Fandom is not a new concept. How fandom is expressed today however has evolved. This is due to the integration of social and digital media int sports media and marketing. This presentation explores the emotional and digital gridirons of how contemporary fandom are experienced and expressed.

1. EMOTIONAL
GRIDIRON
Psychology of Sports Fan
Identification and the Digital
Experience
Tunisha Singleton, Ph.D. © 2016

2. Sport has the power to change the world.
It has the power to inspire. It has the power
to unite in a way that little else does.
It speaks to youth in a language they
understand.
Sport can create hope where once there was
only Despair.
--Nelson Mandela, 2006

3. Mental
Market in
Sports
- Emotional Context
• Belonging
• Connection
• Purchase patterns
• Goals
• Values
- Digital Context
• Consumption patterns
• Devices
• Multiple screens
• Expectations
• Media behaviors

4. Fandom is not new.
How we express
fandom however, is
changing.
“Sports have drawn people
together to cheer for their
heroes for as long as there
has been a record of human
activity.”
– Jeremy M. Jacobs, Owner
of Boston Bruins

5. Components
of
Commitment
• Foundation of organizational psychology
applied to the vertical of sport fan
identification and media technology.

6. Affective
Attachment:
(Want)
• "...the emotional attachment to the
organization such that the strongly
committed [person] identifies with, is
involved in, & enjoys membership in." (Allen
& Meyer, 1990)
• "I want to watch the game.”
• “I want to tailgate to be around other
fans and share the experience.”

7. Continuance:
(Need)
• ..."commitment is viewed as a tendency to
'engage in consistent lines of activity based
on a person's recognition of the 'costs'
associated with discontinuing the activity"
(Allen & Meyer, 1990)
• "I need to watch the game because my
team is playing.”
• I need to go toTimmy Nolan’s bar to be
around other Boston Celtics fans.”

8. Normative:
(Ought or
Should)
• ..."feelings of obligations that an employee or
member has to an organization...individuals
[who] exhibit behaviors solely because they
believe it is the 'right' and moral thing to do"
(Allen & Meyer, 1990)
• "I should watch the game because I feel
obligated to my team.”
• I ought to attend at least 1 home game
live.

9. DIGITAL MEDIATION
Social and digital media have
changed everything – including the
way we identify with sport and
show commitment.

10. New Forms of
Affective
Attachment:
• NBA OFFICIAL LEAGUE ANDTEAM
TWITTER FOLLOWERS  38,800,000
• “Social media has increased my ability to find
other fans, share my passion, and recruit
others into watching my favorite team or
player.”
 NBA Official Game Ball w/Twitter Handle
embroidered

11. New forms of
Continuance:
• “I know that if I miss watching a game live, I
can use social media to see what happened.”
FoMO (Fear of Missing Out):
“...FoMO could serve as a mediator linking
deficits in psychological needs to social
media engagement. FoMO plays an
essential role in the explanation of social
media engagement over and above several
individual factors, such as levels of need
satisfaction” (Alt, 2015)

12. New Forms of
Normative:
• “I make an effort to support and promote my
favorite team or player in social media spaces
(e.g. post team/player related content, take
sport related selfies, use sport related
snapchat filters, etc.)”
• Possession-Self Link (Ferraro, Escalas, &
Bettman, 2011)
When a person gives an object meaning,
possession become a symbol of the content and
values essential to their identity.
Belongings   Self-worth

13. External
Group
Identities
Culture
Ethnicity
Location
Vocation
Status
Sexuality
 Multiple extensions of
self afforded through
sport’s narrative
EMOTIONAL GRIDIRON

14. DIGITAL GRIDIRON
Evolution of sport media consumption
Trace the patterns between media consumption and human behavior.

15. BEFORE
1911Western UnionTelegrams
• Kansas vs Missouri
• Mechanical reproduction broadcast
1921 Radio Broadcast
• “The largest audience in history”
• 1st radio broadcast of special event, Jack
Dempsey vs GeorgesCarpentier
1936 Summer Olympics
• 1st tv coverage of a sporting event
• 72 hours total of live transmission
2000s – Live Streaming
• Internet of things
• Online streaming of sports &
entertainment
2010s – Multiscreen Experiences
• Second and third screen enabled
2016 –Virtual Reality
• NextVR,VOKE, EON, etc.
NOW

16. Virtual
Fandomonium
VR/AR represents a turning point in
media consumption.
The sport experience is no longer
storytelling; it’s STORY LIVING.

17. Are fans willing to
useVR to watch live
sports?
Average of 6.63
shows a leaning
towardsVR!
PREFERRED VIEWING EXPERIENCE
Augment the experience
with immersive-based
features beyond
premium seating or
traditional home viewing

18. SELF-SPORT
CONNECTION
Augmented by social and digital media application

19. Sport Selfies
Enhancing identity &
extending experiences
w/digital media.
Digital validation of fan
affiliation.

20. 3 Keys to Sports Mental Market
1. Emotion
• Use technology to build
emotionally-binding content.
2. Engagement
• Ignite your media landscape
with activity
3. Experience
• A great experience has no
expiration date.