Have you ever wondered why some people are so passionate about their favorite sports teams? This article explores the fascinating world of fandom, particularly focusing on the intense emotions and identity connections that fans develop with their teams. Let’s dive into the psychology behind being a fan, using the example of college football enthusiasts.
Imagine being at a thrilling football game, surrounded by thousands of cheering fans. The excitement is palpable, and the energy is contagious. For many, this is more than just a game; it’s a significant part of their identity. Take Joe, for instance, a scientist and a devoted fan of the University of Texas Longhorns. His emotions are deeply tied to the team’s performance. When they win, he shares a collective joy with fellow fans, but when they lose, he experiences a range of negative emotions, despite having no control over the outcome.
What makes someone a fan? Psychologists have studied this phenomenon extensively. A fan is someone who has a strong psychological connection to something or someone, whether it’s a sports team, a pop star, or a movie franchise. The degree of fandom varies among individuals, with some being casual fans and others becoming super fans, whose identities are closely linked to their fandom.
To measure the intensity of fandom, psychologists use the Sport Spectator Identification Scale (SSIS), developed by Dan Wann. This seven-question quiz assesses how fandom influences a person’s self-perception, behavior, and how others perceive them. A higher score indicates a stronger identification with the team, classifying them as a super fan.
Several factors contribute to why people become fans. One significant factor is social connection. Many people become fans during childhood, influenced by their parents and the social environment. For instance, Destin, a super fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, grew up in a family where college sports were a big deal, shaping his fandom from an early age.
For others, like Joe, fandom develops through social interactions and cultural influences. When Joe attended the University of Texas, sports became a way to bond with friends and family, solidifying his identity as a Longhorn fan.
Fandom is deeply rooted in our human nature. Biologist Edward O. Wilson explains that humans have an innate desire to belong to groups, which provides safety and comfort. This tribalism gives us meaning in a chaotic world, but it also leads to strong rivalries and a tendency to defend our group against others.
Experiments have shown that humans form groups quickly and are more likely to support their own group, even at the expense of fairness. This tribal instinct is evident in the intense rivalries between sports teams and their fans.
Fandom extends beyond sports. It can be seen in various communities, such as music fans, movie enthusiasts, and more. These groups fulfill the same psychological need for belonging and identity. Understanding the psychology of fandom helps us appreciate the complex ways in which our identities are shaped by the groups we associate with.
In conclusion, being a fan is more than just supporting a team; it’s a reflection of our social nature and the deep connections we form with others. Whether you’re a casual fan or a super fan, the psychology of fandom reveals a lot about what it means to be human.
Design a survey to measure the intensity of fandom among your peers using the Sport Spectator Identification Scale (SSIS). Analyze the results to understand how strongly your classmates identify with their favorite sports teams and discuss the implications of these findings in a group setting.
Select a well-known sports rivalry and research its history and impact on fans. Present your findings in a case study format, highlighting the emotional and psychological aspects of the rivalry. Discuss how tribalism and social identity theory apply to this case.
Write a reflective essay on your own experiences as a fan. Consider how your fandom has influenced your identity, social connections, and emotional well-being. Share your essay with classmates to foster a discussion on the diverse experiences of fandom.
Participate in a debate on the positive and negative impacts of fandom on individuals and society. Prepare arguments for both sides, considering aspects such as community building, identity formation, and potential for conflict. Engage with your peers to explore different perspectives.
