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Purpose: The purpose of this paper was (1) to examine the underexplored intersection of sports betting and favorite team loyalty, and (2) to assess differences in gambling behavior among sport bettors by varying levels of team loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 1,555 National Football League (NFL) bettors and non-betting NFL fans were surveyed to assess media consumption across a mix of team loyalty attitudes and betting behaviors. Findings: Statistically significant differences were found between four types of NFL fans (casual, team loyalty-dominant, betting-dominant and hybrid) as it relates to media consumption in various forms. Most notably, the results suggested symbiosis between the activities. Research limitations/implications: The symbiosis finding, though preliminary, suggests the activity provides an additional platform for consumers to connect with spectator sport. Furthermore, the act of betting, like participation in fantasy sports, appears to spur consumption of the NFL product generally. The study, however, was limited to NFL fans, did not specify the method for sports betting, nor the intensity of gambling. Practical implications: Teams should not worry that betting detracts from fan engagement with the team product. Also, leagues and media providers should continue to highlight betting content as participants consume at higher rates than non-participating sports fans. Social implications: Team fandom may potentially moderate problem behavior among bettors. The betting results indicate being a loyal team fan lowers one's gambling spend per month and largest bet compared to non-loyal bettors. However, the hybrid fan showed significantly higher media consumption levels. Originality/value: Sports fans have more opportunities to interact and engage with their favorite games than ever before. However, consumers have limited amounts of time and money, and this study is one of the first to examine differences in fan interests and behaviors related to sport betting and team loyalty and the resulting viewership and consumption behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1970s, National Football League (NFL) teams have hired attractive women to dance in scantily clad uniforms as a means of entertaining their heterosexual, male fans—offering a reflection of hegemonic gender ideology in the process. In recent years, a handful of these professional cheerleaders have spoken up and taken action against gender discrimination. Yet, little has changed. This study takes a feminist critical discourse analysis perspective to examining how gender ideology is (re)produced in discourse surrounding the employment roles of NFL cheerleaders, contributing to the perpetuation of gender inequality in sport. Findings demonstrate that three distinct gender ideologies are (re)produced in the discourse, competing with each other to define meanings associated with NFL cheerleading employment roles. Additionally, analysis reveals that while NFL teams have made changes to their cheerleading programs in response to feminist critiques, discourse surrounding these changes continues to (re)produce hegemonic femininity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is based on 3 different surveys conducted over several NFL football seasons. The first study investigated the impact of the Anthem Protest Movement on the attitude of NFL fans. The "Anthem Protest" reemerged during the 2020 season during the "lockdown" season associated with the COVID epidemic. Co-mingled with COVID and societal unrest, many analysts predicted irreparable harm to the NFL's once indomitable position as America's favorite sport resulting from this confluence of events. Given the importance of the topic in terms of future NFL fan support, this report looks back over the last several NFL seasons to investigate whether any trends in viewership and NFL fan support can be determined. One of the key objectives of the research was to investigate whether there was any significant attitudinal difference between black and white college students regarding their respective opinions on the impact the Anthem Protest Movement might have on interest in watching NFL football games. The findings indicate that while white students had stronger negative feelings toward the athletes participating in the protest, the Anthem Protest has not resulted in significant harm to the sport among younger fans of the NFL. Further, while COVID had an initial negative impact on viewership interest, this effect has been eliminated as a concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2016 National Football League (NFL) Draft, Moritz Böhringer became the first international player ever selected without having previously played in North America. The current study examined media coverage of Böhringer during the process of him being identified as an NFL prospect, working out for NFL scouts, being drafted, and trying to make an NFL roster. Ultimately, Böhringer was framed as an international experiment that produced serious interest from NFL teams and created a "feel good" story for fans. The study contributes to the broader understanding of sport, media, race, and nationality, illustrating how Böhringer—despite being a foreign athlete in a quintessentially American sport—was presented as a "breath of fresh air" that provided welcome relief from the "bad apples" in the league. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how participants responded to incidents of athlete-perpetrated intimate partner violence in two separate contexts: one featuring an athlete from a league that is at peak popularity among sports audiences (National Football League; NFL) and one featuring an athlete from an up-and-coming league that currently has a lower standing in professional sports (Ultimate Fighting Championship League; UFC). The authors used the social ecological model to qualitatively analyze participant perceptions about athlete-perpetrated intimate partner violence composite news packages. For the purpose of this study specifically, they centered on 1,124 responses to one of the open-ended qualitative questions asked in a larger quantitative experiment. The authors found that the participants most frequently attributed the perpetrator's behavior to either individual or relationship-level reasons and that there were differences in the level attributed for participants of different races and ethnicities. They also determined that the participants were more likely to ascribe the violence to the suspect's job (i.e., athlete) if they were a UFC fighter than an NFL player. Theoretical extensions of the social ecological model and practical implications for journalists, the media, and fans are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this study, the authors examine consumer attitudes toward a professional soccer club's proenvironmental initiatives and evaluate whether key themes are consistent with those found in previous research of fans in different sporting contexts. