Sports Fans

Dieses Buch analysiert das gesellschaftlich weitverbreitete Ressentiment gegen RB Leipzig aus antisemitismuskritischer Perspektive. In einer empirisch fundierten theoretischen Auseinandersetzung stellt dieses Buch eine gleichermaßen innovative wie richtungsweisende Studie über die Fankultur der Ultras sowie die Artikulationsformen des Antisemitismus im 21. Jahrhundert vor. Brunssen legt eindrucksvoll dar, wie sich die Ablehnung RB Leipzigs aus einem jahrhundertealten Fundus antisemitischer Bilder speist.

Mit einem Vorwort von Andrei S. Markovits.

The video game FIFA (Electronic Arts) is an annually released title with a very profitable FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) mode backed by a large community of gamers. This article demonstrates that they are subversive consumers based on a fan studies approach. The netnographic study was conducted over two years on the official FUT forum and supplemented with analysis of online news services and different web archives. It revealed that players do not want to give up “control” over the game and “clash” with producers on several fronts. They criticize the game, mainly the micropayments and other EA practices, considering them manipulations. This has given rise to subversive practices, including illegal ones from the company’s point of view. The author distinguishes three levels of activities, showing the intricate relationships between players and producers. Until now, little attention has been paid to meanings that gamers attribute to sports games and their consequences for producers.

Cricket has always been known for its international level competitions ; however, recently, league-format has been introduced into it. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the motives of fans' loyalty (and disloyalty) in the context of Pakistan Super League (PSL). For this purpose, a longitudinal qualitative study was established among the PSL fans. The first study was conducted before the beginning of the PSL and the second study was conducted at the end of PSL. The responses of the participants indicated that the PSL fans have short-term and changeable loyalties. The study identified various reasons that motivate fans to detach from one team/athlete and attach to another team/athlete. In the context of teams, four motives emerged: performance, location, the team itself and the athlete; whereas, in the context of athletes, three different motives emerged: performance, off-field attributes and other on-field attributes. The results of the study are also discussed in the context of the previous literature. Resumen: El críquet siempre ha sido conocido por sus competiciones de nivel internacional; sin embargo, recientemente se ha introducido el forma-to de liga. El propósito del presente estudio es investigar los motivos de la lealtad (y deslealtad) de los seguidores de este deporte en el contexto de la Superliga de Pakistán (PSL). Para ello, se estableció un estudio cualitativo longitudinal entre los seguidores de la PSL. El primer estudio se realizó antes del comienzo de la PSL y el segundo estudio se realizó al final de la PSL. Las respuestas de los participantes indicaron que los seguidores de la PSL tienen lealtades cambiantes y a corto plazo. El estudio identificó varias razones que motivan a los seguidores a separarse de un equipo / deportista y unirse a otro equipo / deportista. En el contexto de los equipos, se encontra-ron cuatro motivos: rendimiento, ubicación, el equipo en sí y el deportista; mientras que, en el contexto de los deportistas, se encontraron tres motivos diferentes: rendimiento, atributos fuera del campo y otros atributos dentro del campo. Los resultados de este estudio también se discuten en el contex-to de la literatura previa.

Abstract. The goals of this study are: 1) to know the differences in age and gender-related motivations, and 2) to check if there are differences in the reasons based on state-trait anger levels. An ad-hoc questionnaire was developed, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2) was applied to 1188 children sports fans from Spain. Results showed that girls chose social and family reasons. On the other hand, boys stand out for their choice of antisocial motives, watching their idols, and the competitive motive. Regression analyses showed that lower levels of trait anger are related with not to choose the motives «I enjoy seeing how they shout and insult» (p<.01; OR = .87), «because it relaxes and calms me» (p<.01; OR = .84) and «I like the fuss they make» (p<.01; OR = .89). Furthermore, regression analysis showed that lower levels of anger state are related with not to choose the reason «to be with my friends» (p<.01; OR = .87), «because they shout and insult» (p<.01; OR = .82), «my team is winning» (p<.01; OR = .95), «I like the fuss» (p<.01, OR = .82); and the reason for joining a supporters' club is « I like the fuss they make «(p<.01; OR = .49). It was concluded that there are differences in gender and age depending on the chosen motifs. In addition, state-trait anger influences the motives chosen by young sports spectators, with youths with higher levels of trait-state anger exercising for the more competitive and unsportsmanlike reasons.