Work in groups to create a short documentary exploring the psychology of fandom. Interview fans, psychologists, and sociologists to gather insights. Use multimedia elements to illustrate the emotional and social dimensions of fandom, and present your documentary to the class.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, removing any inappropriate language or sensitive content while keeping the essence of the conversation intact:
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(atmosphere humming) – All right, here’s the moment! (people chattering distantly) Goin’ in with Joe! – It’s game time! (people chattering) (stadium music playing) (audience cheering) (upbeat music) (plane whooshing) – [Host] Make some noise, guys! (audience cheering intensifies) (low music) Whoops. (audience cheering) – Well, Joe is happy! (fan cheering) I am not! – We did it, baby. Hey, smart people! (soft cartoonish music) Joe here. You probably know that (paper shuffling) I’m a scientist. And maybe you know that I’m also a dad. (paper shuffling) And you can probably guess that I am a fan (paper clicking) of all things nerdy. These are things that define a big part of my identity. But what you might not know is that I’m a huge fan of University of Texas Longhorn Sports, (paper clicking) especially football. Or as we put it around here, I bleed burnt orange. (Destin talking distantly) So, when my team wins, I am pumped. I’m super happy. (audience cheering distantly) I share a feeling of joy with thousands of people that I’ve never met. But when they lose, (emotional music) I feel sad, angry, a whole list of negative emotions. I take it very personally, (soft music) even though I’m just a fan, and I have no control over anything that happens on the field. You probably know someone like this, or maybe you are someone like this. Humans can develop intense relationships, even obsessions with the things that we love and admire. A huge part of our identities, our emotions, and our lives get tied up in these things that we’re fans of. Now remember, I am a huge nerd, so (chuckling) I want to know why am I like this? Why am I a scientist who tries to live my life according to logic and reason? (graphics whooshing) (people chattering distantly) So irrationally attached to a football team. (graphics whooshing) I think the answers to these questions can teach us a lot about why humans are the way we are. So, I decided to study this in the best laboratory possible, the real world. One of the biggest games of the college football season, featuring my Texas Longhorns versus longtime powerhouse, the Alabama Crimson Tide on their home turf. (graphics whooshing) And I was able to find a local Alabama boy (Destin talking distantly) and Crimson Tide super fan to join me. – The fact that I’m taking you into the stadium. – Mm-hmm. – Is an act of extreme devotion to our friendship. Like, this could be the end of our friendship. What’s about to happen with this game and all. (silly suspenseful music) (graphics tinkling) Oh, gross. (Joe chuckling) Your shirt. – Oh? – It’s not as bad as Tennessee Orange, but it’s not great. (Joe laughing) – How big a fan of Alabama are you? – Big one. When Alabama went to the top 10 in our basketball team, I was holding a sign. It went out on the AP. It was a picture of me holding a sign that says “Alabama Number One.” – So, you went nationally famous for being an Alabama fan? – Yeah, that happened. – Well, nobody’s perfect. What does it mean to be a fan? (soft music) Well, a fan is a person that has a strong psychological connection with something or somebody. You can be a fan of a pop star or a movie franchise. And of course, you can be a fan of sports teams. Most of us are fans of something. But have you ever actually asked yourself why you like the things you do? Like most things about being human, not all of us experience being a fan in the same way. Some of us are casual fans, but others have really strong psychological connections to what we’re fans of. (exciting music) It shapes our behavior, and even how we think about ourselves. These people? They’re the super fans. – My first words were roll tide. – Okay. So, psychologists have actually come up with a way to figure out how much of a fan a person is. They use a test developed by a psychologist named Dan Wann, called the Sport Spectator Identification Scale. The SSIS is a short seven-question quiz that asks a person to think about how their fandom affects how they see themselves, how they behave, and how others perceive them. The higher your score, the more you identify with your team, and the closer you are to being a scientifically-certified sports super fan. (graphics whooshing) So, before the game, I gave this survey to as many super fans as I could find. This is far from a scientifically-controlled