Transcription
All right, my friends. Here we go with the sport consumer and fan identification. Uh, as you can see, uh, that the next line um says that this slide is designed with one consumer and one fan only in mind, and that is me. Um, and so from a fan perspective, yes, um these are the uh teams, individuals, uh that I support. Um, and so, um we we'll we'll get into a number of them and my my stories, um as we go along. But before, um I go any further, I want to make sure you understand how I've the the strategy that I've taken with this one. So the book um pretty much packages everything as uh sport consumption, and um I uh studied sport fan um identification for my master's thesis, and so I I I I dove pretty deep into um that area of sport fandom, and I think I personally think it's better packaged in that way, and so that's how I'm going to package most of this. I'm going to give some basics with sport consumer, um and then we're going to look at it from a sport fandom perspective, and that g that that um obviously relates a lot to our fan experience element of this class. So let's get started.
So, first sport consumer, um as your as your book says, um you know you you can when you're considering the sport consumer, right, the person um the person that uh purchases a product, an experience, um you you have to think about their history and the past, present, and future. You have to think about their demographics. You have to think about their geographics, right? Um and and demographics, I I I know you're familiar with demographics, right? That's the the um the elements that make up uh who a person is, right? their age, their um their their gender, their um sexual orientation, their income level, their um marital status, like all, and you know, it continues going from there obviously. Um, and then geographics, right? Like where they live obviously um plays plays a huge role. And then psychoraphics. And psychoraphics is more that that emotional element, um how it makes how it makes them feel, um and that sort of thing. Okay.
So the book obviously um proposes that Cutotler's blackbox stimulus response model of consumer behavior is um as the basis for how to look at it. Um, it the the the authors of the book list several economic theories and and land on this one as the the premier one, and they package um the external factors as stimuli, right? And so um at at one end that's the marketing mix, like the product, price, place, promotion, and public relations. They they of course give the five Ps, and and we endorse the four Ps, but uh you know, obviously we we talked about that um in in previous modules. And then uh and then the environmental part of that, right, um that that stimuli, right, like what's the economy like? What kind of technology is going into it? Am I going into a stadium where I have Wi-Fi and I feel good about the technology ology or not, right? The political um you know, we we obviously saw um in in your era we saw the politics of sport get into um come into play through um Colin Kaepernick and and and kneeling, um and um Black Lives Matter, and and that was um obviously in your lifetimes um that that's the the major political uh shakeup that we've that obviously from a cultural perspective um you know, people grow up with with different sports, and so that's obviously a factor. And then as we mentioned um demographic uh previously, and then um situational, and situational um I I like to think of it more as contextual, um and so you know, you think about it in terms of I think about it in terms of situational as um well I grew up in in the south, and um and NASCAR uh stock racing was a big part of the south, right, and um I just so happened to have a friend whose parents were big into NASCAR, and they invited me to a um to a race when I was like 8 years old, and I went, and for some reason these people were like veteran and NASCAR people, but didn't think to themselves that an 8-year-old needs um ear protection. And so, they did not bring tell me did not tell me to bring they didn't tell my parents. I don't know why my stepdad my stepdad was a NASCAR fan also. Um, and so I went to a a NASCAR event where everyone had ear protection except for me. So, they were like stuffing paper in my ears. And you can't stuff paper in your ears and it actually work. And so it was a miserable experience for me. So the situational there did not uh did was not a very good external factor. Okay.
Internal factors um that that is is packaged as the black box or the buyer's mind. And um and you know there's there's obviously tons of things that go into that. Um, obviously we could go through each one of these, but I don't feel like you need me to go through you don't you don't need me to go through each one. Um, they're pretty self-explanatory, and and you've read about them through your text. I'm going to explore things um more from the fam perspective, and I feel like that identification uh will hopefully help you more. And and I'm going to give a mix of both my own and and others when I when I explain some of this, right? So, sport fan team identification. Now, this can also be connected to individual players um or coaches in terms of um identification. So, but but it's um it's mostly packaged as team identification. Okay. The so it's defined as the extent to which a fan feels psychologically connected to a sport team um athlete or coach, we could we could add in there. Okay. Um and so let's uh let's explore it a bit more. There are eight reasons for becoming a fan. And obviously this is a a repeat of the title slide there. Um eight reasons for becoming a fan. And we're going to explore each one of those.
