One city two teams: A mixed approach study for exploring sports fandom

Abstract

Homeland attachment plays an important role in identification with a sports team, but when a fan has two local teams to choose from, other factors come into play. This study used mixed methods to explore the similarities and differences between fans of two football teams based in the same Mexican city. The two teams are very different in terms of success, yet the city is almost evenly divided between them in the number of fans. An online survey (N = 371) and online interviews (N = 47) were used to collect data. Mann-Whitney U test results show statistically significant differences in the ways fans view their teams, confirmed by the qualitative data. Their fandom may be built upon personal values, but these values differ for fans of rival teams. One group of fans shows evidence of identity fusion—a strong emotional connection with their team.

Keywords

• Fandom
• football
• fusion
• loyalty
• rivalry