Mentor/s
Prof. LaTina Steele Prof. David Luesink Prof. Sam Schelfhout
Participation Type
Paper Talk
Abstract
Sports fandom drives the success and continuation of sports franchises at all levels internationally, yet fans and fandom itself are often criticized. Like all things, sports fandom has both positive and negative effects; some negatives outweigh the positives, and vice versa. A lot of the positivity surrounding sports fandom is rooted in the unique connection fans seem to have to both “their” teams as well as one another. I use data and evidence from many resources to explore fandom's psychological, sociological, and economic effects on society and those within it. The main contributors to the negative stigma surrounding sports fandom lie in media coverage and isolated instances/personal experiences, which are also explored and discussed in my research. After much research and analysis of the origin of sports fandom and its effects, I conclude that sports fandom offers much more to society's overall benefit than to society’s detriment. My findings and analysis also present ample opportunity for growth in the field of sports fandom from an altruistic point of view as well as a business point of view.
College and Major available
Welch College of Business, Marketing BS, Sport Management
Location
Session 18: Digital Commons & West Campus West Building Room 208
Start Day/Time
4-28-2023 10:30 AM
End Day/Time
4-28-2023 11:45 AM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Creative, Best Writing
The Argument for Sports Fandom and Its Unrealized Societal Benefits
Session 18: Digital Commons & West Campus West Building Room 208
Sports fandom drives the success and continuation of sports franchises at all levels internationally, yet fans and fandom itself are often criticized. Like all things, sports fandom has both positive and negative effects; some negatives outweigh the positives, and vice versa. A lot of the positivity surrounding sports fandom is rooted in the unique connection fans seem to have to both “their” teams as well as one another. I use data and evidence from many resources to explore fandom's psychological, sociological, and economic effects on society and those within it. The main contributors to the negative stigma surrounding sports fandom lie in media coverage and isolated instances/personal experiences, which are also explored and discussed in my research. After much research and analysis of the origin of sports fandom and its effects, I conclude that sports fandom offers much more to society's overall benefit than to society’s detriment. My findings and analysis also present ample opportunity for growth in the field of sports fandom from an altruistic point of view as well as a business point of view.
Students' Information
Daniel Gonzalez - Sport Management and Marketing double major with minors in Honors and Digital Marketing, Class of 2024