Classifying Sport Consumers: From Casual to Tribal Fans

David Hedlund; Rui Biscaia; Maria do Carmo Leal

doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-1048-3.ch016

Classifying Sport Consumers: From Casual to Tribal Fans

David Hedlund, Rui Biscaia, Maria do Carmo Leal

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and sport fan behavior research often examines fans based on demographic characteristics, recent advances in understanding how sport fans co-create and co-consume sporting events provides substantial evidence that sports fans
should be examined as tribal groups. Tribal sport fan groups can be identified based on seven dimensions, including membership; geographic sense of community; social recognition; shared rivalry; and shared knowledge of symbols, rituals and traditions, and people. In this research, these seven dimensions
are used to classify sport fans (n=1505) through hierarchical and k-cluster analyses. The results of the cluster analyses using the seven dimensions suggest six unique clusters, labelled as (1) casual fans, (2) moderate remote fans, (3) moderate local fans, (4) local developing tribal fans, (5) remote tribal fans,
and (6) tribal fans. A discussion of these six fan groups and the implications regarding associations with demographics and other important variables are provided.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Handbook of Research on the Impact of Fandom in Society and Consumerism
Editors	C.L Wang
Publisher	IGI Global
Pages	323-356
Number of pages	34
ISBN (Electronic)	9781799810490
ISBN (Print)	9781799810483
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1048-3.ch016
Publication status	Published - Sept 2019

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title = "Classifying Sport Consumers: From Casual to Tribal Fans",

abstract = "Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and sport fan behavior research often examines fans based on demographic characteristics, recent advances in understanding how sport fans co-create and co-consume sporting events provides substantial evidence that sports fansshould be examined as tribal groups. Tribal sport fan groups can be identified based on seven dimensions, including membership; geographic sense of community; social recognition; shared rivalry; and shared knowledge of symbols, rituals and traditions, and people. In this research, these seven dimensionsare used to classify sport fans (n=1505) through hierarchical and k-cluster analyses. The results of the cluster analyses using the seven dimensions suggest six unique clusters, labelled as (1) casual fans, (2) moderate remote fans, (3) moderate local fans, (4) local developing tribal fans, (5) remote tribal fans,and (6) tribal fans. A discussion of these six fan groups and the implications regarding associations with demographics and other important variables are provided.",

author = "David Hedlund and Rui Biscaia and Leal, {Maria do Carmo}",

year = "2019",

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doi = "10.4018/978-1-7998-1048-3.ch016",

language = "English",

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AU - Hedlund, David

AU - Biscaia, Rui

AU - Leal, Maria do Carmo

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AB - Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and sport fan behavior research often examines fans based on demographic characteristics, recent advances in understanding how sport fans co-create and co-consume sporting events provides substantial evidence that sports fansshould be examined as tribal groups. Tribal sport fan groups can be identified based on seven dimensions, including membership; geographic sense of community; social recognition; shared rivalry; and shared knowledge of symbols, rituals and traditions, and people. In this research, these seven dimensionsare used to classify sport fans (n=1505) through hierarchical and k-cluster analyses. The results of the cluster analyses using the seven dimensions suggest six unique clusters, labelled as (1) casual fans, (2) moderate remote fans, (3) moderate local fans, (4) local developing tribal fans, (5) remote tribal fans,and (6) tribal fans. A discussion of these six fan groups and the implications regarding associations with demographics and other important variables are provided.

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Classifying Sport Consumers: From Casual to Tribal Fans

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