Search for the hero: an investigation into the sports heroes of British sports fans

This is an initial study into British sports fans’ heroes. A questionnaire was sent to 95 students (average age ¼ 19.75) to identify their sporting hero, the hero’s sport and nationality and the reasons for this choice. Football was the most common source of sports heroes, identified by 49% of participants with a sporting hero. The majority (60%, N ¼ 48) of heroes chosen by participants were British, with David Beckham the most popular choice. Differences were observed between the gender of participants, gender of hero chosen and the reasons for choosing the hero. The most common reason for selecting a hero was a personal trait rather than skill, while in the questionnaire a category of Local Affiliation was added to those suggested by previous work. It was concluded that to become a hero athletes should combine skill with devotion to family, charity work and a place in popular culture

An Examination of Sport Fandom in the United Kingdom: A Comparative Analysis of Fan Behaviors, Socialization Processes, and Team Identification

Despite recent cross-cultural analyses of sport fandom, work in the field is still limited. To partially fill this research void, the current investigation investigated sport fandom in the United Kingdom, and included cross-cultural comparison with existing data. Four research areas were reviewed: a) sport fan behaviors, b) socialization into the sport fan role, c) identification with the social role of sport fan, and d) team identification. A sample of 252 students at a university in the United Kingdom completed a questionnaire packet assessing demographics, fandom, fan behaviors, team identification, and the impact of various socialization agents. Results revealed gender differences in behavior (e.g., males reported greater levels of participation than females) and both team identification and fandom were significant predictors of fan behavior. The importance of the father as a socialization agent was highlighted throughout the sample, and levels of identification were generally high. Cross-cultural analysis indicated that socialization agents for the UK were more varied than other countries, UK fans were more likely to watch sport live, and UK males were more likely to watch and discuss sport daily. In general, it was demonstrated that UK fan behavior was closer to that of Americans and, in particular, Australian fans, rather than fans in European (Greek and Norwegian) samples

'Surf's up!':A call to take english soccer fan interactions on the internet more seriously

Soccer fandom practices in England have been significantly impacted by globalization. The creation of the Premier League in 1992, and the way in which satellite television company BSkyB dominated coverage of this, together with other developments, have led to changes in how fans consume top-level English soccer. Whilst such global transformations are well documented in the sociology of soccer literature, the implications of the rise of the most advanced global form of communication - the Internet - on the practices of fans of English soccer clubs, have not been fully taken into account by academics. As such, the significance of the Internet as a site for fans to interact remains under-investigated. This article argues that online interactions between fans of English clubs need to be taken more seriously by academics if they are to more fully understand how soccer contributes to the maintenance of social identities in contemporary England

Masculinities, affect and the (re)place(ment) of stardom in Formula One fan leisure practices

Writing from an autoethnographic perspective, this article explores male leisure practices via the mediated relationships fans enter into with stars. More specifically, my own fandom for Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve is the locus of study, revealing how this affective investment shapes and furnishes my corresponding leisure practices. Notions of gendered 'performativity' come to the fore, with my own displays evoking, enacting and revealing oscillating performances of masculinity. Moreover, there are interesting gendered dynamics that such fan leisure practices flag in terms of the intersection of female/male relationships and the potential 'fantasy' and/or narcissistic readings that a male fan identifying with and performing as another male sport star afford. Finally, my research reveals paradoxes for contemporary masculinities, with fans reliant upon mediation and commodification to facilitate and sustain their performative roles. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

The relationship between sport team identification and the need to belong

Because sport team identification plays an important role in facilitating higher levels of sport attendance and consumption (Wann et al., 2001), sport management and marketing professionals are often interested in determining variables that serve as antecedents of identification. Some authors have suggested that the need to belong may be one such variable (Gwinner and Swanson, 2003; Wann et al., 2001). Thus, two studies were designed to examine the relationship between need to belong and identification. Study 1 involved 119 US college students completing measures of demographics, identification, fandom, and the need to belong. Consistent with expectations, the need to belong was positively correlated with level of identification with a local sport team, but not identification with a distant team or mere sport fandom. Study 2 contained a sample of 100 Greek university students and replicated the positive relationship between identification with a local team and the need to belong. Discussion centres on the causal relationships among the variables, implications for fans of distant teams, and suggestions for sport marketers and managers. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Een procedureel rechtvaardiger arbitragesysteem als remedie tegen kwetsende spreekkoren in voetbalstadions.

In dit experiment stond de relatie tussen rechtvaardigheid en verbale agressie jegens voetbalscheidsrechters centraal. De respondenten (N = 48 mannen; allen in meer of' mindere mate supporter van SC Heerenveen) kregen een digitaal videofragment uit een wedstrijd van SC Heerenveen te zien waarbij sprake was van een voor SC Heerenveen nadelige beslissing die correct (distributieve rechtvaardigheid) of incorrect (distributieve onrechtvaardigheid) was. Het effect van distributieve (on)rechtvaardigheid op verbale agressie werd onder drie verschillende condities van procedurele rechtvaardigheid onderzocht: het thans vigerende arbitragesysteen, het thans vigerende arbitragesysteem met een herhaling, en een nieuw, procedureel rechtvaardiger arbitragesysteem waarin de scheidsrechter gebruik maakte van videobeelden voordat hij een definitieve beslissing nam. Overeenkomistig de verwachtingen lieten de resultaten zien dat in het huidige systeem, een correcte maar voor SC Heerenveen nadelige arbitrale beslissing relatief veel verbale agressie opriep, maar alleen bij toeschouwers die zich sterk identificeerden met SC Heerenveen. Dit resultaat suggereert dat verbale agressie in voetbalstadions kan worden beteugeld door invoering van het nieuwe, procedureel rechtvaardiger arbitragesysteem