Conceptualising commitment: a thematic analysis of fans of Welsh rugby

Abstract

Sports fans derive much of their self-concept from their group membership and committing to a specific team is an essential component of fandom. Few studies, however, examine how sports fans commit to their team, or what commitment means for them. An exploratory qualitative study was, therefore, conducted to investigate sports fans’ understanding of commitment. Using focus groups, Welsh rugby fans from three regions in Wales discussed their commitment to their favourite team. Thematic analysis was used to interpret Welsh rugby fans’ dominant thoughts about their commitment where four themes were identified in the data: affective loyalty, involvement, distinctiveness and individualism. In general, sports fans distinguished between different types of commitment and used commitment as a means for evaluating in- and out-group fan behaviour, as well as for personal image management. Future research could build on the present study by using these themes to develop a measurement scale for assessing fans’ commitment to their team.

Keywords:

• sports fans
• commitment
• social identity
• thematic analysis

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Cardiff Rugby Football Club, Swansea Rugby Football Club, Newport Rugby Football Club and Llanelli Scarlets Rugby Football Club for their assistance in hosting the focus groups on their premises. This research was part of a larger Economic and Social Research Council-funded project; RES-000-22-0471.