Fandom Communities and Fan Identity

An essential element of sports fandom is that being a fan means identifying as part of a community. The stories of fandom provide the infrastructure for a fan community. Stories and shared interests facilitate the development of relationships between fans. As these relationships extend and become networks, fandom communities come into existence. When fan communities become something distinctive, interesting, or attractive, fandom can provide utility as fans use their sports and other cultural affiliations to construct and display their social identities. This chapter focuses on the role and benefits of fandom in helping people construct their social identities.