Abstract
This paper intends to explore parellels between two expressions of popular culture: spectator sport and popular music. Emphasis is put on the analysis of the socio-cultural functions of both popular phenomena. It is argued that the appeal of the sports scene and the pop scene for Western society is related to the fact that both manifestations have specific mythological, ideological, ritual, play and escape functions as well as aesthetical functions. Both the sports scene and the pop scene can be seen as important elements of the socialization process of young people. The exploration of the socio-cultural functions of the sports scene and the pop scene is preceded by a structural analysis of the two social subsystems. It was also revealed that both products of popular culture are consumed on a large scale and that they play a functional role in the leisure pattern, especially in the leisure hchavior of youth.
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