Understanding the Lack of Team Identification Research in Women’s Sport

Abstract

For decades, scholars have sought to understand individuals’ identification with sport teams. As a result, we have great knowledge of how team identification influences a variety of attitudinal and behavioral out-comes as well as the impact of identifying with a team on an individual’s sense of self. However, nearly all studies of team identification have dealt with men’s sport rather than women’s sport. The authors addressed this issue in the current study by using the Delphi technique to solicit expert opinion on the lack of team identification research in women’s sport, including reasons for the lack of research, the extent to which context matters in studying team identification, and potential contributions to the team identification literature by examining the concept in women’s sport settings. The authors conclude by discussing experts’ opinions, the extent to which some views may underpin the lack of research, and implications for future studies of team identification.

Unpacking the Women’s Sport Fan Experience: A Customer Journey Analysis

“…The few areas of women's sport fandom that have received attention have largely explored motivations (Fink, Trail & Anderson, 2002;Farrell, Fink & Fields, 2011), team identification (Wann & Branscome, 1990Heere & Newland, 2013;Schramm & Knoll, 2017;Delia, Katz & Armstrong, 2021), leisure spectators (McGinnis, Chun & McQuillan, 2003;Sveinson & Hoeber, 2015) and sport fandom measurements (Bahk, 2000;Trail, Anderson & Fink, 2000;Trail & James, 2001). Little research has specifically examined the women's sport fan experience.…”

“…From a scholarly standpoint, there is an alarming lack of research specifically examining the experiences of women's sport fans. Recent work by Delia et al (2021) noted that nearly all academic studies related to sport team identification have been exclusive to men's sports. In their review of hundreds of articles, only five were found to explicitly study the women's sport context (Delia et al, 2021).…”

“…Recent work by Delia et al (2021) noted that nearly all academic studies related to sport team identification have been exclusive to men's sports. In their review of hundreds of articles, only five were found to explicitly study the women's sport context (Delia et al, 2021). Fink et al, (2002) first determined there were differences in the consumption strategies of men's and women's sports two decades ago.…”

Re-thinking Women's Sport Research: Looking in the Mirror and Reflecting Forward

“…Together, these reviews underscore the progress in scholarship dedicated specifically to women's sport. A recent study by Delia et al (2021), however, noted that nearly all academic studies related to team identification have exclusively dealt with men's sport. Their review of hundreds of articles examining team identification as a focal variable found only five articles in which scholars explicitly studied the women's sport context (Delia et al, 2021).…”

“…A recent study by Delia et al (2021), however, noted that nearly all academic studies related to team identification have exclusively dealt with men's sport. Their review of hundreds of articles examining team identification as a focal variable found only five articles in which scholars explicitly studied the women's sport context (Delia et al, 2021). A review article of social media research in sport management featured 70 studies of which only two specifically focused on women's sports (Filo et al, 2015).…”