Sports Versus Reality Television

Deford stated “It would seem to me that reality TV is nothing more than a form of sport. It’s competition, a game, but on a coast-to-coast bias it’s more emotionally appealing than many of our sports.” This is true because there are so many sports teams and it’s hard to keep up with all of them, but with reality TV it’s on one day a week and you can relate to the people because you actually have time to get to know them. Comparing reality TV and sports can show the similarities and differences, and who people would prefer to watch. Reality TV has a small number of competitors and you get to hear each one’s story and get to know them each separately. When you know the contestants you can decide whether you want to root for them or against them, it’s the familiarity in these shows. The elements that make a classic reality TV show would be; drama, scandal, money, adultery and crime. These elements are what excites and pulls the viewer in, and that’s why people love to watch. To be honest it would be much more exciting to watch Survivor, people fighting all the elements of nature to try to outwit, outplay and outlast or watch the clock wind down in the 1st quarter of an NFL football game. People watch reality TV for vain reasons. We like to look at others in comparison to ourselves instead of as equals. We like the chaos it showcases because, for most of us, it reminds us how better off or somewhat normal we are. On the other hand with sports there are a variety of teams for each state and you have to keep up with their schedule. “There is just too many teams playing too many games”, stated by Frank Deford. That’s the main reason why sports in this country suffer. Then again, the support for athleticism is tremendous in America. People love getting together, ordering food and watching the game together. Especially football, Sunday football is serious in some households. Unfortunately now if you turn on any of the sports networks you’ll find all the same elements that make a classic reality TV show. It is no longer enough to know about a coach or athlete’s performance on game day. Now, the public has to pry into their personal lives. Times are changing.
There once was a time when comparing sports and reality television would be laughable. Now it’s actually being done. In the past when you would compare the two, sports probably would have been the most watched, but now you can see that it’s changing.