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyzed empirical material provided by 147 highly identified supporters of a Major League Soccer team. Using template analysis, the authors compared codes, categories and themes with those previously identified in a reference group of National Football League (NFL) fans. Findings: Twenty-three preliminary codes, nine categories and four themes were established by the researchers. Three themes – Considering Environmental Action, Business Insights and Impacting the Fan Experience – were all consistent with the NFL reference group. A fourth theme, Public Visibility, focused on the possibility that the club's proenvironmental initiatives could provide a competitive advantage over rival cities and positively influence local programming and behaviors. Originality/value: The results of this study support the notion that fan characteristics may differ across various demographic and structural contexts and fans' recognition that a club could leverage its community standing to promote proenvironmental action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although scholars have examined numerous facets of broadcast sports, limited research has explored the use of statistics in these broadcasts. Reference to statistical summaries of athlete or team performance have long been a component of sport broadcasts, and for some viewers the rise of fantasy sport has led to even greater interest in quantitative measures of athlete or team performance. To examine the presence and nature of statistical references in sport broadcasts, this study examines National Football League telecasts over time to identify changes in the frequency, type, and presentation form of statistics. Findings revealed an emphasis on individual player statistics over team statistics, as well as an increase in on-screen graphics over time. The study also revealed a simultaneous decrease in statistical references relayed orally by broadcasters. These findings illustrate the importance of statistics as a storytelling tool, as well as reflecting technological innovations in sports broadcasting. In addition, they suggest a possible evolution in audience consumption habits and desires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with National Football League's (NFL) Digital Media manager Rong Hua is presented. Topics include an overview of the NFL at its China office, the application of digital strategies for NFL promotion and the introduction of TianTian NFL (TTNFL) local fantasy game for Chinese football spectators. Also mentioned are Hua's brief background and how she ended up working at the league.

In August 2016, San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the United States' national anthem. Throughout the National Football League's 2016–2017 season, Kaepernick and other NFL players acting in solidarity maintained their refusal to stand for the national anthem. We explore NFL fans' reactions to and feelings about the player protests inspired by Colin Kaepernick with interviews with 41 participants conducted between November 2017 and February 2018. We highlight how fans' private talk about race is shaped by their strong feelings about race and social justice, particularly around their beliefs about the purpose and function of sports, feelings about players' rights and responsibilities, and reaction to the NFL's response to Kaepernick. Knowledge of and comfort discussing systemic racism was a key component in fans' support for or opposition to the player protests. We argue that the way that NFL fans talk about the protests is shaped by the U.S. history of racial injustice, which is linked, both historically and in our interview participants' statements, to issues of economics, ownership, and wealth inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home field advantage has been a commonly discussed and researched topic in sports. How much of this advantage is due to the home team's supporters' physical attendance at the game where they might encourage their team, intimidate the opponent, and influence game officials? We utilize the unique natural experiment of the COVID-19 pandemic and consider the case of American professional (NFL) and collegiate (NCAA) football to examine this question. We measure how typical spreads, relative to home teams, changed in the 2020 season compared to their historical levels, and we determine that roughly half of what football fans and analysts consider to be home field advantage emanates from spectators. Generally, the betting market was rather accurate in its predictions of how football game results would change in 2020, during the pandemic. Wagering strategies which were based on possible underappreciation or overcorrection of home field advantage during limitedattendance football games failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Political and social elite rhetoric can have a robust impact on individuals' policy stances, particularly when recipients of persuasive messages share an in‐group identity with the messenger and when the information is counter‐stereotypical. In this study, we build on Harrison and Michelson's (2017) theory of dissonant identity priming (TDIP) and examine an understudied topic, the effectiveness of National Football League (NFL) elite pro‐immigration statements in shifting individuals' perspectives on immigration topics. Methods: We explore this question using two unique randomized survey experiments, one conducted face‐to‐face with residents of Winston‐Salem, North Carolina, and one using a national Internet‐based sample. Results: We find little support for our expectation that counter‐stereotypical messages on immigration and immigrants delivered by NFL elites can be effective in shaping the views of their shared in‐groups (those who are NFL fans or those who share their race). Conclusion: While TDIP can explain individuals' shift in support of same‐sex marriage, we cannot say the same for the effectiveness of sports elites' statements on immigration and immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]