Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6764-9709

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Communication Studies

Committee Chair

Elizabeth Cohen

Committee Co-Chair

Christine Kunkle

Committee Member

Christine Kunkle

Committee Member

Matt Martin

Committee Member

Joshua Woods

Abstract

Dysfunctional Fan Behavior is a concept developed by Wakefield & Wann (2006), that describes fan conduct, consisting of complaining and confrontation, that ruins the experience of sporting events for others. However, there is some evidence that although the items featured in the Dysfunctional Fan Behavior Scale are perceived as negative, they are also viewed as relatively normal and appropriate of sports fans. Bobbitt et al.’s (in press) qualitative analysis suggests that these behaviors are not always considered destructive or toxic in the context of sport, but the line between benignly rude and genuinely antisocial behavior is somewhat difficult to define. Drawing from this research, this dissertation argues that a measure of potentially harmful fan engagement could benefit from a focus on the beliefs that breed such toxic or dysfunctional behaviors, rather than the behaviors themselves. This dissertation develops a measure of Toxic Sports Fandom in an effort to more precisely capture the beliefs that underlie destructive and antisocial sports fan involvement. Following scale development guidelines laid out by Furr (2011) and Carpenter (2018), this research consists of two studies. In the first study, undergraduate students (N = 288) completed a survey of 50-items that were based on Bobbitt et al.’s research and designed to tap into five potential factors of toxic fandom. Exploratory factor analysis was used to reduce the scale into four dimensions. In the second study, the scale was subjected to confirmatory factor analysis with data from a sample recruited on CloudResearch (N = 451). After eliminating a few items from the initial model which demonstrated poor fit, the resultant 10-item scale of toxic sports fandom showed good model fit and reliability. The final scale consists of three dimensions: Entitlement to Aggression, Emotional Dysregulation, and Fan Loyalty. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of the scale’s factor structure and the scale’s applications in future research.

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