SPORTS FAN-TO-FAN VIDEOS: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF A GROWING TYPE OF SPORTS MEDIA WHERE THE ATHLETES AREN’T THE FOCUS

This thesis explores the significance of “fan-to-fan videos” as a new form of sports media. Some of the sports fans in the U.S. filmed each other and asked corporate social media accounts to upload the videos on social media for them. This thesis calls this type of video “fan-to-fan videos”. This thesis attempts to succeed Earnheardt et al. 's (2012) research, and update McPhail’s (1991), Gantz et al.’s (2012), and MacIntosh et al.’s (2017) findings. This thesis uses Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) to discuss intergroup relations. This thesis used Owen’s (1984) thematic analysis to extract the themes from the visual and auditory elements of 115 “fan-to-fan videos” on Instagram and TikTok. The results found three themes of ‘commitment’, ‘insult’, and ‘inclusion’ from the elements of “fan-to-fan videos” which are emojis, hashtags, fan reaction, and jerseys/hats. The findings of the thesis contribute to the sports media research by introducing the term "fan-to-fan video" to describe videos where one fan films other fans; a phenomenon previously unnamed, and by suggesting a framework to analyze and interpret fans' new activities on social media. Keywords: Sports media, fan-to-fan video, Social Identity Theory, thematic analysis