Perceptions of Bandwagon and Hardcore Sport Fans

In two studies we examined the perceptions of bandwagon fans—those whose interest is inconsistent or contingent upon a team’s current performance—and hardcore sport fans—those with a persistent and unflinching zeal for their team even through periods of poor performance. In both studies, participants were randomly assigned to read about a bandwagon or hardcore basketball fan prior to rating their perception of the target person’s trustworthiness (likability, honesty, expertise) and personality (big five dimensions). Additionally, we assessed several possible mediators of the effect of manipulating fan type on perceived fan trustworthiness: perceived genuineness, consistency, prototypicality of the target as a fan, and the target’s presumed fanship and fandom identification. The results of both studies showed that hardcore fans were perceived more positively than bandwagon fans. Mediation analyses suggest that perceived genuineness (Studies 1 & 2), consistency, prototypicality, fanship, and fandom (Study 2) may all be factors driving this effect. The results provide empirical evidence for the positive perception of hardcore (vs. bandwagon) fans and, more importantly, suggest important mechanisms for fan perception.