}  Sport viewing and spectatorship growing ◦  $20 billion in yearly revenue in US

}  Fans become identified with athletes and sports teams

}  Cultures develop around various sports }  These cultures allow sports leagues and

teams to strategically market the fan base

}  Spectator vs. Fan }  Spectator – a person who simply watches and

observes }  Fan – a person who experiences a greater

sense of devotion to the sports(s) they follow

}  Fandom ranges from fair-weather to die-hard }  Fair-weather – person who only displays

rejuvenated waning interest in sport or franchise when it is winning

}  Die-hard – person who is transformed into a different person by success and failure of teams

}  Think of someone who only follows college basketball during March Madness, versus someone who follows year round and knows recruiting.

}  Three Types of Fan

Sport Interest   Social   Focused   Vested   Emotional

Attachment  

Fan Type   Description   Example  Social   Those individuals whose interest

in a sport is driven more for the ability to connect with others. The sport itself is peripheral or secondary to the pleasure obtained from sharing the experience with other fans.  

Co-worker who takes part in an office pool for the NCAA basketball tournament despite having not followed college basketball the entire regular season.  

Focused   Individuals with a moderate investment in a particular team, sport, or community who spend considerable time following outcomes.  

Dallas native who is vested in seeing the Cowboys and Rangers perform well throughout their respective seasons.  

Vested   Sport fans with a significant emotional attachment to the success/failure of the teams or sports they support.  

Snowboarding enthusiast who attends all national vents and makes reservations to attend the Olympics every four years to support the sport  

Sport Interest   Social   Focused   Vested   Emotional Attachment  

Fan Type   Description   Example  Social   Those individuals whose interest

in a sport is driven more for the ability to connect with others. The sport itself is peripheral or secondary to the pleasure obtained from sharing the experience with other fans.  

Co-worker who takes part in an office pool for the NCAA basketball tournament despite having not followed college basketball the entire regular season.  

Focused   Individuals with a moderate investment in a particular team, sport, or community who spend considerable time following outcomes.  

Dallas native who is vested in seeing the Cowboys and Rangers perform well throughout their respective seasons.  

Vested   Sport fans with a significant emotional attachment to the success/failure of the teams or sports they support.  

Snowboarding enthusiast who attends all national events and makes reservations to attend the Olympics every four years to support the sport  

}  Many rituals are present in sports (e.g., tailgating, cheers)

}  Fandom is a performance (e.g., painting faces)

}  Fans performance varies by ritual }  Some rituals are seen as problematic due to

stereotyping (Atlanta Braves Tomahawk Chop)

}  Fans’ connection to sports is driven by six motivations:

}  Aesthetic Beauty }  Achievement }  Drama }  Escape }  Knowledge }  Social Connection

Fan Motives   Definition   Example  Aesthetic Beauty  

Drawn to the sport because one appreciates the way it is played or performed  

Enjoying the sport of motocross because of the unique skill necessary to perform the range of jumps or tricks required to win judge approval.  

Achievement   Internal sense of accomplishment that comes from the success of the team one is supporting  

Sense of joy experienced by a New Orleans Saints fan after their team finally won the Super Bowl in 2010 just 4 years after Hurricane Katrina almost destroyed their city.  

Drama   Thrill obtained from a heated rivalry or key matchup between marquee athletes or teams  

Watching the final round of Wimbledon as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal compete for a Grand Slam win.  

Escape   Following a team to experience a sense of departure from the day-to-day world around us  

Watching the 1980 Olympic hockey team win the gold helped the American public forget about difficult economic times.  

Knowledge   Monitoring how the sport is performed to increase one’s understanding for how it should be played  

A parent watching the slow-motion coverage of an ice dancing routine in hopes of further refining the technique employed by her daughter during future competitions.  

Social Connection  

Ability to interact with friends, family members, or colleagues with sport serving as a background or rationale for supporting the relationship.  

Mother and daughter taking a trip to watch the NCAA women’s field hockey championship as a way to bond.  

}  Fans make connections with athletes and teams based on perceived shared similarities

}  This leads to identification with the team/athlete

}  Identification can be positive – increase self-esteem, psychological well-being, optimism for team’s future performance

}  Also can be negative – loneliness, alienation,

}  Sports teams cultivate identification, but what happens when a team leaves the city?

}  Fans feel betrayed, use words like “divorce” and “death”

}  Also happens with players/coaches who voluntarily leave a team

}  Play a huge role in fandom }  Via social media, fans can now engage

athletes directly }  Positive Outcomes }  Negative Outcomes }  What do we make of fans sending death

threats and other hateful messages via social media?

}  Identity is a function of representation }  Athletes are presented/framed to public in

various ways }  Gender }  Sexuality }  Race }  Ethnicity }  Ability/Disability

}  Are male and female athletes portrayed differently?

}  Would the average person think of Danica Patrick as an athlete? Or a sex symbol?

}  Is it appropriate for sports teams to use Native American names and imagery?