Thesports fandom refers to thecommunity of fans sharing interests insports.[1][2][3]
Emerging as a significant cultural phenomenon in the late 19th century, the sports fandom has evolved alongside thecommercialization andglobalization of sports, shaping modern entertainment and social identities. Fans participate in various ways, including attending live events, watching broadcasts, engaging in online discussions, and forming dedicated communities around specific sports or teams. While historically associated with theworking class, sports fandom has become widespread across differentsocial classes, with factors such as media accessibility and the rising costs of live attendance influencing participation patterns. The nature of sports fandom varies across regions and sports disciplines, encompassing both team-based sports, such asfootball andbasketball, and individual sports, such asboxing andtennis. Dedicatedsports fans [Wikidata] often exhibit emotional investment in their teams' successes and failures.
The sports fandom, emerging in the late 19th century as a popular pastime for theworking class, and gaining much popularity in the 20th century, has become an important modernsubculture.[1]: 311, 314 It has seen a number of changes; for example, some fan activities have emerged and others have disappeared; in the last few decades, the Internet has significantly affected how people consume and participate in various means of entertainment, such as sports.[1]: 312 Over time, sport fandom has also become more common for themiddle andupper class, and more affected by thecommodification of sports.[1]: 318 Due to the increased costs of participating in sport events in person, as a spectator, in recent decades, middle class members have become dominant in the context of physical sport spectatorship.[1]: 318–319
For example, in theUnited States, historically,professional boxing andhorse racing used to be much more popular than they are now;basketball, while still popular, has lost much of its former popularity toAmerican football, while new popular sports are emerging (such asauto racing).[1]: 312
The success or failure of various sports have been tied to various factors, such asnationalism,globalization as well as resourcefulness and activities ofsports organizations.[1]: 314–316
Scholars have studied the sport fandom since c. 1980s.[3]: 972
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The specific sport fandoms can significantly differ between different countries.[1]: 312, 315 The most common sport fandoms are those related to majorteam sports, such asassociation football,baseball andbasketball, althoughindividual sports (such asprofessional boxing,tennis,auto racing orcycle sports) also have significant fan bases.[1]: 313, 316 Some sport fandoms are mostly regional, as some sports can be very popular in one region but mostly unknown in others; such regional fandoms involve those forAmerican football (in the USA),ice hockey (in Canada) andcricket (in countries of theBritish Commonwealth).[1]: 313 In the 2010s, over 8,000 differentsport disciplines have been identified, and each could be said to have its own fandom.[3]: 967
Sport fandom is generally understood to pertain to activities requiring significantphysical fitness; this however can blur when considering related hobbies, such asbowling,poker orchess,[1]: 313 or more recently, the concepts offantasy sport[1]: 318–320 [4] andesports.[5][6]
Sport fandom is increasingly affected by thecommercialization andcommodification of sports, with numerous products designed for sports fans, from merchandise (sport-themed apparels,memorabilia, and like) to services (such assport bars, themed events like sport-themed weddings, and others).[1]: 318 [3]: 969–971
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Asports fan [Wikidata] (also supporter[1]: 312 ) can be an enthusiast for a particular athlete, team, sport, or all of organized sports as a whole. Sports fans often attend sporting events instadiums, insports bars, or watch them at home, and follow news through newspapers, websites, and social media.[7] Most fans have an emotional attachment to, and appreciation for, their favorite teams and players; less common is the more general attachment and appreciation to the entire type of sport.[1]: 313 The mentality of the sports fan is often such that they will experience a game, or event while living vicariously through players or teams whom the fan favors.[8]
One of the differences between sports fans and fans of other types of activities (such as fans of various media) is the sport-related focus on winning, losing, and uncertainty of outcomes.[1]: 313
Many fans participate in face to face events with other fans, most can be seen as being a part of animagined community, perceiving themselves as sports fans.[1]: 313 Sports fans vary in how important their hobby is to their lives.[1]: 317 One can consider themselves a sports fan despite never having played said sport (and most sports fans are not actively playing their favorite sports), having witnessed a professional sporting event, or having connected with other sports fans.[1]: 313 The most common activity of a sports fan is watching sports ontelevision.[1]: 313 The most dedicated sports fans have extensive knowledge about their sports, and can even develop careers in fields such assports commentators orsports writers, or can be involved inmanaging sports teams, either professionally or through mobilization in activities such as those designed to change (or prevent the change) in the ownership of the team.[1]: 313, 317, 320
Scholars have created a number of differing and sometimes contradictorytypologies of sport fans.[3]: 968–969
The majority of sports fans are male.[1]: 313 Working class members are more likely to be fans of the most popular sports, whilemiddle andupper class members are more likely to be fans of less popular ones.[1]: 317
Some sports fansengage in violence (such assports riot orfootball hooliganism).[1]: 320–321