experiment, but I think it’ll give us an idea of just how big a part of our identities our fandom can be. And after we observe all the ways different people experience super fandom, then we’re gonna take what we learned (people chattering distantly) and try to crack the code on the psychology that makes this all tick. All right, I’m gonna ask you some questions. – Okay. – Honest answers, okay? I want you to give me a ranking from one to five. – Oh goodness, okay – One is not at all, five is very much extremely. Okay? – Okay. – How important is it to you that the Crimson Tide win? – So, it’s weird because Alabama is the best football team of all time. (Joe chuckling) – Oh, okay. – Yeah, so. – Debatable fact. (chuckling) – We’re kind of used to winning, and that’s bad. I don’t know! So, I would say three. Because at some point, you win so much that you can tell that the fan base gets used to it, and it’s bad for your soul. – Okay. – And so, I think I’d say three. – All right, so you won’t feel too bad when you lose today then? (Destin chuckling) (people chattering distantly) – Oh, it’s five, it’s my entire personality, it’s gotta be. – How important is it to you (fan shouting distantly) that the Longhorns win? – [Fan] Hell, yeah! – Five. Five is high, right? – Yeah! – Okay, five, absolutely, six, maybe, six. – [Joe] How important is it to you (people chattering distantly) that the Crimson Tide win every week? – Oh, five, 100%. – [Joe] What happens if they lose? With your emotions, to your mental state – Oh, gosh. It’s pretty bad. I remember when we lost to LSU, and it was an away game. (people chattering distantly) Bro, all of us in the car, we just like listened to super sad music, like on the way, ’cause we went to someone’s property to go watch it. – During the season, how closely do you follow the Crimson Tide? – Not as closely as I wish. And I think that’s just ’cause of the season of life I’m in right now. There’s just too much going on, and I can’t pay attention as much as I want. I’ll watch the games. I would say not as close as I should. So, I’d say I follow it at a two. Yeah. – You’re spending too much time on your YouTube channel. – I am. (Joe chuckling) I am, yep, and trying – It’s getting in the way of your football fandom. – It is, it is. (people chattering distantly) – [Joe] So, during the season, how closely do you follow Crimson Tide? TV, message boards? – Oh, all. – [Joe] Twitter. – So, I try my best to keep up with everything. – I own the largest online message board community related to the University of Texas called Surly Horns. It turns out that super fans really, really, really get into wanting to donate, contribute, build up a community. – How often do you display Crimson Tide or Alabama logo, or paraphernalia at work, at home? At school? – Quite often. I worked at a place in Tennessee as an intern, and the last day I worked, I went around, and I hid Alabama logos throughout the office. In places where people would find them months later. You pick up the phone and it was on the receiver. You remember the old CDs or the DVD burnables – – Mm-hmm. – Like the 15th one down, I’d put a logo right there. – Oh, man, yeah. (marching band playing distantly) – I always have something on me, and it’s usually my ring. I don’t take my ring off even when I get married, I don’t see myself getting rid of wearing my University of Texas ring. Like, it’s always a part of me. – How strongly do your friends and your family see you as a fan of the Crimson Tide? – It’s interesting because in our little circle, like my aunt, for example, is a bigger fan than any of us combined. Outside of our immediate sphere, people view me as more of a Bama fan than I think I am. Roll tide ’til I die. Let’s be clear. (Joe chuckling) However, if we lose, I’m quick to make sure to compliment the other team on a good game. Well, you were raised right, as they say in these parts. (Destin chuckling) (Joe chuckling) – Okay. (people chattering distantly) – [Joe] What’s your name, Madison? – Madison. – Okay, I’m Joe by the way. – It’s nice to meet you, Joe. So, I wrote The Horns down. (graphics popping) – [Joe] I know. – You know how it is. – [Joe] Like I said, I’m immune to it. It doesn’t hurt anymore – – It’s all right, it’s gotta be this way today. (Joe chuckling) – [Joe] What about your friends? How strongly do your friends see you as a Crimson Tide fan? Like they’re like, “Oh, no, no, Jesus.” – Yeah! I’d say five. I’d say five. (Joe chuckling) I also surround myself with like avid fans. – How strongly do you see yourself as a Crimson Tide fan? My first words were roll tide. – Okay. (laughing) (Joe’s voice drowns) – My first words were roll tide. – I think that makes a five – – And I’m pretty sure I went to Bama because of football. We grew up in a family