The distant fan segment

Abstract

Purpose With the available technological tools, fans are able to access sport products regardless of geographic proximity. Through technology, fans can follow sports teams from other countries. In contrast to previous research focused on the local fan, in this paper we report on a study of a group of distant fans – Chinese National Basketball Association (NBA) fans – as the focal object. The study was guided by three questions: RQ1: what motives drive a distant fan’s involvement with their favorite NBA team? RQ2: are there differences in the motives associated with the different stages of psychological connection among distant fans? RQ3: are there differences in the amount of media consumption at the different stages of psychological connection? The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was distributed to consumers of a Chinese sports message board to assess the motives of distant fans (n=281) following teams in the NBA, and strength of psychological connection to the NBA based on the psychological continuum model (PCM). Findings There were significant differences in the motives for following a distant NBA team among the respondents at different stages of psychological connection. Significant differences were also found among Chinese NBA fans at the respective stages regarding media consumption. Originality/value This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge regarding sport fandom. It is one of the first studies to include an assessment of the sport consumption motives of distant fans, more specifically, motives influencing Chinese fans’ consumption of the NBA. Utilizing the PCM allows for the segmentation of a specific fan population and to ascertain whether there are differences in the motives and behaviors associated with different stages of an individual’s psychological connection with a team.

Travel overseas for a game: the effect of nostalgia on satellite fans’ psychological commitment, subjective well-being, and travel intention

“…television) and even other social media platforms (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitch) (Behrens & Uhrich, 2019;Kerr & Gladden, 2008;Maderer et al, 2016;Pu & James, 2017). It should be noted that satellite fans are different from displaced fans, which refer to local fans who moved away from their hometown, yet still support the hometown team (Collins et al, 2016; Pu & James, 2017).…”

“…Satellite fans have been considered as a unique focal object in sport fandom research. For example, studies found that satellite fans support the sport teams for several different reasons, such as media coverage, style of play, presence of star player(s), or team history (Kerr & Emery, 2011;Kerr & Gladden, 2008;Pu & James, 2017). In addition, satellite fans may have a unique formation process of psychological attachment with the teams due to the geographical distance (Kerr & Emery, 2011;Pu & James, 2017).…”

“…For example, studies found that satellite fans support the sport teams for several different reasons, such as media coverage, style of play, presence of star player(s), or team history (Kerr & Emery, 2011;Kerr & Gladden, 2008;Pu & James, 2017). In addition, satellite fans may have a unique formation process of psychological attachment with the teams due to the geographical distance (Kerr & Emery, 2011;Pu & James, 2017). They tend to support the sport teams for a longer period of time without being affected by negative or positive match outcomes (Bodet & Chanavat, 2010;Chanavat & Bodet, 2009).…”

“…In the fields of sport and tourism, researchers have measured diverse factors to understand satellite fans' behavior and life, such as brand equity (Chanavat & Bodet, 2009;Kerr & Gladden, 2008), motivation (Pu & James, 2017), loyalty (Kerr & Emery, 2011;Maderer et al, 2016), and team identification . While various factors have been investigated in previous research, this study mainly focuses on two concepts: nostalgia and psychological commitment.…”

Tangibility of Sports Team Identification and Place Attachment through a Visit to the Stadium

“…Supporting a distant football team was uncommon at that time. Technical development made it possible to watch a game through television broadcast or on the internet, offering a chance for people to focus on a team away from home and even become a fan of the distant team (Pu & James, 2017). Compared with the identification on the local team, individual's identification on a non-local team is less related to the community and lack of geographical proximity, which implicates its intangibility and the difference in antecedent and maintenance (Kerr & Emery, 2011;Wann et al, 2017).…”