SPECTATORS EVALUATIONS OF RIVAL AND FELLOW FANS

Although a large amount of research has demonstrated that sports fans are biased in their evaluations of their favorite teams, no research had reviewed spectators' evaluations of other spectators. Such an examination was the focus of the present study. In order to test the hypothesis that spectators would show a bias toward fellow ingroup fans and that this bias would be most prominent among spectators high in identification with the team, 103 undergraduate basketball fans were asked to read a scenario describing the behavior of a fellow or rival fan attending a basketball game. Respondents' evaluations of this target fan and the fan's behavior supported the hypothesized interaction. Discussion centers on the motivations underlying the relationships between identification, group membership, and evaluations.