Football fans can be anyone from a rich or poor female or male the age varies its open to all people even disabled because football is such a diverse sport open to all people. Football fans like to show they support the specific like going to school wearing the clubs football bag, hat, socks, shorts or they replica jersey just to show which team you support. Wearing items from a specific football team shows your group affiliation and shows the club you support.
Sports fans are individuals who are interested in and follow a sport, team and or athlete (Wann 2001 p2). Football fans are distinguish individuals which believe that football plays a big part of their life’s they all started supporting a specific football club for a specific reason. Football fans usually try to attend football matches and they are very knowledgeable about their team e. g. always on their clubs website and checking latest news on their football team.
Football has an effect in modern day society some family members don’t talk to each other because they both support rival football clubs because that’s how much love and passion they have for their specific football clubs which cannot stand each other e. g. Arsenal and Tottenham have quite a big rivalry in English football. Arsenal and Tottenham football club rivalry started from a long standing sore point did much to escalate the Arsenal Tottenham because in 1919 the first division change from 18 teams to 20 teams both Arsenal and Tottenham wanted one of the two sports the league president gave endorsement to Arsenal and they won the vote to secure a first division place in the topflight of English football. The Tottenham fans must have been angry with that decision being made the first division board and Arsenal football club so from then matches between the two clubs have been played in quite a nasty and spiteful spirit.
Football or supporting any sports team will affect your attitude during the same day or weekend the team you love plays. A convincing victory usually equals a happy person during the day with bragging rights over friends and family which support different teams because winning convincing makes the football seem very good and it’s satisfying to watch again. A loss against the odds will make the average sports fan feel unhappy most probably don’t feel like socialising that much because losing will be much uninspected wouldn’t want to watch, hear or talk about the match earlier which the sports fans team just lost because of a painful feeling you get your not happy.
Group affiliation involves security and being in a group it’s like a football fans second family. Group affiliation will make supporting the club feel better because the people in the group have a love for their club and they can relate to you when that football team is involved e. g. discussing the team players or results. Group affiliation will help you spend time with other supporters of the club. “ Group affiliations motive, that is, a desire to spend time with others suggests (Wann and et al 2001 p32)
Family is a big reason why people become affiliated to a certain football club because family members like father, grand father, brother or a mother could actually of introduced the football fan to football. Football or sports is a key to family bondage in some households because going to watch a football match or sporting event could be a time to spend together with each other. Family is a influence because its like a family tree of every supporting that one specific club so its like you are forced to support the team when you are young they will buy you a lot of the football clubs merchandises to get you into supporting your family favourite football team. “ Family exerted the greatest influence on socialization into sport fandom, as more than half of the male and female participants listed a family member (direct or extended) as the individual who provided the greatest influence” according to (Wann and et al 2001 p28). Football teams being supported “ within the family, fathers and siblings were most influential” according to (Wann and et tal 2001 p28) sports being supported. According to (Wann 2001 p29 ) in a family who likes football fathers are the biggest influence on influencing his siblings to become a football supporters this is a reason why certain people support their respected teams.
A family is also a reason why some people don’t like a specific football team because other family members might influence others not to like a team. Knowledgeable family members pass down the knowledge to the younger siblings in the family to get them to realise why they love their team so much they hate other football teams. History is usually a reason why not to like that team e. g. Everton fans don’t really like Liverpool fans because they are very close to each other started as a friendly rivalry now it is really bitter between the two clubs.
Friends are made by supporting a football club because it’s something that you and that individual has got in common football. Friends is a reason why some people support that specific football team because individuals can influence other individuals decisions to do things like supporting a football club because supporting that football club could make your friends like you even more especially to children and adolescence. Football is a popular sport which is well participated and talked about in the United Kingdom. England’s national team stadium Wembley football stadium holds 90, 000 seated stadium therefore it’s the biggest sports stadium in the United Kingdom. Friends often sit together when watching a sporting event suggests (Wann 1997 p38)
Entertainment football is entertaining it is viewed on television in all over the world Sky Sports channel is going to show 92 live Premier League games this season and ESPN shows 46 of football because therefore football must be popular and is very entertaining for the fans if it’s on television so often. According to (Wann 2001 p31) individuals are more motivated to participate in sport because it is perceived as an enjoyable pastime. According to (Wann p11 2001) “ the vast majority of subjects participated in regularly in sport fandom behaviours” this is shown in football because how many different people participate in the game at all different levels e. g. Sunday league or youth football everyone that participates likes football.
