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An interesting study on fans.....

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  • An interesting study on fans.....

    http://www.psychologicalscience.org/...le.cfm?id=1986
    Too long to post. here is just one part of the article.

    Loyalty Benefits the Loyal
    Apart from strategies that teams use to draw fans, fans themselves utilize psychological strategies to justify and maintain their passion — even when a team's performance is otherwise disappointing.

    "Sports fans have perfected methods of coping," says Wann. "If they weren't able to cope, there wouldn't be any sports fans."

    They may boost their self-esteem when the team wins by basking in reflected glory, wearing a team-logo shirt the next day, or talking about the game with coworkers at the office.

    In a recent study published in the Journal of Social Psychology, Wann and Rick Grieve, professor of psychology at Western Kentucky University, surveyed 148 fans from both teams as they were leaving a sporting event and asked them to rate their agreement with statements that their team's fans has exhibited good behavior and sportsmanship. They were then asked to evaluate the opposing team's fans. The results showed that fans — particularly those of the winning team — were more likely to say that the opposing team's fans displayed worse behavior than their own team's fans, a clear case of in-group bias.

    "It almost seems to me that they were using the denigration of other fans as a way to enhance self-esteem," says Grieve. "'Not only is my team better, but man, your fans stink, too.'"

    When their team does poorly, however, they may also show biased perceptions against other people, such as the referees, the other team's players, or fans of the other team. Their recollection of events may also be inaccurate.

    "The good times are always better than what they really were," says Grieve.

    Those who are highly identified with their teams are particularly motivated to use these coping strategies when their teams perform poorly. Because the team is part of their identity, they cannot deny themselves the team's importance.

    "Rather than distancing from teams," says Grieve, "They may shift expectations. They shift to cope."

    Fans may choose to follow another favorite team in a different sport for a while, or reflect on past glory years, or dream of future success, according to Wann.

    Emphasizing loyalty to a team is another way fans can soothe themselves.

    When their sports team fails, the highly identified fan might say to him- or herself, "'I'm not like other people, I'm loyal in the face of all they've gone through,'" says Fisher. "'When they are finally successful, everyone will see that I'm really smart.'"

    Alternatively, fans might use hindsight bias, according to Grieve. I knew they were going to lose, but I was so loyal I cheered for them anyway.


    We are pretty complicated aren't we?

  • #2
    Re: An interesting study on fans.....

    Speaking of fans. . .

    Last night, I broke out an SDSU shirt for the first time this season, in celebration of the Nicholls State win, and wore it to our dinner-and-baseball outing at Kauffman Stadium to watch the Royals get pummeled by the Tigers.

    Our waiter in the Stadium Club happened to be a knowledgeable UMKC fan, who saw my shirt and said "Hey, the Jackrabbits, right? You're going to be here to play the Kangaroos on December 19th, right? You guys, North Dakota State, and IPFW saved the conference!"

    A bit taken aback, I said something like "um, yeah, mumble mumble." I was thinking 'heck, even I don't have our men's basketball schedule memorized!' (that's what computers are for, right?) So I was duly impressed with the guy, who was probably in his early 20's.

    I just wanted to let the Jackrabbit Nation that there is real appreciation by Mid-Con school fans for SDSU, NDSU, and IPFW joining the conference.

    Good find, JBNJBQ, I'll have to read the article.
    "I think we'll be OK"

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    • #3
      Re: An interesting study on fans.....

      http://bcm.bc.edu/issues/fall_2002/ll_buttercup.html
      Something we are looking to do here is linked in this email for Jacks Fanatics.

      Jacks FanAddicts,


      Thank you to all of you that attended the Jackrabbit volleyball match on Tuesday night. It was a great win for the Jacks against Creighton and we all saw the large impact that loud fans can have on a game. Continue to wear your yellow FanAddicts shirts to games and you could win prizes from Cubby’s.


      Also take some time to check out the link to article listed at the bottom of this email. It contains some information on what some major college athletes think when they head into a stadium or arena that is filled with fans wearing the same color shirts. If you continue to wear your yellow to the games and encourage your friends to do the same, we can make South Dakota State University one of the most feared places for opponents to play. Plus, as we mentioned above, you can win FREE stuff from Cubby’s.



      Keep up the good work!

      http://byu.scout.com/2/570549.html


      GO BIG. GO BLUE. GO JACKS.



      Andrew Palileo

      Jackrabbit Head Volleyball Coach

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