Sports Fan Identity and the Stereotypes of Female Fans of Men’s Sports

• In Event: 41058 - Sports and Sexuality

Abstract

Sports in Western culture have been typically male dominated throughout their history, both in participation and as fans. The literature reveals that a great deal of stereotypes surround women that are fans of men’s sports, including that they don’t know or care as much about sports as men. This study uses survey data to examine facets of the sports fan identity and the feelings of both men and women regarding stereotypes of female fans of men’s sports in the United States and Canada. The results show that there is a significant difference between one’s gender and self-reported knowledge about one’s favorite sports team(s), with men reporting greater knowledge than women. Women are more likely than men to agree with the stereotype that most women who watch sports aren’t really fans, they’re just there watching with a man. Women also believe that men are annoyed by their presence when watching sports, and that they speak differently to them about sports than men feel they do. There is also a significant difference between gender identity and organizations joined through their fandom, with women slightly more likely than men to join more groups, as well as men being slightly more likely than women to report satisfaction with their apparel marketed towards their gender identity. Further research needs to be done with a larger sample size and a more diverse group of people in order to find more generalizable results.

Author

• Andrew Timothy Harber, University of Texas at El Paso