The Mascot That Wouldn't Die: A Case Study of Fan Identification and Mascot Loyalty

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-3-2017

Department

Mass Communication and Journalism

School

Communication

Abstract

The issue of sports mascot loyalty, especially to those mascots considered offensive, was investigated through fan identification theory, and applied to the mascot controversy at a large university in the United States. Replicating a previous university survey on the mascot question, a survey of current university students (N = 3616) revealed a strong relationship between mascot loyalty and fan identification, particularly related to one’s perceptions of ‘belonging to the university sports family’, and ‘associating with sports fans’ of the university. Other important findings include age differences and the marginalization of Asian-American fans. The implications and applications of these findings were discussed.

Publication Title

Sport in Society

Volume

21

Issue

3

First Page

482

Last Page

496

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