Stability and Change in Sports Fandom Over Time

A Longitudinal Study of U.S. Women’s Professional Soccer Fandom

Bibliographic Data

ID7168530
AuthorsR Allison (0000-0003-1057-190X, Mississippi State University), R Kossakowski (0000-0002-4150-9730, University of Gdańsk), Stacey Pope (0000-0002-0273-8493, Durham University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume42
Issue1
Pages101-111
Publication date2025-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology of Sport Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0741-1235 • E-ISSN: 1543-2785
PublisherHuman Kinetics (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1123/ssj.2024-0036
OpenAlexW4400033902
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited31

Scholars have recognized that sports fandom is not static, but temporal and fluid. However, little longitudinal research has traced the development of fandom over time. This analysis makes a new contribution to the sociology of fandom and women’s sport by drawing from interviews with 35 U.S. adults who attended the 2019 Women’s World Cup and were reinterviewed after the 2023 Women’s World Cup to consider how and why fandom of U.S. women’s professional soccer develops over time. Findings show stability in high levels of identification but fluctuating practices. Themes of the life course and opportunity structure show the importance of individual and team/league changes to fans’ ability to engage in a range of behavioral expressions associated with their fandom and also account for the small number of participants whose attachment to women’s soccer waned. By offering new insights into the factors that shape (changing) fan attachments and practices, we advance knowledge about women’s sport fans at a time when women’s soccer is undergoing rapid change. Our findings can also inform future longitudinal work in other sport contexts

Advertising · Business · Fandom · Media studies · Sociology · Psychology · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports Analytics and Performance · Sports, Gender, and Society

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Open DOIOpen Access