The present study aimed to examine the attitudes and behaviors of football fans in the Middle East and to make comparisons between the different football markets in the region. Overall, 2133 football fans from 10 countries participated in the survey. Results showed that football is popular among all fans, regardless of country, age and income brackets. In the Middle East, fans frequently follow multiple football teams, while both males and females are highly identified with their favored teams. Results also showed that the big European football teams have created a solid fan base in this part of the world. Finally, the more passionate group of fans is keen not only on attending football games, but participating more in different types of sporting, leisure and art events and activities as well. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are discussed.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to develop and validate a scale to measure the perceived orientation of sport organizations toward their fans, and subsequently to test its relationship with six outcomes based on data from the fanbases of three distinct sport teams.

Design/methodology/approach – Using interviews and focus groups, important elements of fans’ perceptions of their relationship with sport organizations are identified. After creating items based on the results of the interviews and focus groups, EFA, CFA and SEM procedures are used to create and test a multidimensional scale of perceived fan orientation.

Findings – Using EFA and CFA procedures, an 11-item, four-dimension scale of perceived fan orientation is validated, including components measuring (1) hosting events and campaigns for fans, (2) communicating information to fans, (3) interacting with fans when requests and problems arise, and (4) providing preferential treatment to fans. The SEM results provide evidence of the impact of fan orientation on multiple measured outcomes for three professional football teams.

Research limitations/implications – This research is limited to three professional football teams in Turkey. However, the development of the multidimensional perceived fan orientation (PERFANOR) scale provides sport organizations’ management and personnel with information about the relationship fans desire.

Practical implications – Sport managers, marketers and front-line staff are recommended to undertake activities to improve the relationship between the organization, team and its fans.

Originality/value – The principles and practices of relationship marketing and service quality often include discussions of the importance of “putting fans first,” however until now, no multidimensional scale existed in sport which measures the perceived fan orientation of a sport organization.

Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and sport fan behavior research often examines fans based on demographic characteristics, recent advances in understanding how sport fans co-create and co-consume sporting events provides substantial evidence that sports fans should be examined as tribal groups. Tribal sport fan groups can be identified based on seven dimensions, including membership; geographic sense of community; social recognition; shared rivalry; and shared knowledge of symbols, rituals and traditions, and people. In this research, these seven dimensions are used to classify sport fans (n=1505) through hierarchical and k-cluster analyses. The results of the cluster analyses using the seven dimensions suggest six unique clusters, labelled as (1) casual fans, (2) moderate remote fans, (3) moderate local fans, (4) local developing tribal fans, (5) remote tribal fans, and (6) tribal fans. A discussion of these six fan groups and the implications regarding associations with demographics and other important variables are provided.

Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and sport fan behavior research frequently segmented fans based on demographic characteristics, recent advances in understanding how sport fans co-create and co-consume sporting events provides substantial evidence that sports fans should be examined as tribal groups. In this research, seven dimensions of sport fan tribalism are proposed and tested (membership; geographic sense of community; social recognition; shared rivalry; and shared knowledge of symbols, rituals and traditions, and people) with samples from top-level American college football (Division I American football) and the top level of professional Portuguese soccer (Primeira Liga). The results provide reliability and validity evidence in support of the seven-dimension scale. In addition, the structural testing of the scale highlights differences between tribal fans and their teams (relative to other teams) in terms of five behavioral intentions and two commitment- related outcome variables. The implications of labeling sports fans at tribal, the use of the seven-dimension scale and the structural results are all discussed.

The objectives of this research work were: To
study the prosocial behaviours of participants who
are sport followers and non-followers and those
affiliated in a supporter´s club and non-affiliated; and
compare if prosocial behaviours differ between sports
practitioners and those who do not practice. The
sample consisted of 1663 school children with an age
range from 8 to 12 years old (M = 9.80; SD = 1.21).
The results showed higher levels of empathic
concern (p < .05; d = .15) in sports followers than
in non-followers. On the other hand, the followers
showed higher scores in the variable social self-
control (p < .05; d = .12) than non-followers. It was
concluded that the followers are the group with the
highest empathic concern and higher scores in social
self-control compared to non-followers. Therefore,
following sport could be a strategy to improve social
behaviours in school children.

Research in consumer culture focuses on the role of fans in creating social spaces or fandoms in contrast with larger society where new cultural meanings and values are socially negotiated. Drawing on media and cultural studies, this article describes fandoms as a process rooted in the larger phenomenon of fanaticism and its interaction with the current society. The article posits the study of fanaticism as a fruitful lens for a deeper understanding of the role of consumption and brands in today’s consumer societies.

