Costs and benefits of allegiance: Changes in fans' self-ascribed competencies after team victory versus defeat.

TLDR

Consistent with social identity theory, fans who strongly identify with their team are expected to interpret team success or failure as personal success or failure. The studies examined how a game outcome influences fans’ estimates of the team’s and their own future performance. Participants watched a live basketball game and then, in a separate experiment, estimated their own performance on several tasks. Results showed that fans’ mood and self‑esteem varied with game outcome, and that fans’ predictions of both team and personal future performance were significantly higher after a win than after a loss.

Abstract

Two studies examined the effect of game outcome on sports fans' estimates of the team's as well as their own future performance. Consistent with social identity theory, it was expected that Ss for whom fanship was an important identity would respond to team success and failure as personal success and failure. Ss watched a live basketball game; then, in the context of a second, unrelated experiment, Ss estimated their own performance at several tasks. Results indicated that fans' mood and self-esteem were affected by game outcome. More important, fans' estimates of both the team's and their own future performance were significantly better in the win than in the loss condition