The world is filled with sports such as baseball, basketball, football, tennis, volley ball, golf and so on. Though all sports are played differently and have different rules, they all have one thing in common, fans. However it is important to note from the outset that there are different types of sports fans. The differences kind of sports fans emerge due variances in attitudes on the basis of their level of dedication to a given sports team coupled with how well they understand a particular sport. As such, there exist various categories of fans and their behaviors vary depending on how enthusiastic they are about a sport. There are four major types of sports fans: the casual fans, the real fans, the loyal fans, and the homer fans.
The casual fans have their beloved sports teams but they are not loyal enough to watch every game that their preferred team is involved in. these are the kind of fans who are well-versed with the main players of their favorite sports team. For these types of fans, when the game is on, they will certainly watch but if there is another interesting program on the television they are likely to switch to that other program instead of watching their favorite team play. As such, these fans are not likely to learn every rule of the game that their favored teams play but they are usually aware of how the game is played. As such, they know things about their teams and they attend games. For these fans, the sport is important to them but there are other things that are likely to occupy their minds during their leisure time other than sports.
When casual fans attend games, they most likely do so for the sole purpose of experiencing fun and excitement. Most of these fans would probably not care much about the sport, the teams playing and do not care which team wins or loses. As such, they are likely to associate themselves with whichever team that is winning (Shank 435). Although these fans do not follow a particular team, they are fun to be around because they only want to experience a good time.
Real fans on the other hand are more devoted to their favored teams and sports than the casual fans. Real fans usually have an extensive knowledge regarding their favorite teams, the team roster as well as the ratings. They are also well-versed with regard to the history of their preferred teams and know the sport better. Real fans spend their money purchasing the merchandise associated with their teams, buy tickets and attend games. These are the kind of fans who when their friends want to talk about their favorite teams and the sport in general they seek their input. For this kind of fans their preferred sport is a part of their lives and given a chance to choose between sports and other things, they pick out their preferred sport as their leading choice.
The loyal fans are those who attend almost, if not every game and always wear their team merchandise such as hats and their favorite players’ jerseys (Hunt 439). Some even go as far as painting their bodies the colors associated with their favored teams. These are the kind of fans who spend most of their time updating fantasy lineups of their favorite teams at the expense of working on other things. As such, they are always preoccupied with sports. They follow every major sport and sometimes the not so major sport. Whenever they are watching their preferred sports their emotions run high and they are always shouting at players to the top of their voices as though they were coaches.
Some people attend games just to watch the loyal types of fans as they are able to spice up the game thus generating extra fun. However, they are also capable of being obnoxious and annoying to other fans who sit around them. These fans behave the way they do because of their devotion to the sport and to their beloved team (Seong – Hee 286). When they are frustrated, they may turn to drinking and may even start riots because their choice of words may make other fans uncomfortable. Because of their unpredictability characters, they often not fit properly with other fans. Accordingly, when something is not going according to their expectations, they become very irritated. They identify themselves with their favored team and sport to the extent that sometimes reality escapes them. Accordingly, in the absence of the sports, these kinds of fans lose their identity due to their resolute love for their favored sport. For the loyal fans, sports are their life and they often experience depression when their favorite teams lose and during season breaks.
Most of the loyal fans entail those people who grow up watching their beloved teams hence know the history of the teams as well as the history of every player in those teams. As such, they are able to answer questions about their beloved teams and sports comfortably. It does not matter whether their beloved teams are winning or losing these fans attend every game and do whatever they can to support their teams. Their obsessive nature is as good as that of a team band or loyal cheerleaders who work hard to motivate their cherished team. Players of the various teams usually rely on these fans to motivate them to achieve their best not only for themselves but also for the fans. Day after day, sport marketers usually aim to create as many new loyal fans as possible in order to expand the sports industry and to make it highly competitive (Mahony 275).
The homer fans are the team supporters who lack the objectivity regarding the team they support. These are fans that are loyal to a team because it is from their home region. The homer fans believe that their preferred teams are indomitable. Due to their loyalty towards their teams, these fans often provoke fans that support other teams by devaluing other teams and presenting their preferred teams as superior. However, these fans resemble the devoted fans to the extent that they support their beloved teams regardless of whether the team is winning or losing and they often become obnoxious when expressing their feelings towards their teams.
The casual fans, the real fans, the loyal fans, and the homer fans are the most common types of fans who attend sports events. Undoubtedly, these four types of fans will continue filling stadiums and will always express whatever they feel towards their favored sports and their beloved teams. The ultimate intensity of sports increases when all these types of fans congregate to watch their beloved teams compete. The different types of fans usually characterize certain attitudes which have existed for many years as well as fresh attitudes towards various sporting activities.
Work Cited
Hunt, Kenneth, Terry Bristol, and Edward Bashaw. A conceptual approach to classifying sports
fans. Journal of Services Marketing, 13.6 (1999):439-452. Print.
Mahony, Daniel and Dennis Howard. Sport business in the next decade: A general overview of
expected trends. Journal of Sport Management, 15.4 (2001): 275-296. Print.
Seong – Hee, Park, Andrew Damon, and Daniel Mahony. Exploring the relationship between
trait curiosity and initial interest in sport spectatorship. International Journal of Sport Management, 9 (2008): 286-301. Print.
Shank, Matthew and Fred Beasley. Fan or fanatic: Refining a measure of sports involvement.
A Different Conceptual Approach to the Understanding of Sport Fan Behavior Using the
Curiosity Concept http://www.sportmarketingassociation.com/2010conference/2010conferencepresentations/P-81.pdf
