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Although some authors have suggested that fans use sport to escape boredom and monotony (i.e., under-stimulation), others have suggested that sport serves as a diversion from stress and anxiety (i.e., over-stimulation). The current pair of investigations were an empirical assessment of whether fans endorse one or both of these uses of fandom. In both studies, participants (Study 1 N= 95; Study 2 N = 210) completed a questionnaire assessing their level of escape motivation and their perceptions of the stress and boredom in their lives. Participants with a moderate to high level of escape motivation also completed a second questionnaire assessing their reason for using fandom as an escape (i.e., to escape from over-stimulation or under-stimulation). Results from both studies revealed positive correlations between perceptions of both the stress and boredom in one's life and the use of sport fandom as an escape. Furthermore, respondents with a propensity toward the use of sport as a diversion reported doing so to escape both over-stimulation and under-stimulation.
INTRODUCTION
Sport scientists have suggested a number of different motives underlying one's involvement in sport as a fan. For instance, it has been suggested that fans are motivated by their desire to affiliate with others (Eastman & Land, 1997; Gantz & Wenner, 1995; Sloan, 1989), the opportunity spend time with family members (Evaggelinou & Grekinis, 1998; Gantz, 1981; Guttmann, 1986), their passion for the aesthetic quality of sport (Brown, 1996; Smith, 1988; Weiller & Higgs, 1997), and the pleasant stress (i.e., eustress) that often accompanies sport spectating (Eastman & Riggs, 1994; Gantz & Wenner, 1995; Sloan, 1989; Smith, 1988).
Another frequently cited motive involves the use of fandom as an escape (Gantz & Wenner, 1995; Krohn, Clarke, Preston, McDonald, & Preston, 1998; Meier, 1979; Segrave, 2000). The escape motive concerns a fan's desire to follow sport because the activity provides a diversion from the rest of his or her life. For instance, individuals who are unhappy with their home-life, work, or college experience may be able to temporarily repress their problems by becoming immersed in sport fandom.
Although many authors had written about the use of fandom as a diversion, there was still some mystery to this motive. Specifically, what remained unclear was what, precisely, fans escape by...