Team identification, motives, and behaviour: a comparative analysis of fans of men’s and women’s sport

Purpose: This research sought to examine the team identification, motives, and behaviours of fans of a women’s sport team as well as those of a men’s team to identify any differences between these two groups.

Methods: An online survey utilised three established scales, the Sport Spectator Identification Scale – Revised (SSIS-R), the Motivation Scale for Sports Consumption (MSSC), and the Fan Behaviour Scale. A total of 515 participants completed the survey and their responses were analysed across team affiliation and level of identification.

Findings: More similarities than differences were uncovered for fans of the two teams. The most highly identified fans of each team reported their strongest motives were Physical Skill and Achievement. Family was the least motivating factor for fans of the women’s team amongst every identification level and had the weakest correlation to team identification of the eight motives studied. Identification was positively correlated with greater consumption behaviours for fans of both teams.

Implications & Contribution: This research adds to the scant literature on fans of women’s sport and offers insights on the level of identification, motives, and behaviours of these fans, which can be used by women’s sport organisations when developing fan engagement campaigns and marketing materials.