where college wasn’t a huge deal, and so we identified with that university, and we’re like, oh, it’s time to go to University, Bama. So, brainwashed is what you can say. – Brainwashed, perfect. (Destin chuckling) (people chattering distantly) – I live in Atlanta. And like, my identity is wrapped around being a Texas fan, I’m not gonna lie. – He grew his beard – – My beard, not a lie. – To be burnt orange. – [Joe] To match that color. – My beard burnt orange, I was born to be a Longhorn fan. (people chattering distantly) Even in any city in the country, it doesn’t matter. So, the slice is 100%. Like, there’s no like little bit anywhere else. – This is something that I’m very passionate about, and really love to do. (fan shouting distantly) And it’s not just a weekend thing for me. (Joe’s voice drowns) – But I can’t say that it’s 180%. – [Joe] You gotta save a little bit – – It’s 60. – [Joe] For your kids. – 60%, yeah. – How much do you dislike the Crimson Tide’s rivals? (chuckling) – I would say Tennessee is the most difficult to deal with. I kind of, I sneaky like Auburn. I would say Tennessee and Florida? Nah. (Joe chuckling) – [Joe] How do you feel about Alabama’s biggest rival? (people chattering distantly) Let’s say one of your kids wants to bring home somebody from Tennessee? – Out of the question! – [Joe] How ’bout Auburn – – Auburn? Out of the question. – [Joe] Georgia? – I could deal with it. – [Joe] LSU? – Out of the question. (band music playing distantly) – How much do you dislike the Oklahoma Sooners? (people chattering distantly) – I’m just sorry, like if you’re from anywhere outside the state of Oklahoma and you support that school, you’ve got problems! – [Joe] How much do you dislike Alabama’s rivals? (fans laughing distantly) – Like Texas? Strongly! Strongly. Like I said, I grew up in an SEC family, so that Auburn rivalry and that Tennessee rivalry, ’cause that’s where I’m from, is very, very, very strong. – [Joe] Your kid one day wants to bring home an Auburn fan for dinner. – [Both] Not happening. – How much do you dislike (people chattering distantly) the Oklahoma Sooners? – 5. Can we do 10? – [Joe] Yeah – – I mean. – 10! – What’s the scale? – [Joe] 1 to 5, but – – Yo, the 5 or I will go 50. – Yeah. (Joe chuckling) – How important is being a fan of the Crimson Tide to you? – It’s a big deal – – If that went away. How big of a deal would that be? – How could that go away? (Joe chuckling) That can’t go away. I grew up here, and it was ordained (Joe chuckling) at my birth that I was gonna be a Bama fan. And when you go to school in Alabama, you walk in, and they’re like, “Hey, my name’s Joey, what’s your name?” “Alabama or Auburn.” (Joe chuckling) I just can’t imagine a reality or a parallel universe in which being a Bama fan is not an option. – After talking to all these people, it became really clear that for them, (soft cartoonish music) being a sports fan isn’t just about who wins and loses on the field. It’s a big part of these people’s identity! And that brings up a lot of big psychology questions. Like, what makes people become fans in the first place? Some of it has to do with where we live, how accessible the games are, even which colors we’re more attracted to. But researchers have found one of the most influential factors in super fandom is our connection to other people. Some of the most influential people in our lives are our parents. So, it’s not surprising that so many of us become fans during our childhood. And that gives us (chuckling) amazing videos of kids having some really big feelings about their sports teams. Kids think in black and white. Their brains and emotions aren’t fully developed. So, every time our parents approve of something, we’re learning that that thing is good, and that we should like it, and emulate it. So, our parents’ fandom shapes what we like and what we become fans of. That’s Destin’s story. But for a lot of us, it’s a combination of factors that turn us into fans. Like for me, I was not born a UT fan. My parents didn’t go there, they weren’t fans. But there was a lot of social pressure for me to pick a Texas team when I went to school. (chuckling) And then, when I started college at Texas, it changed again. Sports became a crucial part of social bonding and a way to connect with people who would become my friends. It even became a way for me to bond with my wife’s family who definitely loved the Longhorns. Now, I don’t think about any of this higher-level stuff when I’m cheering for my favorite team, but it’s true! It’s there! For me, becoming a UT fan felt like a choice. But humans are social animals, and we’re unconsciously shaped by the groups and cultures that we’re a part of. Psychology tells us that becoming a fan might not be the conscious decision that we think it is. (people