So, first is group affiliation, right? That element of sharing the experience with others, right? So, if you're in Pittsburgh and um at least eight weeks of the year since my Steelers almost always make the playoffs uh um and there's preseason games, maybe you could say at least 10 weeks of the year, right? there's this ability to get together and tailgate together and have this shared experience of of tailgating and and fandom. And then, you know, you you extend it to 17, 18, 20 games depending on how the teams do. Obviously with preseason that could stretch to to more pre and postseason, but that experience of sharing it with others is a really big thing. Everybody wants to be a part of a group, right? So that's that's huge. Then there's the family aspect, right? And families um most of the time share fandom with each other. There's that um bonding and quality time. And I have a picture of me here with my kids at uh their when when they attended their first uh Carolina basketball game at the Dean Dome there in Chapel Hill. And this is a picture of us at the old well, which is a symbol of uh of the campus. And so that bonding and quality time is huge. It's also viewed as an escape, right? it it it can distract us from our from our work responsibilities, from our family responsibilities, from our the the pressures and stress of of our daily life. You know, I mean the the Bills Mafia right is a great example. And this whole element of like jumping. I mean, you just think about how absurd that is. Like jumping off of portagons on the tables and breaking the table. I mean, it's just it's just nuts. It's it's just it's crazy, right? But it's an escape, right? I mean, this this guy who just did this, he could be like a prominent lawyer in the Buffalo area for all we know, right? um and and it's distracts uh us from from other responsibilities.
Obviously, there's that entertainment element both from the socializing aspect. Um you know, sometimes uh I've actually uh I think this is a really interesting one. I've heard people say that they went to the Kentucky Derby and never saw a horse, um because they're they're they're on the infield with like thousands of other people um you know drinking profusely and socializing profusely, you know, and um um but but uh but yeah there's so there's that socializing element, but there's also you know this is a picture from a Phillies winning the World Series there's the intensity of a game um that obviously is a huge entertainment factor. Eustress is what's called positive stress. And that's, you know, we we get lots of negative stress in our daily life, whether it be worrying about bills or worrying about um sick loved ones or or worrying about a test or whatever it might be, right? Um and sports has a positive stress element to it because we are not um you know, we're not in control. It stimulates and and energizes. It can stimulate and energize a person. And so that's obviously a huge element. The sense of achievement that is associated with sport when you win builds people's own self-esteem um and builds that sense of belonging. And we're going to talk about that more as we go along because that also works both ways. And so we'll we'll we'll talk about that a little bit more here in a second. The aesthetics is another uh is another thing. Now, those of you who are uh football fans or soccer fans, um uh aka soccer, I mean football as in fu t o l and um also known as soccer. It's considered it's called the beautiful game. Um because the m the movement of um soccer is seen to be beautiful. It's seen to be a work of art, right? People think that about That was one of the things that was so mesmerizing about um amazing athletes like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, right? When they glided through the air, when they hung in the air to hit a game-winning shot, the majesty, the beauty of it um was something to behold.
Obviously, there's an economics element of it, right? There's the there's the betting aspect, and that has become more prominent in in modern society and the possibility of making cash. Um, I uh I don't go into too many details along those lines, but um uh I I'll just say that um I'm one of the few uh in the world that um that can say that they've um engaged in sports betting for a very long time. And um and I'm up I'm up substantially in the amount of money um that uh that I've I've won on um on sports betting and and um and you know it takes many different forms from um from gambling to fantasy sports that we'll get into a little bit more um as we as we move along throughout the uh the the term. But um it is important to note, and I want to make sure I give this disclaimer even though I gave a little bit of uh bragging there about myself. Um I I uh I hit a jackpot is what I'll say. Um so don't think that everyone wins because everyone does not win. In fact, the statistics are very very ugly when it comes to sports betting. So what I would say to you is be very very cautious and treat it as an entertainment thing more than as a making money thing. All right.
