Leisure is one of the most important concepts in social perspective as it is often linked with the human psychology and the basic nature of the man. The need for play and recreation is something which defines the overall needs, benefits as well as satisfaction of the individuals. The earlier theories of the leisure and recreation define play and leisure as an enjoyable activity. The play as well as leisure therefore is considered as fun activities and people belonging to almost all age groups consider leisure as fun activity and as such reflects the overall behavior of the different individuals.
Different theories of the leisure also help to accommodate or describe the behaviors of the different individuals involved in different leisure activities. The theories mostly focused on the relative enjoyment and satisfaction gained by the individuals by involving themselves into any of the leisure and play activities. This paper will discuss some of the theories of the leisure which define the behavior of the people involved in Fantasy Sports Camps. Fantasy Sports Camps
Fantasy Sports camps provide an opportunity to the individuals to train and have get together with their favorite stars and as such not only serve as the activity opportunity but also provide a clear and definite opportunity to have a face to face interaction with your favorite stars. (Hudson, 2002). It is because of this reason that the price paid by the individuals for such sports camps are relatively high and not every one may afford to attend such camps. The primary activities can vary and depend upon the nature of the sports activity which is basically pursued by the star.
It is also because of this that it is often important to note that the nature of the sports and leisure activities may be incompatible with each other if the participants do not follow the sports of the star at all. This also means that the people may have to involve in such leisure activities because of some other reasons and following section will discuss some of the theories which can potentially describe the behaviors of the individuals involved in such activities. It is also important to note that most of the participants in such kind of activities are young or middle aged individuals with relatively higher incomes.
The participants mostly do not find much time to recreate and rejuvenate themselves therefore most of such activities are either sponsored by their own organizations or partially sponsored by them. Most of the activities are therefore related with providing a necessary break to the individuals. The Surplus Energy Theory This is one of the earliest theoretical attempts to define the behavior of the individuals involved in such activities. According to this theory, individuals attend the leisure activities because they want to expand their surplus energy. (Leitner & Leitner, 2004).
This theory though to some extent define the behaviors of the individuals taking part in such activities however, it does not fully define such behaviors. It also ignores the second part of any activity where the individuals have to recoup their energy therefore, to define the behaviors of the individuals involved in fantasy sports camps, this theory, to some extent define the behavior which outlines the basic need for having to spend the excessive energy not only to get the necessary relaxation but also get an opportunity to recreate and meet with one’s favorite stars.
It is also important to note that due to inherent weaknesses of this theory, the Recreation Theory is considered as a more plausible theoretical attempt to define the behavior of the individuals involved in such activities. The next section will discuss the Recreation theory within the context of the Fantasy Sports. The Recreation Theory This theory is based on the assumption that the people involve themselves into such recreational activities because they want to recreate and restore their energy.
This theory seems to be a more plausible explanation of the behaviors of the individuals involved in sports camps activities. This theory is also considered as a more useful activity for involving into the physical activities which not only increase the endurance level of the individuals but also provide a healthy brake from most of the hectic activities of the day to day life. Optimal Arousal Theory
This theory is also one of the plausible explanations of the behaviors of the individuals taking part in such activities because the involvement of the individuals is largely dependent upon their degree of arousal. As the individuals have different degrees of arousal at different times therefore they engage into activities which provide them an opportunity to have the optimal arousal at the right time to decide about the involvement into different activities. (Santrock, 2005)
Conclusion Involvement into sports fantasy camps can be best defined through the optimal arousal theory. Earlier attempts to define such behavior have their inherent weaknesses which restricts the applicability of such theories in real world. Bibliography 1. Hudson, S. (2002). Sport and Adventure Tourism. New York: Haworth Press. 2. Leitner, M. J. , & Leitner, S. F. (2004). Leisure enhancement. New York: Haworth Press. 3. Santrock, J. W. (2005). Psychology. New York: mcgraw-hill.