Adventures With Sport Rivalry Man: Initial Testing of a Classroom Method Using Comics and Cartoons to Teach about Rivalry and Fan Behavior.

The current study used a quasi-experimental design to initially test a method for teaching about rivalry and fan behavior. Results showed that people who were exposed to and learned about rivalry and fan behavior using comic strips and cartoons on www.SportRivalry.com (a) rated rival fan behavior more negatively, (b) experienced less satisfaction when their favorite team beat the rival team, and (c) were more likely to stop someone attempting to steal a rival fan's belongings than people in the control group. Implications include support for the development of a curriculum to teach about rivalry and fan behavior. Future directions for research are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]