Factors motivating college football fandom and attendance

Abstract

The study about college football fandom and attendance trends at the University of Missouri is not entirely groundbreaking but is exploring an academic area still in its relative infancy. Sport fandom research has not been widely examined, particularly at the collegiate level. The researcher used a modified version of two different surveys, the Fan Identification Scale, a scale already designed to measure football fandom, as well as the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, an instrument originally designed to measure leisure participation of activities, like golf. In addition to completing questions pertaining to the two modified scales, participants answered questions about their demographic information including age, gender, education level, and marital status. A series of questions asking about experiences and time spent as a Mizzou Football fan were also included. Surveys were distributed through several Mizzou-centric Facebook groups, and the PowerMizzou online forum. The researcher collected 975 usable surveys out of 1150 total submissions from Mizzou Football fans. The information collected yielded significant results from three of the four research objectives. The objectives with significant results were to: Examine differences in attendance trends between alumni and non-alumni; Examine differences in attendance trends stemming from social connections to Mizzou; and examine the correlation between level of fan identification, leisure participation, and social identity. Recommendations for further study were conducting a mixed-methods study to understand fans' motivations more greatly beyond the limitations of closed-ended questions, as well as adding survey questions that distinguish between a participant's allegiance to the university compared to the athletic team being measured.