So now let's dig a little deeper into sport fan team identification. We've got um we we we've um we we we've uh we we dove into the reasons, the motives, the the the um uh the the uh uh the eight what was it? Let's go back. Uh, no. Oh, actually, can I even go back? I can't go back. Um, sorry. But the the reasons we we we dove into the reasons. Now, let's look at it a little bit closer. Okay. So, those who were more highly committed are more likely to purchase, to remain loyal, to burge. So burge is bask in reflected glory or reflective glory. Okay. So that's like where you stick your uh you know uh those of you who are golf fans, Rory McIlroy, they talk about when he starts peacocking around the course, he's basking in his own reflective glory. That means he's playing pretty well, right? Um, we're also uh highly identified sport fans are more likely to recruit others. But there's also a negative side. They're also more likely to cheat or hurt rivals. And that's been shown as one negative element of that. And I show Michael here from the famous flu game because uh there was a there was a rumor that um that he ordered a pizza and um the purposefully the Utah um uh pizza place uh knew that it was going to Michael Jordan, and they purposefully uh tainted it. That's actually been shown to not be the case. Um, there's differing reports. Uh, there's some that think it was actually a hangover and not a flu game, but uh, I don't know that we'll ever know for sure.
Um, so let's look at how do we start? So, how do we start identifying with a team? Okay. So, when we think about um when we think about the factors that are involved with starting to identify a team. Okay. First and foremost is the family. Your your family followed the team. Okay. So, people ask me, why are you a Phillies fan? Well, I was a Phillies fan because um my dad, who um I I no longer um talk to, and he no longer has that vineyard behind him, um he turned it into a uh driving range instead because he wasn't a very good uh vintner. Um uh but but when I was growing up, my parents were split, and I lived in North Carolina, and my dad uh stayed we we moved up to Philly when I was like four, and he stayed up there with his mistress and uh for 10 years, and uh my parents divorced, and I came um my my sister and I uh went to North Carolina with my mom, right? But I would only really go and see my dad during um holidays and the summer. And so what happens in the summer? Uh baseball, right? And so in 1980, I saw this gentleman who I'm sure none of you recognize, but that's Mike Schmidt. He is a Hall of Famer for the Philadelphia Phillies. And so I attended my first game um there at a a Phillies game. And my dad took me to a couple games growing up, and I became a huge fan of the Phillies and followed them ever since and been a fan ever since even though um even though uh I had a falling out with my dad and don't talk to my dad anymore, I the fandom was there. Um and we also identify with the team because of the players, right? I mean, you know, uh there there are many people who are Golden State Warriors fans because of Steph Curry. Steph Curry is uh absolutely is a draw, right? And we can we can go all throughout the history of sport and the different players, right, that that draw people. Obviously, there's that geographical reason. If you grew up in the Bay Area, of course, you're more likely to be a Warriors fan than you would be a Lakers fan, right? That's that's natural. Your friends follow the team. Um, one of the things that my my son kind of struggles with a little bit here in California is that he has one he has a couple friends who are Dodgers fans and a couple friends who are Giants fans, right? And he didn't really know who to choose with them, right? And so instead he followed dear old dad and he became a Phillies fan. Okay. And then finally, obviously the team is successful, and um that's obviously a reason, and we've all heard the ter the term of bandwagon fan. But but not all of us jump on and follow a team because of a bandwagon, right? Um those other factors that I mentioned are are you usually more prominent, okay?
To continue identifying with a team, the team usually needs to stay pretty successful, right? I mean there's a tendency you'll see in the next slide the team's not successful, and other all the other factors are are are in there, yeah you might drop off you might drop off, okay? Um the players if you don't identify with the players if you uh you know maybe you get a uh you know honestly like I've considered dropping the Steelers uh a number of times um And if they had not been so successful over the last 25 years, I may have done that. I did not like Ben Roethlisberger whatsoever. Ben Roethlisberger was credibly accused by two different women of rape. And the fact that I in my mind had to pull for him because he was a Steeler really really ticked me off. Right. I mean, obviously I was a fan of his before those those allegations. Um, but I I really I mean, it's it's almost embarrassing that that I that I have stayed a fan of the Steelers despite that. And and you know, that continues on with has continued on with some other players over the years and actually continues on right now with their most recent um acquisition of Aaron Rodgers. I'm not I've never been a very big Aaron Rodgers fan. He's always seemed like an arrogant um uh sob to me. Um but uh you know, whatever. Um I'm I'm a Steelers fan, you know, I I just am. Okay. Um geographical reasons, obviously, you remain in the area, right? And you're more likely to stay a fan and continue, right? And if your friends are following the team, right? We talked about that group affiliation thing. Your family's following a team. You're probably not going to drop.
