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Strong identification with a team can motivate fans to engage in questionable or inappropriate behaviors targeting rivals. This qualitative study focuses on fans' Schadenfreude, pleasure at a rival's misfortune. Specifically, comments on ESPN's website made by both Ravens and Browns fans regarding the news of the death of Art Modell, the owner who moved the Cleveland Browns team to Baltimore, were examined and analyzed. Emerging themes indicated that many Cleveland fans experienced Schadenfreude at Modell's death and believed they were completely justified in feeling so; for others, there was no Schadenfreude even though the animosity against him was still strong, while for a few there was actually forgiveness and moving on. Other themes revealed criticism of Cleveland fans for feeling and showing Schadenfreude for such an incident. Overall, the themes indicate that for many fans, antagonistic sport relationships can result in pleasure in a rival's death, especially when the rival is loathed and the fans feel such hatred is justified.
Consumption of sport is often associated with extreme passion and loyalty and can turn people into fanatics (Bristow & Sebastian, 2001; Hunt, Bristol, & Bashaw, 1999; Kelley & Tian, 2004). Most fans usually demonstrate their devotion to their favorite team through socially acceptable behaviors; however, in some occasions, fanaticism can become extreme and lead to inappropriate and/or dangerous behaviors (Hunt et al., 1999; Wakefield & Wann, 2006; Wann, Haynes, McLean, & Pullen, 2003) prompting calls for more research regarding the "dark side" of strong team identification (Madrigal & Dalakas, 2008).
The competitive nature of sport fuels fanaticism and negative behaviors targeting rivals. This study focused on Schadenfreude by sport fans, a phenomenon that is widely documented in the media (e.g., Blythe, 2007; Egan, 2012; Gibbs, 2010; Krell, 2012) but has received limited attention by sport academic researchers. Schadenfreude is a German word that is used to describe feelings of pleasure and joy that one party experiences at the misfortunes of another; it is especially likely to occur when there is an antagonistic relationship between the two parties. Given that Schadenfreude represents an emotion rather than an actual behavior, it may be seen as harmless demonstration of fans' passion. Nonetheless, the causes that elicit Schadenfreude in sport fans may need further attention, especially if it...