Fan identification, also called sport team identification, is the psychological connection a person feels to a team [1]. It is a matter of degree: researchers have compared highly identified fans with fans who are moderate or low in identification, and the groups react differently to a team’s wins and losses. Highly identified fans tend to claim the team’s successes and stay attached through its failures [2].
Key points
- It is defined as an individual’s psychological connection to a team [1].
- Highly identified fans show more BIRGing after wins and less CORFing after losses than fans with moderate or low identification [2].
- Strong identification is linked to belonging, self-worth and a buffer against alienation [3].
- It is positively related to well-being and to social connections [4].
- A salient rival can raise it, but only when the team itself is made salient [1].
Origin
The idea builds on early field research on how people display ties to successful groups. In 1976 Cialdini and colleagues showed that university students wore more school-identifying apparel after their football team had won [5]. Branscombe and Wann then studied identification with sports teams directly: a 1990 study of “die-hard and fair-weather fans” found that how strongly fans identified changed how they reacted to success and failure [2], and a 1991 paper argued that strong identification supports belonging and self-worth [3].
How it works in sports media
Highly identified fans keep claiming the team in good times and are less likely to distance themselves in bad times [2]. In one set of studies, showing people a rival team’s highlight video raised identification, but only when the team itself was made salient [1], so media content that puts a rival in view can touch the bond. Identification is also positively related to social connections [4], which links it to the fan communities around a team.
Examples
- Students wearing school apparel after a football victory [5].
- A fan who keeps saying “we won” after a title but turns to “they lost” after a bad season shows the pattern that lower-identified fans follow more often [2].
- A supporter of a team far from their home city: identification with such distant teams was tied to team success, unlike for local fans [3].
Common questions
Is fan identification the same as fan loyalty?
No. Identification is the psychological bond with the team [1]. Fan loyalty has its own page on this wiki and is treated there as a separate concept.
Does it depend on the team winning?
Less than for casual fans. Highly identified fans stayed attached after failure, while moderately and lowly identified fans were more likely to cut off from a losing team [2]. In one set of studies, team success was related to identification only among fans of teams geographically removed from them [3].
Is it good or bad for fans?
The research cited here reports benefits: belonging, self-worth, a buffer against depression and alienation [3], and well-being and social connections [4]. Rival teams are covered under rivalry.
Related terms
- BIRGing and CORFing — how fans claim success and distance themselves from failure
- Fan loyalty — the lasting behaviour that identification supports
- Fan engagement — how fans interact with teams and content
- Rivalry — the opposition that can sharpen identification
- Derby — a local rivalry match where team identity is on show
- Parasocial relationship — one-sided bonds with athletes and personalities
Read more on Play of Values
- Psychology behind sports rivalries
- Sports rivalries
- Media revolutions in the sports ecosystem
- What drives the most popular sports
Sources
- Luellen, T. B., & Wann, D. L. (2010). Rival salience and sport team identification. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 19(2), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/106169341001900205
- Wann, D. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (1990). Die-hard and fair-weather fans: Effects of identification on BIRGing and CORFing tendencies. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 14(2), 103–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/019372359001400203
- Branscombe, N. R., & Wann, D. L. (1991). The positive social and self concept consequences of sports team identification. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 15(2), 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/019372359101500202
- Wann, D. L., Waddill, P. J., Polk, J., & Weaver, S. (2011). The team identification–social psychological health model: Sport fans gaining connections to others via sport team identification. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 15(1), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020780
- Cialdini, R. B., Borden, R. J., Thorne, A., Walker, M. R., Freeman, S., & Sloan, L. R. (1976). Basking in reflected glory: Three (football) field studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(3), 366–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.34.3.366