Evaluating a sport’s fans perceptions and preferences has been an important aspect of sports research for many years. To make these evaluations many theoretical approaches have been used including; fan team identification (e.g., Wann & Branscombe, 1993), commitment (e.g., Mahony, Madrigal, & Howard, 2000), and loyalty (e.g., Backman & Crompton, 1991). These theories, and others, have been used to assess a variety of sport related phenomena such as game attendance choices (Wann & Branscombe, 1993), and expectations of referee performance (Gayton et al., 1998) among others.
Ultimately, fan team identification was chosen as the focus of this study. Wann and Branscombe (1993) showed that a fan’s expectations of a team differ depending on their identification level. Additionally, the differences between individuals with low and high fan identification impact their consumption habits and behaviors. High identification has been found to have the biggest effect on enjoyment (Madrigal, 1995), and directly leads to the purchasing and consumption of more products (Fink, Trail, & Anderson, 2002).
This study assessed fan identification and its influence on preferences for changes to rules in Major League Baseball (MLB) for individuals aged 18-24, an important demographic to capitalize on as baseball fans are aging and youth involvement in the
sport has waned in recent years (Paul, 2017). All the rule changes chosen for this study have been either implemented in the minor or major leagues or have been discussed by fans, players, and media.
A survey was designed and administered to undergraduate college students at a large midwestern university. These students were surveyed in their respective classrooms utilizing a convenience sample.
The survey began asking demographic questions. The second section used Wann & Branscombe’s (1993) Sport Spectator Identification Scale in its entirety to create a mean identification score. Finally, the survey asked a Likert question, scaled one to eight, which said “To what extent would this rule improve MLB?” in regard to each rule changes. A panel of experts and a brief pilot study were utilized to evaluate the survey for content analysis and clarity. After reviewing the feedback and results some format and phrasing changes were made, and the full survey was administered.
Overall, the study demonstrated that in some situations the level of fan identification was a statistically significant predictor of a fan’s preference to a rule change, specifically in regard to mound visits, starting extra-innings with a runner on second base, and the implementation of a pitch clock. Other demographic factors were at times statistically significant predictors as well including how many times an individual watches MLB per month, whether they participated in organized baseball or softball, and gender.
Future research based on this line of inquiry can be used to evaluate other proposed rule changes, in any sport, and could focus on different demographics, such as older age groups, to help paint a more panoramic picture of what people are looking for in gameplay going forward.