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Abstract: Though much research has addressed the impact of team identification on fan behaviors, little research has focused on fans' perceptions of moral functioning or of the moral atmosphere surrounding university football games. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of moral atmosphere, levels of moral functioning and team identification, and dysfunctional fan behavior of college student fans on football game days. Participants included 205 undergraduate students (n = 120 males; 85 females) who completed an online questionnaire asking about demographics, as well as perceptions of moral atmosphere and moral functioning, their level of team identification, and their level of dysfunctional fan behavior on football game days. The results showed no correlation between team identification and moral functioning. However, moral atmosphere significantly predicted moral functioning, and administration influence was a stronger predictor than peer influence. In addition, team identification, moral atmosphere, and sex were all significant predictors of engaging in dysfunctional fan behavior. Future research should examine antecedents to, and students' perceptions of, dysfunctional fan behavior (i.e., what it entails, and how acceptable they deem it to be in a sport setting) as well as perceptions student fans have of their university administration's influence on their behavior.
Keywords: moral functioning; moral atmosphere; team identification; dysfunctional fan behavior
The popularity of football within the US is a growing phenomenon and collegiate football, in particular, has been revealed as the second most popular sport in the US, behind only the National Football League (NFL; National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame, 2017-18). With the four-year turnover associated with colleges and the link of many NCAA Division I institutions to the entire state in which it resides, the fanbase of collegiate Division I football has the opportunity to expand each year (Towery, 2021). People are motivated to become fans for a number of reasons; these may include the low skill level needed to become a fan, the ability for people of different walks of life (i.e., different ages) to engage in fandom, and the low cost associated with team identity (Wann & James, 2018; Zillmann et al., 1989). Team identification refers to the feeling that a person has a psychological connection to a team (Wann et al., 1999) and collegiate football with...