The escape motive to become a football fan is very valuable when you having difficult times e. g. university experience, life or family problems but going to a football match may help block out these problems. “ for example president Roosevelt’s allowed professional baseball to continue during the World War 2 was to provide an escape for North Americans” (Wann and et al., p39 2001) president Roosevelt stated “ that Americans ought to have their chance for recreation and for taking their mind off work” (Wann and et al., 2001 p39) . “ Escape and entertainment motive many fans believe that a day at the ball park or a evening in front of the TV, rooting and cheering, takes their minds of their every day troubles” (Mullin and et al., 2007, p85 ).
Self esteem is the fourth common motive to be a sports fan (Wann and et al., p36, 2001). Supporting a successful football club will be likely to give you self esteem because it will help you feel good about yourself because winning gives you enjoyment. Self esteem gives you the chance to feel better about yourself when your team is victorious you will celebrate. When your team wins you start to bask in the reflection of your club by being happy. “ Sports fans often wear clothing apparel by bearing the favourite team’s colours and logos when the team is and having a successful season (Ratneshwar, 2000, p89) this is because of a good self esteem.
Economic is not really known as the biggest motive to support a football team according to (Wann and et al. 2001 p45). Football fans can gain economically this is a reason why they become football fans because if you have good knowledge on any sport including football this will give you a little incentive to gamble on the sport because gives u more of a chance of winning and increase your money economically.
Eustress is when you feel a level or arousal and excitement when you are watching a sporting event. “ Brills statement suggests that even though life often fails to meet our need for excitement and stimulation, these desire can be fulfilled through sport spectatorship” (Wann and et al. 2001 p38) eustress is big reason why sports fans become fans because of the excitement they get when watching the sport. Eustress refers to positive forms of arousal and stimulation (Wann and et al. 2001 p38) the low level of eustress do not enjoy watching they are always anxious they get nervous when watching their team play. High levels of eustress they find spectating as pleasurable because they get stimulated and aroused because of the intensity of football. Sports fan choose to become distress but they can walk away from the stadium or turn off the television if your team is having a bad game (Wann and et al. 2001 p38) this is a advantage.
The aesthetic motive to become a sports fan involves a individuals desire to participate in the sport as a fan because he or she enjoys the artistic beauty and the grace of the sporting movements (Wann and et al. 2001 p34). Football is a form of brilliant art the control and graceful movement of the elite footballers. Aesthetic motive to become a sports fan can sway non fans to become a fan because of the share brilliance of a team or individual in football. Anti football fans may not support a club but they will know about some e. g. David Beckham and Ronaldo because of their popularity off the football pitch.
Idolisation supporting a football club because of a certain footballer is a decent reason to support that club. Idolisation will make you want to be like that footballer or make you want to buy a lot merchandises representing the team e. g. a shirt with your idols name on the back. David Beckham is an Idol when leaving Manchester united for Real Madrid Fc June 19th 2003 his shirt sold over one million shirts more than 50% of the shirts at the club since he joined Real Madrid. The Open University reported that a huge amount of people wanted to learn Spanish after the England international joined the team in Spain. “ Sports heroes is idolized by his or her fans his or her equipment, uniforms, sports card and autographs become sought after and thus economically value” (Weisl, 2003, p34).
Watching football at first sight without knowing the ability of all the players what are the teams are what you are going to like? The first sight you will see two football teams in their kits you can actually build a love for the team because of their kit the colour could attract, pattern or their badge might look so appealing to the football fan. A kit can make you hate a football team as well the look of that team might not appeal to you more than their football ability.
To conclude the assignment the records and research shows that becoming a football fans there is loads of different incentives behind it e. g. friends, families, entertainment and etc. According to Wann and et al (2001 p45) the most popular reasons why people become sports fans is entertainment, eustress and then group affiliation. Football fans can be any human being out there everyone is different and have different motives to become a fan. Football fans are just genuine people which have love for the sport.