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Abstract
The issue of sports mascot loyalty, especially to those mascots considered offensive, was investigated through fan identification theory, and applied to the mascot controversy at a large university in the United States. Replicating a previous university survey on the mascot question, a survey of current university students (N = 3616) revealed a strong relationship between mascot loyalty and fan identification, particularly related to one’s perceptions of ‘belonging to the university sports family’, and ‘associating with sports fans’ of the university. Other important findings include age differences and the marginalization of Asian-American fans. The implications and applications of these findings were discussed.
Notes
1. The student elected Colonel Reb was not the same as the mascot Colonel Reb and did not represent the university in any official capacity. The university’s first African-American football player, Ben Williams, was elected Colonel Reb in 1976.
2. This study received IRB approval from the University of Mississippi in March 2016, Protocol #16x-227.
3. Because of the relative lack of response from some demographic groups, particularly Asian-Americans, those groups were weighted in statistical analysis.