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This investigation examined the role of sport participation and sport fandom, specifically "being a sport fan", as determinants of male and female popularity. College students rank ordered seven activities in terms of what they felt would make a male and female well liked by others. Consistent with past research, sport participation was perceived to be a more important determinant of male popularity than female popularity. Participants also perceived that "being a sport fan" was a more important popularity determinant for males than females. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of differences in the socialization of males and females and the impact societal expectations may have on the development of one's sport fan identity.
INTRODUCTION
Despite the fact that a high proportion of college students are sport fans (Dietz-Uhler, Harrick, End, & Jacquemotte, 2000), little is known about the social implications of being identified as a "sport fan." Are sport fans thought of as beer goggling slobs who should be shunned and chastised for their laziness, or connoisseurs of physical and mental prowess? One purpose of the following study was to examine if identification as a sport fan is perceived to be an important determinant of popularity. Of particular interest is whether gender differences exist in terms of the perceived importance of one's identification as a sport fan.
Although research has not examined how claiming a sport fan identity influences others' perceptions, several studies have demonstrated that sport participation is an important determinant of popularity for adolescents (Buchanan, Blankenbaker, & Cotton, 1976; Chase & Dummer, 1992; Coleman, 1961; Feltz, 1978; Holland & Andre, 1994; Thirer & Wright, 1983; Williams & White, 1983). It is possible that sport's influence on popularity transcends participation and extends to being a sport fan. Although this research is exploratory in nature, there is evidence that suggests that, similar to sport participation, being a sport fan may be perceived to be an important determinant of popularity. Adler, Kless, and Adler (1992) observed elementary school children and reported, "the most popular boys all had a keen interest in sports even if they were not adept in athletics" (p.172). This statement suggests adolescents' general interest in sport may reap the same social status benefits afforded to an individual who...