For many online students, getting connected to their university’s community can be a big obstacle. A great way to combat this feeling and boost your own personal morale is to keep up with your school’s sports teams. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic a new study conducted by the University of Georgia reports that sports brands that post frequent and transparent responses, fostering a sense of togetherness in their communities, are more likely to instill feelings of hope and security in their fans. 

The study further emphasized that the relationship between fans and sport brands is a two-way street: fans enhance sport brands’ financial and reputational health, while brands contribute to fans’ psychological well-being through various means.

“From a fan’s perspective, the relationship they share with their favorite team plays a central role in their daily lives,” said study co-author Yiran Su, an assistant professor in UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. “During the pandemic, fans have nowhere to go, so their connection with their team becomes even more pronounced. Our study really highlights the importance of fans’ emotional bond with their favorite teams.”

“There are many studies focused on spectatorship sport that investigate how sports teams can acquire more fans and increase economic outcomes, but very few studies look at how teams can benefit their fans,” said Su. “That’s why we introduced the concept of creating a shared value between sports teams, local communities and fan communities. For a sports team to thrive in the long term and recover from a crisis—especially during a potential economic downturn—it needs to be aware of its impact on their fans’ well-being.”

The pandemic provided a unique environment to conduct the study by reinforcing people’s need for attachment. Fans that are unable to go physically to games because of lockdown are very similar to online students who are unable to visit their university’s teams in person. 

“We measured two facts of psychological well-being: one is perceived hope and one is perceived emptiness,” said Su. “We argued that these two states coexist, and previously, we either focused on the negative side or the positive side. We tested them simultaneously in our model, and we found that the sports brand can leverage your sense of hope and mitigate your sense of emptiness.”

Follow UGA sports teams on social media and learn where you can watch them on their website here. 

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