Measuring Rivalry across Professional Leagues

Is Animosity Consistent Across Sports?B. Daniel Sparks, Northern Kentucky UniversityJoe Cobbs, Northern Kentucky UniversityDavid Tyler, Western Carolina UniversityJennifer Gardner, Northern Kentucky University

Literature ReviewWhat is Rivalry?A rival is "a highly salient outgroup that poses an acute threat to the identity of the ingroup or to ingroup members' ability to make positive comparisons between their group and the outgroup" (Tyler & Cobbs, 2015, p. 230)

• Social Identity Theoryo People associate with others similar to self to

reinforce self-image (Tajfel, 1974; Turner, 1975)• Schadenfreude

o Pleasure in others’ misfortune (Dalakas & Melancon, 2012; Havard, 2014).

• Bias in Relationshipso Highly identified fans are more likely to commit acts

of aggression (Wann et al., 2003; Wann et al., 1999).

Literature Review (Cont.)League Differences• Commercialization

o NASCAR fans more accepting of commercialization compared to NFL fans (Levin et al., 2013)

• Fan Motivationo Individual versus team, aggressive versus

nonaggressive, and stylistic versus non-stylistic. (Wann et al., 2008)

o Results: • Aesthetics in individual, nonaggressive, and

stylistic sports. • Economic, eustress, group affiliation,

entertainment, and family in team sports

Rivalry HypothesisLeague Differences

Hypothesis: Animosity toward rivals varies across professional leagues.

Method Sample• Qualtrics online survey• Respondents recruited from

online message boards• Name favorite team• Who are the rivals of that

team? • Asked (DV) questions about

negative bias, relationship discrimination, schadenfreude, and dis-identification

• N = 4,392 valid • 91% male; 22.4 years old• 194 message boards• Respondents Per League

• NFL N = 1,566• NHL N = 1,500• MLB N = 853• MLS N = 473

Results: MANOVA Differences exist on all four dependent variables

DVs F-value (df) P-Value

Negative Bias 30.21 (3223) <.01

Relationship Discrimination 10.84(3342) <.01

Schadenfreude 25.52 (3241) <.01

Disidentification 17.33 (4439) <.01

Results: Negative Bias

NFL and NHL have similar negative bias against rivals

League Sample Mean (SD) P-Value

NFL 984 5.10 (1.50) -

MLB 544 4.78 (1.62) <.01

MLS 305 4.29 (1.60) <.01

NHL 965 5.11 (1.46) 1.0

Bias against Rival Post Hoc Tests (vs. NFL)

Level of significance < .05

Sample item: [Rival team]’s fans are more obnoxious than the fans of a typical team. (Disagree-Agree 7-point scale)

Results: Relationships

NFL fans discriminate in relationships with rivals more than the other leagues

League Sample Mean (SD) P-Value

NFL 980 3.33 (1.34) -

MLB 530 3.00 (1.28) <.01

MLS 297 2.98 (1.37) <.01

NHL 951 3.12 (1.28) <.01

 Level of Significance <.05

Relationship Discrimination Post Hoc Test (vs. NFL)

Assuming I were single, I would be willing to have an intimate relationship with a(n) [Rival Team]’s fan. (Pettigrew & Meertens, 1995)

Results: Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude toward rivals was significantly higher in NFL respondents

League Sample Mean (SD) P-ValueNFL 997 3.85 (1.72) -MLB 537 3.28 (1.63) <.01

MLS 310 3.54 (1.72) <.05

NHL 964 3.24 (1.65) <.01

Schadenfreude toward Rival Fans Post Hoc Test (vs. NFL)

I will feel joy if a player from [Rival Team] gets suspended for a year, even if the suspension was not completely deserved. (Dalakas & Melancon, 2012)

Results: Dis-Identification

NFL fans were more likely to Dis-identify with Rival teams

League Sample Mean (SD) P-ValueNFL 1424 4.11 (1.57) -MLB 781 3.70 (1.61) <.01

MLS 442 3.62(1.59) <.01

NHL 1403 3.86 (1.54) <.01

Fan Dis-Identification towards Rivals Post Hoc Test (vs. NFL)

When someone criticizes the [Rival Team], it feels like a personal compliment. (Elsbach & Bhattacharya, 2001)

Additional Findings

MLS Comparisons to Other Leagues

MLS league differences

League Negative BiasRelationship

Discrimination Schadenfreude Dis-IdentificationMLS 4.29 (1.60) 2.99(1.37) 3.54 (1.72) 3.62 (1.59)

NFL diff +0.80*** +0.35*** +0.31** +0.48***

NHL diff +0.81*** +0.13 -0.29* +0.24*

MLB diff +0.48*** +0.02 -0.25 +0.08

*** p < .01 * p < .10** p < .05

Limitations

• Exclusion of the NBA• Restricted to US/Canadian professional leagues• Sample Size variation amongst leagues• Highly male sample

Future Research

Implications• Fan phenomenon varies by sporting

context (Wann et al., 2008)• Marketers/Security must be cautious

of generalizing assumptions of Rivalry across leagues