The Development of Sports Fan: From Self-Identification to “Diehard”

The following insight literature review describes the process that sports fans undergo in the development of their fandom – from the individual, self-identification phase to the mass-audience, communal experience and ultimately to the “diehard fan” distinction. Sports fans begin their fandom as individual entities who find emotional satisfaction in cheering for a particular team or athlete because those teams and athletes provide an important psychological component or addition to their lives. As fans’ connections to teams and athletes grow stronger, they seek out other like-minded individuals to share their emotions and feelings, which helps reinforce these attachments Thus, the communal experience in sports is born. The communal sports fan experience can also set groups against each other for the same reasons – the “us against them” mentality. The spread of new and social media platforms provides even stronger and instantaneous relationship building and maintenance opportunities among sports fans – enabling a “virtual” communal experience. The end result of fervent sports fans’ development is to become the most committed fan – the “diehard fan”. Keywords: fans, sports, group identity, self-identity, group values, diehard fan, communal experience