Why We Watch, Why We Play: The Relationship Between Fantasy Sport and Fanship Motivations

TLDR

The study compares the motivations of traditional sport fans, who watch for team success, with fantasy sport fans, who also aim to win personal fantasy teams. Researchers surveyed 1,261 traditional and fantasy sport consumers, assessing enjoyment, entertainment, passing time, social interaction, and surveillance motivations. Fantasy sport participants reported higher enjoyment, entertainment, passing time, social interaction, and surveillance motivations, similar arousal levels, lower escape motivations than traditional fans, and all motivations increased with greater fantasy involvement.

Abstract

This study compares the tendencies and motivations of the traditional sport fan (who consumes sport to see if his or her favorite teams/players are victorious) and the relatively newer fantasy sport fan (who consumes with the added variable of wanting to see certain players do well in order to secure personal fantasy team victories). A total of 1,261 traditional and fantasy sport consumers were surveyed, with results indicating that fantasy sport users had elevated levels of enjoyment, entertainment, passing time, social interaction, and surveillance motivations when compared to traditional fans. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of arousal, whereas traditional fans scored higher regarding escape motivations. In addition, all motivation behaviors increased significantly based on the amount of fantasy sport involvement, leading to the conclusion that fantasy sport participants have many of the same fanship motivations as traditional nonplaying fans, albeit at higher and often significantly higher levels. Theoretical and applied conclusions are extrapolated as well.