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The Sport Fan Motivation Scale (SFMS) is an instrument designed to measure eight different motives of sport fans (eustress, self-esteem, escape, entertainment, economic, aesthetic, group affiliation, and family). Wann (1995) presented preliminary evidence that the SFMS is a reliable and valid assessment tool. The current set of three studies was designed to expand on the Wann (1995) research. Study I was intended to test the factor structure of the SFMS using a sample that was more heterogeneous than previous samples. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the integrity of the factor structure remained. Study 2 investigated the relationship between preferences for a specific type of sport (i.e., individual versus team and aggressive versus nonaggressive) and scores on the SFMS subscales. As expected. participants with a preference for an individual sport reported higher levels of aesthetic motivation than persons with a preference for a team sport, while persons with a preference for a team sport had higher scores on the eustress and self-esteem subscales. Also consistent with predictions, persons with a preference for a nonaggressive sport reported higher levels of aesthetic motivation than individuals with a preference for an aggressive sport, while those with a preference for an aggressive sport scored higher on the economic subscale. Study 3 tested and supported the hypothesis that individuals with intrinsic athletic motivation tend to be intrinsically motivated as fans, while persons with extrinsic athletic motivation tend to be extrinsically motivated as fans. General discussion centers on gender differences in SFMS scores and the relationship between SFMS scores and the degree that an individual is a sport fan.
Throughout the last several decades, theorists have attempted to identify the motivations of sport fans and spectators. An examination of this work reveals that there are eight common motives: eustress, self-esteem, escape, entertainment, economic, aesthetic, group affiliation, and family (Wann,1995,1997). Some fans are motivated by eustress (Branscombe & Wann, 1994; Gantz & Wenner, 1995; Prisuta, 1979; Sloan, 1989; Wenner & Gantz, 1989). Eustress is a positive form of stress that stimulates and energizes an individual. Individuals motivated by eustress enjoy the excitement and anxiety that often accompany sport spectating. Other fans are motivated by a desire to enhance their self-esteem (Branscombe & Wann, 1991, 1994; Gantz, 1981; Sloan, 1989). Sport fanship helps...