University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Open Access Dissertations 2-2013 Fan Communities and Subgroups: Exploring Individuals' Supporter Group Experiences Bruce David Tyler University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations Part of the Sports Management Commons Recommended Citation Tyler, Bruce David, "Fan Communities and Subgroups: Exploring Individuals' Supporter Group Experiences" (2013). Open Access Dissertations. 711. https://doi.org/10.7275/xf75-ac29 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/711 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FAN COMMUNITIES AND SUBGROUPS: EXPLORING INDIVIDUALS’ SUPPORTER GROUP EXPERIENCES A Dissertation Presented by BRUCE DAVID TYLER, JR. Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY February 2013 Isenberg School of Management Department of Sport Management © Copyright by B. David Tyler 2013 All Rights Reserved FAN COMMUNITIES AND SUBGROUPS: EXPLORING INDIVIDUALS’ SUPPORTER GROUP EXPERIENCES A Dissertation Presented by BRUCE DAVID TYLER. JR. Approved as to style and content by: _______________________________________ Sheranne Fairley, Chair _______________________________________ Todd Crosset, Member _______________________________________ Easwar Iyer, Member _______________________________________ James Gladden, Outside Member __________________________________________ D. Anthony Butterfield, Ph.D., Department Head Isenberg School of Management ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to all friends, family, teachers, mentors, and coworkers who helped me during this process. Special thanks is owed to my wife. I would not have accomplished this without her unwavering support, remarkable empathy, and seemingly inexhaustible patience. iv ABSTRACT FAN COMMUNITIES AND SUBGROUPS: EXPLORING INDIVIDUALS’ SUPPORTER GROUP EXPERIENCES FEBRUARY 2013 B. DAVID TYLER, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.B.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Assistant Professor Sheranne Fairley, Ph.D. The aggregate of a sport team’s fans may be viewed as a consumption community that surrounds the team and its brand (Devasagayam & Buff, 2008; Hickman & Ward, 2007). Beneath this larger consumption umbrella, smaller groups of consumers may exist (Dholakia, Bagozzi, & Pearo, 2004), such as specific supporter groups for a team. Individuals thus may identify with multiple layers of the consumption group simultaneously (Brodsky & Marx, 2001; Hornsey & Hogg, 2000). Although past researchers have studied supporter groups (Giulianotti, 1996, 1999a; Parry & Malcolm, 2004) and consumption communities (Kozinets, 2001; Muñiz & O’Guinn, 2001; McAlexander, Schouten, & Koenig, 2002), there has been limited research on the interaction among subgroups within the superordinate group. The current study examines the American Outlaws (AO), a supporter group for the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT). AO members belong to local AO chapters (subgroups) as well the national (superordinate) group. This structure v creates multiple levels of identification and is conducive to studying the phenomenon in question. Through employing a grounded theory methodology, data were collected via participant observation and ethnographic interviews over a two year period. The current study identifies six prominent foci of identification among AO members: the USMNT, the United States of America (national identity), the sport of soccer, AO National, AO Local, and one’s small social group. These identities are found to be mutually reinforcing and shape members’ interactions with the team, the supporter group, and social groups therein. Specifically, the regional subgroups (AO Local chapters) create opportunities for social interaction, which fosters members’ sense of community and group identification. In turn, this strengthens group cohesion at the subgroup and superordinate group levels. Further, supporter group members alter their team consumption experiences by creating places of prolonged identity salience at live games and when watching games on television. These events increase identification with the supporter group and its related identities. For practitioners, implications of this study include the understanding of supporter groups’ impact on members’ frequency and duration of brand-related consumption. vi CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...............................................................................................8 Groups, Communities, Subgroups, and Subcultures ...............................................8 Communities ..............................................................................................10 Groups ........................................................................................................12 Subgroups ..................................................................................................13 Identification with Groups .....................................................................................17 Social Identity Theory................................................................................17 Uncertainty Reduction through Social Categorization ..............................19 Self-esteem Maintenance and Enhancement through Social Categorization ......................................................................................21 Foci of Identification..................................................................................22 Group Norms, Rituals, Folklore, and Language ....................................................26 Within Group Interaction ...........................................................................29 Supporter Groups ...................................................................................................32 Understanding US Soccer Supporter Groups ........................................................34 3. METHOD .....................................................................................................................36 Grounded Theory ...................................................................................................36 The Position of the Researcher ..............................................................................39 Data Sample ...........................................................................................................41 vii The Sample: Background and History of USMNT Supporter Groups ..................................................................................................42 The Sample: Accessing Supporter Groups ................................................48 Informant Types .........................................................................................49 Research Methods ..................................................................................................50 Participant Observation ..............................................................................50 Interviews ...................................................................................................53 Timeline .....................................................................................................55 Data Analysis .............................................................................................56 4. MULTIPLE FOCI OF IDENTIFICATION .................................................................58 Focus of identification: The USMNT ....................................................................58 USMNT Identity: Supporters as the minority ............................................60 USMNT Identity: Primacy of the USMNT Identity at Live Games ..........62 Focus of identification: The United States of America (National Identity) ...........63 National Identity: Visual Displays of National Identity ............................66 National Identity: Auditory Displays of National Identity ........................68 Focus of identification: The sport of soccer ..........................................................73 Focus of identification: AO National .....................................................................76 AO National Identity: Importance of being a Supporter ...........................77 AO National Identity: Displaying AO National Identity ...........................78 AO National Identity: Affirmation of Identity from Players, Administrators, and the Media .............................................................82