
183 p.
Kinesiology; Social Research; Sociology; Sports Management
stadiums; interaction; ritual; emotion; memory

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gordon, K. O. (2013). The Experiential Aspects of Sport Stadiums: An Examination of Emotion and Memory [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366236922

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gordon, Kiernan. The Experiential Aspects of Sport Stadiums: An Examination of Emotion and Memory . 2013. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366236922.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gordon, Kiernan. "The Experiential Aspects of Sport Stadiums: An Examination of Emotion and Memory ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366236922

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.