Title page for ETD etd-04102007-004658

Type of Document

Thesis

Author

Corrigan, Thomas Fitzpatrick

Author's Email Address

tfc8542@fsu.edu

URN

etd-04102007-004658

Title

Fantasy Fans?: Comparing Team Identification Among Fantasy Football Players and Non-Fantasy Football Players

Degree

Master of Science

Department

Communication, Department of

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name	Title
Arthur Raney	Committee Chair
Laura Arpan	Committee Member
Steven McClung	Committee Member

Keywords

Fantasy Football
Team Identification
Sports Media

Date of Defense

2007-04-05

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

It is the contention of some members of the media that individuals who play fantasy sports, particularly fantasy football, have less allegiance to their favorite sports teams than individuals who do not play fantasy sports. The following study aimed to evaluate the validity of these claims by comparing fantasy players and non-fantasy players in three respects: 1) their identification with their favorite NFL teams; 2) their identification with their favorite fantasy football players and favorite NFL players, respectively; and 3) their identification with several points of attachment for NFL football, including the teams, players, coaches, the sport, and the level of play. This study aimed to add to the existing body of research on team identification and fantasy sports, and it represents the first academic study to compare fantasy and non-fantasy players. A combination of paper and online surveys of 280 NFL fans at Florida State University revealed that fantasy football players identify with their favorite NFL teams at higher levels than do NFL fans that do not play fantasy football, contrary the contentions of the media. Fantasy players also identified with their favorite fantasy football players at similar levels to non-fantasy players’ identification with their favorite NFL players. A number of other points of attachment for NFL fans were also addressed.

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