chattering) – Well, I mean, as far as being a super fan, it’s just tribalism. Everybody’s tribalistic, right? I mean, we’re tribalistic (fan shouting distantly) that way, right? I was having drinks with an Alabama guy today! I like that guy. He was wearing the wrong color shirt, I’d fight that guy. (Joe chuckling) (fan chuckling) It’s just tribalism! – A famous biologist named Edward O. Wilson explains that wanting to belong to a group (soft music) is part of what makes us human. We want to form groups for safety and comfort. He explains that having a tribe gives us meaning in a chaotic world. But this also means we’re wired to defend our group or tribe from other people. Today, more and more people are finding social belonging in fandoms. Swifties, Star Wars fans, BTS Army, they’re all scratching the same psychological itch to be part of a group to belong. It’s kind of weird to think that our biology dictates what we love more than we consciously do. But scientists have actually tested this. In the ’70s, researchers split a group of male high school students into two groups, just depending on which artists they preferred. Then, students were given points which they could distribute to members of either group. The more points you got, the more cash you received at the end of the experiment. The catch, the more points you gave to members of your own group, the fewer points you had to distribute overall. The researchers found that the boys overwhelmingly favored their own group. Even when that meant that everyone got less money. Experiments like this one show that humans will form groups almost automatically over anything. And we’re more likely to support our tribe, our group, even when it means that some people get treated unfairly. Like, think back to what the fans we spoke with said about their most hated rivals. Do you have kids? (people chattering distantly) – Yes. It’s on the door, they know. – [Joe] They cheer for Alabama? – They cheer for Alabama. If my son or daughter got a full ride scholarship to Auburn, I would pay first. (fan laughing) – [Joe] You’d pay? – I would pay. I’d go in debt to pay. I would do everything I could to discourage him from going to Auburn. – [Joe] Today, man. – ‘Cause I would never wear those colors. – How much do you dislike the Oklahoma Sooners? – That’s a negative. (voices drown) You know what? I’ve never met someone from Oklahoma that I like. I’m just gonna be totally honest. – They’re a bunch
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. – Understanding the principles of psychology can help athletes improve their mental resilience during competitions.
Fandom – A community of enthusiasts who share a common interest in a particular sport, team, or athlete. – The psychology of fandom explores how identification with a sports team can enhance a sense of community and belonging among its members.
Emotions – Complex psychological states that involve subjective experiences, physiological responses, and behavioral expressions. – Managing emotions effectively is crucial for athletes to maintain focus and performance under pressure.
Identity – The qualities, beliefs, personality, and expressions that make a person or group distinct from others. – Athletes often derive a significant part of their identity from their participation in sports, which can influence their self-esteem and life choices.
Connection – A relationship or link between people, often characterized by emotional bonds and shared experiences. – Building a strong connection with teammates can enhance team cohesion and improve overall performance.
Social – Relating to society or its organization, particularly in terms of interactions and relationships between individuals. – Social dynamics within a sports team can significantly impact individual motivation and group success.
Tribalism – The behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own social group, often leading to a sense of rivalry with other groups. – Tribalism in sports can foster intense rivalries between fans, sometimes leading to both positive and negative social outcomes.
Influence – The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. – Coaches can have a profound influence on an athlete’s psychological development and performance through mentorship and guidance.
Behavior – The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others, often studied to understand underlying psychological processes. – Analyzing fan behavior at sporting events can provide insights into group dynamics and social identity theory.
Belonging – The human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group, which can influence psychological well-being and motivation. – A sense of belonging to a sports team can enhance an athlete’s commitment and satisfaction with their sporting experience.
