Sports, in general, are considered to be a part of physical activity, however they offer an entertainment value, which all hardcore fans can relate to. Sport is a brittle thing narrowed by the ups and downs of the game, and bound by rules. A sports player has to go through years of rigorous training to improve his performance before millions of people and a sports spectator has to eagerly wait for their favourite sports player to perform and his team to win.

The psychology of sport is built that way for all sports spectators that they watch it to distract themselves from their daily life. Entertainment is an integral part of sports, the basic element of any sport is to attract people towards it based on the entertainment value provided by that particular sport. 

In this modern era of technology, access to sports is feasible, anyone can watch their favourite sports at available platforms. Sports Broadcasting , earlier, was an arduous process and a sports fan had to follow up the sports air schedule. Like in today’s times, you can miss a match and watch the highlights later, it was not possible at that time. With time, the field of sports broadcasting has undergone a major change that has marked a new era for sports organisations and viewers respectively.

How does it affect the audience?

When we talk about entertainment in sports, it has always been emotion oriented. Be it a soul crushing defeat of your favourite team, or moment seizing victory, it is the ruthless passion of a person to support his/her favourite team that makes a sport so special. 

Ask any cricket fan, who watched the live match of Ind vs Sri Lanka final in ODI World Cup 2011 at the Wankhede Stadium, what they experienced during that last shot of MS Dhoni, their breaths were stuck in their throat. This is how scintillating a sport is and how a sports fan views it. The crowd gathered in the city after their country’s team has won the tournament, exhibits the power and strong rush of passion of that sport in the country 

There are various reasons why a sport is so entertaining and is considered a form of entertainment. 

• i) While watching a particular sport, you get so emotionally invested with the game that your anxiety gets driven by the stats of the match. You root for the team’s outcome, in the process curse, cheer and stay silent. It’s a whole emotional rollercoaster, what a fan goes through, they even forget to eat or drink because of the ongoing match. 
• ii) A sport brings people closer and together, by discussing the performances of the player or team during a particular season. There’s a sense of belongingness to a sport and their fans. Despite the heated debates between sports fans, in the end they’ll come together at a sports tournament. 
• iii) A sports player watching his own performance on a screen gives him/her an overview of what s/he needs to improve and his/her commanding presence. 
• Besides entertainment, a sport should be viewed from a different perspective, the sportsmanship, teamwork and valour of the team are what should be looked upon. The very definition of a clutch player, who stands off during pressure, and takes the game to the next level, despite the toughest conditions. Those are the skills a sports spectator could learn from the game. 

The product of Sports and Entertainment – Esports

Online gaming, which is traditionally known as ESPORTS (Electronic Sports), and commonly known as video games. Esports are usually competitive and multiplayer oriented, and are a different version of physical sports. By 2010, Esports tournaments took place, and a lot of young people started participating in it and a larger business developed with Esports which marked the beginning of professional gaming. In the beginning, Esports was popular in East Asian countries like South Korea, China and soon it reached the horizons of Europe. 

Esports mainly included online battle arena, first person shooter, fighting games e.t.c. Initially what began for the users to have a first hand experience in gaming, has forayed into a different category of sports. At this point of time, every traditional sport like cricket, football, tennis or F1 has their own version of Esport, where the fans are allowed to participate and play. It has been reported that very soon, the International Olympic Association will bring another category of Esports in the Olympic games, that would mean that now gamers could participate in the Olympics and receive medals. 

A very light example of Esports, would be racing simulation, where young racing enthusiasts could face a realistic racing situation to the gamers in a professional setting. Racing simulation comprises all the variables like fuel usage, tires grip e.t.c. If you have watched the movie Gran Turismo, you would understand it better. The popularity and development of this Esport is so much that it runs parallel to the professional  racing competitions like F1 , NASCAR. It gives an advantage to the participants to gain racing experience, but completely for the sake of entertainment. Not all gamers want to be a professional player, they would like to continue their professional gaming. 

Esports was the entertainment category of sport, that meant separate leisure activities for fans and spectators, but now it has gained a wider reach among people.Not to mention the business revenue model of Esports has been more profitable as compared to traditional or professional sports. So, in recent years, India would witness a major growth in Esports and changes in the trend of Esports.

Conclusion

To surmise how entertainment is part of any sport, watch the business model, how any sports fan buys merchandise of its favourite team or player. A sports player is no less than a celebrity in today’s times, ask a 9 year old kid who is Jay Shah, they wouldn’t know, ask them Virat Kohli, they would say he is the GOAT of the game. This is how entertainment factors have peaked in sports. 

In 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar spent $300 billion dollars on the football event including music, dance and cultural integration in that event. The estimation was that nearly 3.575 billion people have watched the FIFA World Cup. It has been observed that the global sports market will witness a rapid surge in recent times.