Right now, we get to stopping identifying with a team. And I think uh I think this slide and this picture um provides an interesting backdrop. Okay. So, first and foremost, the team becomes unsuccessful. Right. So we we mentioned burging earlier, basking in reflected glory. Corfing is cutting off reflective failure. No one wants to be seen as a loser. If you think about uh you know losing teams throughout sport here in the United States, one of the ways that fans have manifested that aspect, and those of you who are Oakland A's fans that uh last year in Oakland there were some or the year before the last year. The last year was almost like a celebration, but the year before the last year, there were people who showed up with bags over their heads. Um, and uh, you know, from my era, um, when I was growing up, the Saints, the New Orleans Saints were terrible, and so they would, their fans would wear bags over their heads. Right now, the Colorado Rockies, like historic level of of ineptitude, right? uh too many other commitments, you know, whether it's work or family or or whatever it is. You're caring for a loved one or whatever. You just have too many other things going on. They they they lose players. Your team loses players. You know, I think it's going to be really interesting when Steph Curry retires. Um whether or not uh they they lose some fans because of that, the Golden State Warriors do. Um, now, you know, with geographical reasons, if I stay in the Bay Area, I'll probably remain a Warriors fan. Um, but if I move away and I no longer identify with the players, maybe it's it's more likely that I'll stop. And then finally, your friends stop following the team. You know, I show the Carolina Hurricanes here and and um, you know, they gave me the greatest going away present ever, right? Stanley Cup championship. Unlikely. They were the eighth seed that year. We were in Carolina. Like, who who I mean, if if someone had said Carolina was going to win the Stanley Cup, people would have been like, "Are you are you insane? There's no way." And so, it was it was unreal. It captured the city. It was amazing, right? But it was a going away present for us. And we left. We went almost 3,000 miles away. I mean, it was And the team was no longer successful. I had full-time work. I was trying I was I had to teach. I had never taught full-time before. They lost the star players. I didn't identify with the players any longer, right? Obviously, I wasn't there. And I was the biggest one of my friends, the biggest fan of all of my friends. So, uh my friends stopped following the team when I left, and um yeah, the rest is history. I did not remain as big a fan until recently. They've been to the Eastern Conference Finals each of the last two years, and I became more of a fan.
Next, we have this aspect of the fan experience that I think is so critical for us in understanding the uh puzzle, if you will, of getting um more sport consumption. Okay. Um, and so when we think about the fan experience and we think about all of the different things that we've talked about on this uh on in in these slides in this lecture, right? Ultimately, it comes down to the fan experience, and do people have a positive experience through their fandom? You know, it's easy for the University of North Carolina's basketball
program because it's been so successful for so long, right? National championships. Um, and and you know, rich rich history. Michael Jordan, uh, Vince Carter, right? Like, uh, and the list just keeps going on and on. Harrison Barnes and and and all the James Worthy and all these greats, Kenny Smith and, you know, from from my era, you know, George Lynch, you've probably never heard of George Lynch, but George Lynch was the captain of the 1993 team. And you know, there's just it's just so much and the legendary Dean Smith and the legendary Roy Williams, right?
So, it was pretty easy to capitalize on the fan experience through winning. But when it's something else, you got to be a little bit more creative. And so, we looked no further than you and Calpaly athletics, right? I mean, and and I don't really, if I'm being honest, um I don't really get why it's just men's soccer where there's the huge rivalry with UCSB. And now don't get me wrong. I know that some of the other sports it's a little bit more uh but it's nothing like it was in men for for men's soccer. My like first 15 years here we set the NCAA record every year that um we topped we topped the previous year's record. We get a little bit more fans in. Um, now that's since, you know, others have caught on and they've figured out ways to like beat us there, but um because they have bigger stadiums.
But um but you know, I just I don't really understand why we don't capitalize on that rivalry aspect like why not women's soccer, why not softball, why not baseball, why not men's and women's basketball, wrestling, it keeps going on and on, right? And so I think the key is capitalizing on the fan experience, getting that group affiliation. Like look at those folks. Look how happy they are and excited they are to be there. You could do that more often with more sports.
All right. Hope you've enjoyed this lecture. See you.