The word “sideshow” is used in media more often than “freak show.” Outside of actual sideshows with performers such as fire eaters and sword swallowers, it is most often used in politics with a negative connotation — a distraction, unimportant, less than, etc.

Sideshow is also niche car culture event, which originated on the West Coast and has spread to other areas in the United States.

In the music world, sideshows are also referred to as a second stage for events.

The word “freak show” is most often connected to sports and the popular tv series such as FX’s American Horror Story: Freak Show.

Derisive and negative connotations in media imply deviance, the grotesque, extreme athleticism, unbelievable, the uncanny, abnormality, inhuman, etc.

Circus is one of the oldest forms of entertainment in history and connects to both the sideshow and the freak show.

In media, the word “circus” is used to describe chaos, distracting spectacles, etc

Out of 683 mentions of the keyword “sideshow” in Google Alerts in one year, 256 were about actual sideshows. 209 mentions were about politics.

Out of 487 mentions of the keyword “freak show” in Google Alerts in one year, 90 were related to actual freak shows or the subject of freak shows.

There are three more years of data to analyze on sideshows and freak shows. In 2020, I created a Google Alert for the keyword “circus” and that data will be analyzed as well.