ABSTRACT
Opportunities for the expression of sports fandom continue to grow online. Sports fans can engage with individual athletes, entire teams, and even leagues. By being online, sports fans can shape their own identities to be reflective of their fandom. This chapter considers how sports fandom is presented and enacted online, especially through social media channels. First, different methods of self-presentation are considered—both text-based and image-based fandom activities are discussed. Social affordances of technologies are then introduced and considered as part of the online identity development, as different affordances can promote different aspects of identity development online. Affordances can also influence the engagement that one has with others when on social media. Finally, parasocial relationships between fans and players and fans and teams are analyzed as the culmination of self-presentation and online engagement.
