Why competitions interest audiences By Dylan Mazzella

Dylan Mazzella

Why competitions interest audiences

In ancient Rome, fighters called gladiators would be put in life or death situations against strong animals such as lions and tigers. This was done solely for entertainment purposes, but why would anyone want to watch this? To me, it is because people take interest in watching any competition that deals with life, and death, right before their eyes. But past that, it is interesting to humans to see a winner, and a loser, not knowing until the very end which of the two teams, or individuals, will be which, and this is why it is fun to watch, for a rush of adrenaline, without one's life actually being at risk.

Our world, of course, has developed higher moral standards, obviously for the better, as we do not particularly idealize the Roman's morality. On television, we have shows such as "Alone," where people are placed, alone, in the wild, and attempt to survive without help from any others, and whoever can stand being alone the longest wins a large prize. The audience relishes seeing this, because it deals with winners and losers. But due to our greater moral standards, it is important to the audience that the contestants can be saved at any time, as, of course, they are followed by a cast. This takes the life or death aspect out of the competition, but doesn't alter the winner or loser aspect, which the viewer enjoys.

Another common example of competition that audiences rave over is sports of any kind. People love to see sports because the entire time, nobody knows who will win. People pick a team to root for, and a thrill is created in never knowing for sure whether or not the team one is rooting for will be the victor. Some may question why it is seen as engaging to watch a sport be played, instead of actually playing it, and it is simply because people enjoy seeing a winner, and a loser.

So, what is a competition? To me, all it is is non imperative conflict. Two opponents engage in a contest. A winner is named, and a loser is named, and nobody dies, so it's great.