Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Fandom

Sports, and the fans that follow them, are everywhere. The third edition of Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Fandom examines the affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions of fans to better comprehend how sport impacts individual fans and society as a whole.

Using up-to-date research and theory from multiple disciplines including psychology, sociology, marketing, history, and religious studies, this textbook provides a deeper understanding of topics such as the pervasiveness of sport fandom in society; common demographic and personality characteristics of fans; how fandom can provide a sense of belonging, of uniqueness, and of meaning in life; the process of becoming a sport fan; sport fan consumption; and the future of sport and the fan experience. Thoroughly updated throughout, this new edition includes:

• New chapters on rivalry between fandoms, and needs met by fandom
• Increased coverage of fandom for women’s sports and fans
• Additional sections on how fans react to the emotions of athletes, sport fandom as a platform for social change, attachments to specific sports, spectators at youth sporting events, and local versus nonlocal sports
• Expanded coverage of research on other targets of identification and what we can learn from this about sport fandom

Expertly combining a rigorous level of empirical research and theory in an engaging, accessible format, Sport Fans remains the essential text on sport fan behavior.

Daniel L. Wann is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Murray State University, USA.

Jeffrey D. James is Mode L. Stone Distinguished Professor of Sport Management at Florida State University, USA.

Cody T. Havard is Professor of Sport Commerce at University of Memphis, USA.

Elizabeth B. Delia is Associate Professor of Sport Management at University of Massachusetts, USA.