Why We Love Sports: Exploring the Sociology and Psychology of Fandom
1. SPORTS & SOCIETY ARTICLES DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What Makes Fans Tick?
1) Explain the 8 basic motives that drive people to be sports fans.
2) How does the "social identity theory" explain our attraction to spectator sports?
3) Explain the concepts of "BIRGing" and "CORFing."
4) What is a "Deep Fan?"
5) What are the differences between blue collar and white collar fans?
What Makes Fans Crazy About Sports?
1) What is the #1 "passion driver" of most NFL fans?
2) What is the #1 "passion driver" of most MLB fans?
3) Explain the following 3 groups of baseball fans:
A) Field of Dreamers
B) Team Obsessors
C) Family Connectors
4) What sports property had the largest U.S. fan base in 2009?
5) What sports property had the largest U.S. fan base in 2001?
6) Take the Octagon Passion Drivers Quiz for football.
CHAPTER 1 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Define: sociology, social world, culture, social interaction, social structure.
2) Do you agree with the precise definition of "sports"? Why or why not?
3) Sports involve a balance between the elements of play & spectacle. Explain the differences between
play & spectacle.
4) What are the differences between the sociology and psychology of sport?
5) Define ideologies.
2. Sport is the subject of much conversation, reading
material, leisure activity, and discretionary spending. Over
one-tenth of the World Almanac is devoted annually to
sport, more than is allotted to politics, business, and
science. USA Today, the most widely read newspaper in
the United States, devotes one-fourth of its space to sport.
Even the Wall Street Journal has a weekly sports page.
There are numerous cable television networks providing
twenty-four-hour coverage. Annually, the most watched
television event in the United States is the Super Bowl. The
amount of sports betting is staggering, with unknown
billions waged legally and illegally.
Why all the attention?
13. BIRGing & CORFing
•TERMS COINED IN THE MID ’70’S WHEN AN ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGY
PROFESSOR NOTICED THAT STUDENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO WEAR ASU GEAR ON
MONDAYS AFTER THE FOOTBALL TEAM WON THAN WHEN IT LOST.
•BASKING IN REFLECTED GLORY (BIRG):
-FANS ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH A TEAM THAT HAS SUCCESS, HOPING THAT THE CONNECTION
WILL IMPROVE THE WAY THEY’RE VIEWED BY OTHERS.
•CUTTING OFF REFLECTED FAILURE (CORF):
-FANS CUT THE CORD ON THE CONNECTION WITH THE TEAM WHEN THE TEAM LOSES, TRYING
TO AVOID THE NEGATIVE EVALUATION THAT COMES FROM OTHERS WHEN A TEAM LOSES.
•THE GROUPS THAT WE BELONG TO FORM A PART OF OUR SELF CONCEPT
14. SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY
“US VERSUS THEM”
-STATES THAT GROUP MEMBERSHIP CREATES SELF-
CATEGORIZATION & ENHANCEMENT IN WAYS THAT
FAVOR THE IN-GROUP (US) AT THE EXPENSE OF THE
OUT-GROUP (THEM).
-THE GROUPS THAT WE BELONG TO (FRATERNITIES &
SORORITIES) & THE TEAMS THAT WE CHEER FOR
(YANKEES & RED SOX) INFLUENCE OUR SELF-IDENTITY.
15. DEEP FAN
-FORM AN EMOTIONAL
ATTACHMENT TO A TEAM THAT IS
OUTSIDE OF NORMAL.
-THESE PEOPLE LIVE & DIE WITH
THE TEAM.
16. PASSION DRIVERS
-REASONS WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW THEIR FAVORITE
SPORTS.
#1 PASSION DRIVER OF NFL FANS
-TEAM DEVOTION
#1 PASSION DRIVER OF MLB FANS
-NOSTALGIA
18. FIELD OF DREAMERS
-AGE: 55-64.
-INCOME: +$75,000/YEAR.
-COMBINE A LOVE OF THE HISTORY OF THE GAME WITH
TEAM DEVOTION.
-CONSIDER THE GAME A SOCIAL EVENT & LOVE TALKING
ABOUT IT WHEN NOT WATCHING IT.
19. TEAM OBSESSORS
-AGE: 25-34.
-INCOME: $75,000-150,000.
-CONTEMPORARY HARDCORE
FANS.
-HYPERCOMPETITIVE & FEEL A
DEEP NEED TO CONNECT WITH
SIMILAR MINDED FANS.
-LISTEN TO SPORTS TALK
RADIO & READ ONLINE SPORTS
CONTENT.
20. FAMILY CONNECTORS
-AGE: MARRIED WITH CHILDREN (TEND TO BE FEMALE).
-INCOME: $50,000-75,000.
-SEE BASEBALL AS A WAY TO ENJOY TIME TOGETHER WITH
FAMILY OR WITH OTHERS IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
-SUPPORT TEAM, BUT NOT VERY CLOSELY.
-MORE LIKELY TO CONNECT WITH TEAM FOR THE ROLE IT
PLAYED FOR THEIR FAMILY.
21. SPORTS
“WELL-ESTABLISHED, OFFICIALLY GOVERNED
COMPETITIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES IN WHICH
PARTICIPANTS ARE MOTIVATED BY INTERNAL &
EXTERNAL REWARDS.”
AGREE?
22. SPORTS VS PLAY & SPECTACLE
PLAY
-AN EXPRESSIVE ACTIVITY DONE FOR ITS OWN SAKE.
-PARTICIPANT ORIENTED.
SPECTACLE
-A PERFORMANCE MEANT TO ENTERTAIN AN AUDIENCE.
-SPECTATOR ORIENTED.
PLAY SPORTS SPECTACLE
23. SOCIOLOGY
“THE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL WORLDS THAT PEOPLE
CREATE, ORGANIZE, MAINTAIN, AND CHANGE THROUGH
THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER.”
-THE STUDY OF SOCIETY.
24. SOCIALIZATION
-THE PROCESS OF PROVIDING AN INDIVIDUAL WITH THE SKILLS* NECESSARY FOR
PARTICIPATING WITHIN SOCIETY.
*SKILLS:
1) NORMS
-PRINCIPLES OF RIGHT ACTION SERVING TO GUIDE, CONTROL, OR REGULATE ACCEPTABLE
BEHAVIOR.
2) CUSTOMS
-LONG ESTABLISHED PRACTICES CONSIDERED AS UNWRITTEN LAW.
3) LAWS
-RULES/REGULATIONS ESTABLISHED IN A COMMUNITY BY SOME AUTHORITY.
-HOW DO WE LEARN THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS?
-HOW DO SPORTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS?
