THE ‘PARADOX OF MEDIATIZATION’:

WHY DO DECISION-AID TECHNOLOGIES IMPROVE FAIR DECISIONS BUT REDUCE THE ENJOYMENT AND EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT OF FOOTBALL FANS?

Resumo

The processes of mediatization are particularly evident in sports. New technologies are often used to develop the sport and enhance the viewer’s experience. Decision-support technologies, such as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), lead to fairer decisions by referees but are controversial among fans because they negatively impact their emotional experience. Although decisions seem to be fairer, fans are more dissatisfied. This apparent contradiction is explained by the mediatization paradox, which addresses the complex relationship between information and entertainment experience. It is shown that additional information can lead to better decisions, but fans’ emotions are affected due to interference in the game. New, more complex technologies also lead to higher expectations for decision accuracy. However, even decision-support technologies do not offer absolute precision, and human errors can still occur, raising the question of how much mediatization a sport and its fans can tolerate.