In the 1980s, in the period before the collapse of Yugoslavia, football stadiums became one of the most important public spaces in
which forbidden and suppressed discourses were exposed.
Correspondingly, it has been widely accepted that the state
repressive apparatus perceived football supporter groups as an
exceptionally dangerous political opponent to the socialist system. However, according to the analysis of archival materials from
the Yugoslav secret service Croatian supporters per se were not
perceived as such. Supporter groups were approached primarily
as subculture actors with a special system of social norms and
values. This is evident from a 1989 operative investigation codenamed ‘Stadion’, the purpose of which was to surveil four of the
largest Croatian supporter groups. The surveillance of supporters
began mainly as a consequence of the foundation of the first
opposition political parties. This increased the possibility that supporter groups would be instrumentalized, which was a real potential danger from the perspective of the secret service.

In this episode, Derek and Nathan speak with Andrew Stoeten, Toronto Blue Jays (Major League Baseball) columnist at The Athletic and co-host of the Birds All Day podcast (and formerly of Drunk Jays Fans (DJF) and Blue Jays Nation).

Andrew explains how he got into baseball writing and then the three delve into the tensions of having personal investments in fandom while working in a profession connected to sport and examine the difficulties of having political inclinations when "Republicans buy sneakers too." In the latter half of the episode, they turn to a discussion of how advanced analytics and fantasy sports can have a dehumanizing impact on the way players are viewed and then consider the future of baseball in the pandemic.

Sports fans are known to engage in BIRGing, or basking in reflected glory after their team wins, and CORFing, cutting off reflected failure following a team loss. These phenomena are related to social identity theory, which examines how group memberships shape a person’s self-image. This chapter explores how media-attentive sports fans internalize victory and externalize defeat by charting the simultaneous developments in the 1970s of social identity theory, advanced by European social psychologists, and BIRGing and CORFing, which are rooted in a landmark study on college students wearing school-identifying apparel after the university football team won. The chapter also examines how social identity has served and can continue to be utilized as the theoretical backbone for research on mass-mediated sports fandom.

Social networking sites which are Web 2.0 applications have become widespread and there are of usage has increased. The study aims to investigate the purpose of using the social networking site, Twitter by club fans. The sample of the study is composed of fans from Spor Toto (Turkish football pool) Football Super League Clubs Galatasaray and Trabzonspor with registered official Twitter accounts. A 20-item data collection tool was developed in line with the literature and expert views and was published in an internet site for a whole month in August. The views of the 452 fans that filled in the form were analyzed. Results show that the new social networking site Twitter has been mostly followed by males between 18-24 ages that are fans of sports clubs. Fans have stated that they mostly follow Twitter in order to learn about the views of footballers and sports managers. Its interactive features and provision of direct and reliable information by Twitter have been stated as the reasons of high preferences for Twitter compared with the other medias.

Social networking sites which are Web 2.0 applications have become widespread and there are of usage has increased. The study aims to investigate the purpose of using the social networking site, Twitter by club fans. The sample of the study is composed of fans from Spor Toto (Turkish football pool) Football Super League Clubs Galatasaray and Trabzonspor with registered official Twitter accounts. A 20-item data collection tool was developed in line with the literature and expert views and was published in an internet site for a whole month in August. The views of the 452 fans that filled in the form were analyzed. Results show that the new social networking site Twitter has been mostly followed by males between 18-24 ages that are fans of sports clubs. Fans have stated that they mostly follow Twitter in order to learn about the views of footballers and sports managers. Its interactive features and provision of direct and reliable information by Twitter have been stated as the reasons of high preferences for Twitter compared with the other medias.

Chariot races were the earliest, most popular, and longest-lived of all forms of ‘spectacles’ in the Roman world. This essay surveys the spatial and architectural framework of the Circus Maximus, the primary chariot racing venue at Rome, and circuses around the empire; the organization of the races, including the role of the factions; the symbolic representations of victories and athletic victors, as well as the charioteers’ actual prizes; and the horses that were bred for racing. Throughout I also briefly discuss the sport’s spectators and fans, for whom the sport was a socially binding religion.
The essay focuses on the first through the fourth centuries A.D., with the bulk of the evidence (literary, epigraphic, artistic, and archaeological) drawn from the first two centuries. In keeping with current directions in the study of ancient sport and spectacle, the approach adopted here places less emphasis on the legal and technical aspects of the chariot races (‘event-oriented sport history’) and more on these competitions as ‘part of a broader social canvas’ (the ‘social history of sport and spectacle’).