Football Fanaticism Levels of Turkish University Students in terms of Sports Literacy and Different Variables

Abstract

This research aims to examine the fanaticism levels of university students in Kilis and its surrounding provinces in terms of sports literacy and some variables. The population of the research consists of approximately 120,000 students studying at 6 different universities in Kilis and its surrounding five provinces (Gaziantep, Hatay, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş) in the south of Turkey. The sample of the study consists of a total of 480 students, 176 female and 304 male, randomly selected among the students studying at universities in Kilis and surrounding provinces in the 2022-2023 education period. A personal information form was used to collect information about the independent variables. The “Football Fans Fanaticism Scale” (FFFS), which was prepared by Taşmektepligil et al. (2015) was used as a data collection tool for the scale of the fanaticism levels of the students. While evaluating the findings obtained in the study, SPSS 25 was used for statistical analysis. While evaluating the study data, descriptive statistical methods were used. Independent sample T-Test and ANOVA Test were used in the analysis of the data. In the analyses, the level of significance was determined as p0.05. In the findings, it was determined that while there was a significant difference according to the age variable of the participants, the type of following the competitions and the gender variable, there was no significant difference on the fanaticism scale scores in terms of the variables of using licensed products and the team being supported. It was concluded that male individuals are more fanatical than females. Another conclusion is that the younger students were more fanatical than the older students. It has been found that those who follow the matches of the team support from stadiums and all channels have higher levels of fanaticism.