Sports Fandoms: The Science of their Insanity

When you look at the tumultuous state of the NFL right now, many fans are throwing their hands up in despair. I, a lifelong New England Patriots fan, see something different: a beautifully chaotic spectacle. My devotion to the Patriots runs deep, a devotion that began in 2008, a few short months after my birth, when I couldn’t even comprehend what was going on in my world.

This intense, often irrational, devotion is the core of sports fandom. Sports fandoms are the community of fans that share interests in sports. It emerged as a significant cultural phenomenon in the late 19th century, as sports fandoms evolved alongside the commercialization and globalization of the sports industry, which shaped the ways we watch sports today. Fandom is more than a hobby; it’s a powerful and primal portion of the identity of so many people.

The intensity of this behavior is no accident. An American Psychological Association study conducted in 2006 highlighted a feeling of belonging as central to fanatic behaviors. This goes beyond the simple preferences of an individual and touches on a core part of their identity. As Robert J. Fisher, a professor of marketing at The University of Western Ontario, notes, “The whole idea behind identification is that it’s really part of how we see ourselves and that doesn't change easily… Those types of connections are very long-lasting and very strong.” Many people love identifying with these communities, and oftentimes it brings them back to a childhood feeling.

This passion often manifests itself in deeply irrational, yet fundamentally human, ways. On the mild side of the spectrum, fandom breeds deep superstitions, from refusing to wash a lucky jersey for a whole season to not being allowed to watch the game if they’ve left the room and their team begins to win. Yet, this intense identification, where a fan proudly says “We won the championship” rather than “The team won the championship,” can quickly spiral into dangerous, chaotic events. The most extreme examples are shocking:

1. The rioting that occurred after the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team won the UEFA Champions League Final and their fans rioted in Paris and across France; two people died, 190 were injured, and over 500 people were arrested. 

2. After the Eagles won the 52nd Super Bowl, Philadelphia Eagles Fans descended on Philadelphia, where they flipped a car, scaled the gates of City Hall, attempted to tear down traffic lights, and even ate horse excrement.

While the daily acts of fandom bring joy and belonging, these explosive incidents reveal the dark side of that identification, showing how easily a collective identity can devolve into chaos.

But this community of sports fandoms is facing new challenges. While it emerged alongside the commercialization of sports in the late 19th century, the landscape of sports viewership has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when a fan could rely on the local broadcasts or listening to the radio. Now, watching a single season of a sport often is stuck behind a paywall, like the $279 you need to pay for a season of NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. This financial barrier has radically transformed the viewing experience and has alienated many viewing audiences that simply can’t pay for it.