Andrew C. Billings is Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting and director of the University of Alabama Program in Sports Communication.Kenon A. Brown is assistant professor of public relations at The University of Alabama.

Editors Billings and Brown (both, Univ. of Alabama) have assembled a collection of essays from young scholars exploring various facets of sport fans and fandom. From communication and psychological perspectives, the work includes both reviews and original empirical research. Beginning with topics related to aspects of sport fans, such as the association between team identification (i.e., a psychological connection to a sport team) and personality dimensions, experiences of team identification, and the concept of “Basking in Reflected Glory,” the authors then examine applications of fanship to areas including the relationship between identification and nationalist attitudes. Later chapters explore outcomes of sport fanship such as deviant behaviors, reactions to team and athlete scandals, and possible future areas of sport fan research including uses and gratifications, technology usage, and virtual reality. Altogether the work is a much-needed update and review of empirical fan research for social scientists. Although the book is geared toward sport fans, it is strongly recommended reading for researchers exploring fans of all interests. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and professionals.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter 1: “Far From Monolithic: The Enigma of the Modern Sports Fan”Andrew C. Billings and Kenon A. BrownUnit I.Anatomy of the Modern Sports FanChapter 2:“Highly-Identified Sports Fans’ and Personality Traits”Michael B. DevlinChapter 3:“Antecedents and Consequences of Team Identification: What Elements Reinforce NFL Fans’ Identification and How Does This Identification Work on Behavioral Intentions?”Eunyoung Kim and Karla K. GowerChapter 4:“Beyond BIRGing and CORFing: Longitudinal Historical Performance Measures and the Impact on Fan Expectations”Stan DielChapter 5:“Of Sport and Schadenfreude: Fandom, Rival Successes and Failures, and the Introduction of Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORF) Measurements”Andrew C. Billings, Fei Qiao, Kenon A. Brown, and Michael DevlinUnit II.Applications for the Modern Sports FanChapter 6:“Athletes as the New Investment Vehicle: Advancing the Meaning of Brand Personas in Sports Media”Brandon K. Chicotsky

Andrew C. Billings is Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting and director of the University of Alabama Program in Sports Communication.Kenon A. Brown is assistant professor of public relations at The University of Alabama.

Editors Billings and Brown (both, Univ. of Alabama) have assembled a collection of essays from young scholars exploring various facets of sport fans and fandom. From communication and psychological perspectives, the work includes both reviews and original empirical research. Beginning with topics related to aspects of sport fans, such as the association between team identification (i.e., a psychological connection to a sport team) and personality dimensions, experiences of team identification, and the concept of “Basking in Reflected Glory,” the authors then examine applications of fanship to areas including the relationship between identification and nationalist attitudes. Later chapters explore outcomes of sport fanship such as deviant behaviors, reactions to team and athlete scandals, and possible future areas of sport fan research including uses and gratifications, technology usage, and virtual reality. Altogether the work is a much-needed update and review of empirical fan research for social scientists. Although the book is geared toward sport fans, it is strongly recommended reading for researchers exploring fans of all interests. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and professionals.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter 1: “Far From Monolithic: The Enigma of the Modern Sports Fan”Andrew C. Billings and Kenon A. BrownUnit I.Anatomy of the Modern Sports FanChapter 2:“Highly-Identified Sports Fans’ and Personality Traits”Michael B. DevlinChapter 3:“Antecedents and Consequences of Team Identification: What Elements Reinforce NFL Fans’ Identification and How Does This Identification Work on Behavioral Intentions?”Eunyoung Kim and Karla K. GowerChapter 4:“Beyond BIRGing and CORFing: Longitudinal Historical Performance Measures and the Impact on Fan Expectations”Stan DielChapter 5:“Of Sport and Schadenfreude: Fandom, Rival Successes and Failures, and the Introduction of Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORF) Measurements”Andrew C. Billings, Fei Qiao, Kenon A. Brown, and Michael DevlinUnit II.Applications for the Modern Sports FanChapter 6:“Athletes as the New Investment Vehicle: Advancing the Meaning of Brand Personas in Sports Media”Brandon K. Chicotsky

Andrew C. Billings is Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting and director of the University of Alabama Program in Sports Communication.Kenon A. Brown is assistant professor of public relations at The University of Alabama.

Editors Billings and Brown (both, Univ. of Alabama) have assembled a collection of essays from young scholars exploring various facets of sport fans and fandom. From communication and psychological perspectives, the work includes both reviews and original empirical research. Beginning with topics related to aspects of sport fans, such as the association between team identification (i.e., a psychological connection to a sport team) and personality dimensions, experiences of team identification, and the concept of “Basking in Reflected Glory,” the authors then examine applications of fanship to areas including the relationship between identification and nationalist attitudes. Later chapters explore outcomes of sport fanship such as deviant behaviors, reactions to team and athlete scandals, and possible future areas of sport fan research including uses and gratifications, technology usage, and virtual reality. Altogether the work is a much-needed update and review of empirical fan research for social scientists. Although the book is geared toward sport fans, it is strongly recommended reading for researchers exploring fans of all interests. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and professionals.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter 1: “Far From Monolithic: The Enigma of the Modern Sports Fan”Andrew C. Billings and Kenon A. BrownUnit I.Anatomy of the Modern Sports FanChapter 2:“Highly-Identified Sports Fans’ and Personality Traits”Michael B. DevlinChapter 3:“Antecedents and Consequences of Team Identification: What Elements Reinforce NFL Fans’ Identification and How Does This Identification Work on Behavioral Intentions?”Eunyoung Kim and Karla K. GowerChapter 4:“Beyond BIRGing and CORFing: Longitudinal Historical Performance Measures and the Impact on Fan Expectations”Stan DielChapter 5:“Of Sport and Schadenfreude: Fandom, Rival Successes and Failures, and the Introduction of Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORF) Measurements”Andrew C. Billings, Fei Qiao, Kenon A. Brown, and Michael DevlinUnit II.Applications for the Modern Sports FanChapter 6:“Athletes as the New Investment Vehicle: Advancing the Meaning of Brand Personas in Sports Media”Brandon K. Chicotsky