This document discusses the phenomenon of sports fandom. It defines the differences between spectators and fans, with fans having a stronger devotion to a team or sport. Fans can range from fair-weather fans who only follow when a team is winning, to die-hard fans deeply invested in a team's success or failure. The document also categorizes fans into social, focused, and vested types based on their level of emotional attachment. It explores the rituals and performances of fandom, as well as the six main motivations that drive fans' connections to sports such as aesthetic beauty, achievement, drama, escape, knowledge and social connection.

2. } 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

4. } 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

5. } 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.

6. } 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

7. } 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)

8. } Fans’ connection to sports is driven by six
motivations:
} Aesthetic Beauty
} Achievement
} Drama
} Escape
} Knowledge
} Social Connection

9. 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.

10. } 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,

11. } Sports teams cultivate identification, but what
happens when a team leaves the city?
} Fans feel betrayed, use words like “divorce”
and “death”

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

13. } 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?

14. } Identity is a function of representation
} Athletes are presented/framed to public in
various ways
} Gender
} Sexuality
} Race
} Ethnicity
} Ability/Disability

15. } Are male and female athletes portrayed
differently?
} Would the average person think of Danica
Patrick as an athlete? Or a sex symbol?

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