ABSTRACT
Being a sports fan connotes a social identity, or, at times, more than one social identity. Fans may identify with a sport, a team, individual athletes, geographic locales in which teams are situated, and, perhaps most importantly, others with whom they watch sports. While not all sports viewers are fans, sports-viewing often is a social activity. People watch sports together in stadiums, arenas, and on TV. They play digital and online sports games together, and upload sports content to websites, blogs, and video sites such as YouTube in an effort to share their sports-viewing experiences with others.
