Standing Out While Fitting In: Exploring the Differential Roles of Belonging and Distinctiveness in Team Choice

Belonging and distinctiveness are considered innate motivators for human behavior and decision making. Satisfaction of both needs is often associated with increased levels of well-being and personal agency. Both belonging and distinctiveness have been examined as successful motivators for sport fandom, but research is needed to determine the differential roles of either trait in choosing a specific team or sport to follow. The current study asked participants to report their needs for belonging and distinctiveness and to choose a fictional sport team to cheer for upon moving to a new country. One team was described as being the “mainstream” team with a significantly larger number of fans than the “outsider” team (otherwise, the descriptions were identical). Individuals who reported a greater need for belonging typically chose to follow the more popular team, while those with higher desires for distinctiveness aligned with the less popular team. These results provide evidence that belonging and distinctiveness play a role in decision making regarding sport fandom team choices. Future studies should further explore this phenomenon, while also examining the role of belonging and distinctiveness in alternate methods of media consumption and consumer decision makin

The Verbal Aggression of Spectators at Youth Baseball Games: Investigating the Impact of Competition Level, Team Identification, and Fan Dysfunction

Previous research had found that level of team identification was positively associated with aggression at youth sporting events (Wann, Weaver, Belva, Ladd, & Armstrong, 2015).  The current investigation was designed to extend this work by incorporating fan dysfunction into the model (i.e., fans who are confrontational and frequently complain).  Spectators at either a recreational or select (i.e., travel) youth baseball game completed a survey packet assessing demographics, team identification with their favorite Major League Baseball team, identification with the youth team, fan dysfunction, and hostile and instrumental verbal aggression directed toward officials and opponents.  Results indicated that, contrary to expectations, team identification was not a unique predictor of verbal aggression.  Rather, fan dysfunction predicted each form of aggression, aggression toward both targets, and total aggression.

Predicting Tendencies to Consider Illegally Assisting a Sport Team: The Influence of Team Identification and Sport Fan Dysfunction

Previous research (Wann et al., 2001) had investigated the willingness of sport fans to consider illegal or unethical actions to assist their team (i.e., cheating behaviors such as taking a test for a player). They found that individuals with higher levels of team identification were particularly likely to consider engaging in these acts. The current investigation extended this work by incorporating fan dysfunction into the design. Consistent with expectations, the results indicated that both persons with high levels of identification and persons with high levels of dysfunction were most likely to consider engaging in the cheating behaviors

The Relationship between Sport Fan Dysfunction and Trait Aggression

The current investigation was designed to examine the relationships among sport fandom, dysfunctional sport fandom, and trait aggression. Although past research had yielded inconsistent results (Wann et al., 1999, 2002), based on more recent research (Castleman et al., 2020) it was hypothesized that fan dysfunction would be a significant positive predictor of trait aggression while sport fandom would be a significant negative predictor of trait aggression. Additionally, we predicated that fan dysfunction would mediate the relationship between sport fandom and trait aggression. Analyses supported each hypothesis, indicating that once one takes into account the dysfunctional component of sport fandom, fandom predicts lower levels of aggression

An Examination of Sport Fans’ Perceptions of the Impact of the Legalization of Sport Wagering on Their Fan Experience

Over the years, professional and collegiate organizations have fought attempts to increase the legalization of sport wagering. One argument presented by those in opposition is that increased legalization would negatively alter the manner in which fans and spectators follow, consume, and react to sporting events (Tuohy, 2013). The current research was designed to examine possible changes in fandom by investigating fans’ perceptions of the impact of increasing legalized sport wagering on their fan experience, interest in sport, and sport consumption. Participants (N = 580) completed a questionnaire packet assessing demographics, economic fan motivation, fandom, and perceptions of the impact of increased access to legalized sport gambling. Data and analyses indicated that expected impacts were small and generally positive (e.g., a modest increase in interest in sport and consumption) and that these effects were greatest among groups historically active in sport gambling (e.g., persons higher in economic motivation and sport fandom)

Examining Sport Team Identification, Social Connections, and Social Well-being among High School Students

Past research has found that sport team identification is positively correlated with social psychological health (Phua, 2012; Wann & Weaver, 2009) including work testing adolescent fans (Wann, Brasher, Thomas, & Scheuchner, in press).  The current study was designed to extend previous investigations by examining the relationship between team identification and the establishment and maintenance of social connections.  Data from 177 high school students confirmed expectations as identification with a high school football team was positively correlated with both social well-being and social connections.  However, social connections were not found to mediate the relationship between identification and well-being, contrary to the team identification – social psychological health model (Wann, 2006b)

When the magic closes: Examining how Disney fans coped with theme park and resort closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic

This essay discusses a qualitative investigation we conducted with fans of the Disney parks and resorts during the summer of 2020 regarding the company’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, 22 people responded to open-ended questions from an online survey to discuss their views of the closures and planned reopenings of the Disney parks and resorts amid the early days of the pandemic. Using social identity theory (Tajfel, 1978) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), we discuss how fans react to and cope with the temporary loss of a favorite activity and how companies in the themed entertainment industry can work to engage customers during such times. Along with implications for practitioners working in themed entertainment, we also introduce areas of future investigation important to further understanding of fan behavior amid uncertainty

Investigating the Impact of Team Identification on the Willingness to Commit Verbal and Physical Aggression by Youth Baseball Spectators

The current investigation was designed to extend previous work on the aggressive actions of youth baseball spectators (Hennessy & Schwartz, 2007) by incorporating team identification into the research. Team identification, the extent to which a fan feels a psychological connection to a team, (Wann, Melnick, Russell, & Pease, 2001) has been found to be an important predictor of a wide variety of aggressive actions among sport consumers (Wann, 2006). Spectators (N = 80) at youth baseball games completed a questionnaire packet assessing demographics, team identification, vengeance, anger, hostility, and the likelihood of acting in a verbally or physically aggressive manner toward a number of potential targets (e.g., officials, opposing players). Consistent with expectations, team identification predicted a willingness to commit verbally aggressive acts. However, identification did not predict physical aggression

Use of Retroactive Pessimism as a Method of Coping with Identity Threat: The Impact of Group Identification

Retroactive pessimism involves retrospectively lowering one's evaluations of a group's chances for success after a failed competition. Although past research has substantiated the existence of this strategy, investigators have yet to examine how level of group identification might impact the use of retroactive pessimism. Given that coping with group threat is most prominent among persons with high levels of group identification, we hypothesized that displays of retroactive pessimism would be magnified in persons with strong allegiances to a group. This hypothesis was tested by having supporters of two college basketball teams evaluate the chances for victory for each team both prior to the game between the teams and subsequent to the contest. Regression analyses confirmed expectations (the greatest magnitude of retroactive pessimism was reported by highly identified supporters of the losing team in their evaluations of the winning team). Subsequent analyses revealed that this effect was not mediated by level of disappointment in the outcome