Post by TheShadow on Dec 4, 2003 20:03:44 GMT -5
www.knoxnews.com
By DEBBIE ARRINGTON
When a favorite team is hurting for wins, fans feel the pain.
Ask any Oakland Raiders rooter these days. Their collective woe isn't pretty, just like their team's record.
"It sure does hurt," said Folsom's Leroy Zine, president of the Oakland Raiders Internet Boosters. "It's definitely difficult and frustrating, but we're hanging in there."
Added Ardith Ruef, president of the 100-member Raiders Booster Club of Sacramento: "Raider fans are at a loss to understand what's happening ... but at least San Francisco isn't doing great either."
What happens to fans of traditionally winning franchises that start losing - badly? Not only is it a jolt to the psyche, but unmet expectations can have lasting effects on attendance and team loyalty.
Coming off a trip to the Super Bowl and three straight AFC West titles, the 3-9 Raiders and their fans saw sky-high ambitions crash with a lineman-size thud.
Across the bay in San Francisco, the 49ers (5-7) also suffered a reversal of fortune after a 10-6 season and second-round playoff exit.
According to researchers and experts on fan behavior, the Raiders could be in big trouble, while the 49ers' popularity should survive this subpar year relatively unscathed.
"The Niners are in much better shape to weather this season than the Raiders are," said researcher Christian End, an expert on fan behavior. "For the most part, 49er fans have enjoyed a long history of success. These people jumped on in the '80s with Joe Montana, and they're still there.
"With the Raiders, their Super Bowl appearance last year attracted lots of relatively new fans. But a lot of those people who jumped on their bandwagon have jumped right back off, and they're less likely to climb back on."
End, a social psychologist, oversees the Midwest-based Sport Fan Research Group, which is dedicated to finding out what really makes fans tick. At the University of Missouri-Rolla, End teaches management in both the psychology and business administration departments, focusing on sports business - an area where fans are crucial for success.
Among other things, End and his research team examined NFL chat rooms on the Internet over two seasons and analyzed messages from more than 900 fans, that were much more open in their anonymous criticism than they ever would be in person.
"It was contrary to what we've found in other research," End said. "Usually, fans blame failure on outside factors - a loss was the fault of the officials or the weather or injuries. In chat rooms, they're more likely to come out and say, 'We're a lousy team, and this season is gone.' For us researchers, we find it fascinating."
A quick check of 49ers chat rooms found several examples of such candid criticism as well as piling on the shortcomings of the offensive line and quarterback Jeff Garcia. In Raiders chat rooms, coach Bill Callahan would be lynched.
"We expected one more year (of success)," said Zine, whose far-flung Internet group includes more than 100 Raiders fans throughout the world. "But our defense couldn't stop senior citizens."
In his work, End deals a lot with "BIRGing'' and "CORFing.'' Those terms refer to two basic fan behaviors: "basking in reflected glory" and "cutting off reflected failure."
When a team wins a lot, fans want to share in that success. They watch more games. Attendance and ratings go up. They buy more team merchandise and wear team apparel proudly. They're winners - just like their favorite club.
When that franchise starts losing on a regular basis, these previously vocal rooters become depressed and start distancing themselves. They don't want to talk about Sunday. Attendance drops. Team gear stays in the closet and shows up less often at the mall, except on the discount rack.
"For the Raiders, it was Super Bowl or nothing," End said. "As a result, their fan base will take the deeper hit. There always will be hard-core Raider fans - those guys in spiked shoulder pads you see in the Visa commercials - but for those who only recently started affiliating with the team, this year probably destroyed their interest."
Ruef and Zine don't wear spikes, but they remain loyal to the Raiders. And according to research, their attitude about losing is great, at least for their mental health.
"We've been through this before," said Ruef, a widow and devoted Raiders fan for more than 30 years. "Every team has its ups and downs. We'll be back."
Said Zine, a fan since 1975: "We're already talking about the draft. The way things are going, we could get the No. 1 pick."
By DEBBIE ARRINGTON
When a favorite team is hurting for wins, fans feel the pain.
Ask any Oakland Raiders rooter these days. Their collective woe isn't pretty, just like their team's record.
"It sure does hurt," said Folsom's Leroy Zine, president of the Oakland Raiders Internet Boosters. "It's definitely difficult and frustrating, but we're hanging in there."
Added Ardith Ruef, president of the 100-member Raiders Booster Club of Sacramento: "Raider fans are at a loss to understand what's happening ... but at least San Francisco isn't doing great either."
What happens to fans of traditionally winning franchises that start losing - badly? Not only is it a jolt to the psyche, but unmet expectations can have lasting effects on attendance and team loyalty.
Coming off a trip to the Super Bowl and three straight AFC West titles, the 3-9 Raiders and their fans saw sky-high ambitions crash with a lineman-size thud.
Across the bay in San Francisco, the 49ers (5-7) also suffered a reversal of fortune after a 10-6 season and second-round playoff exit.
According to researchers and experts on fan behavior, the Raiders could be in big trouble, while the 49ers' popularity should survive this subpar year relatively unscathed.
"The Niners are in much better shape to weather this season than the Raiders are," said researcher Christian End, an expert on fan behavior. "For the most part, 49er fans have enjoyed a long history of success. These people jumped on in the '80s with Joe Montana, and they're still there.
"With the Raiders, their Super Bowl appearance last year attracted lots of relatively new fans. But a lot of those people who jumped on their bandwagon have jumped right back off, and they're less likely to climb back on."
End, a social psychologist, oversees the Midwest-based Sport Fan Research Group, which is dedicated to finding out what really makes fans tick. At the University of Missouri-Rolla, End teaches management in both the psychology and business administration departments, focusing on sports business - an area where fans are crucial for success.
Among other things, End and his research team examined NFL chat rooms on the Internet over two seasons and analyzed messages from more than 900 fans, that were much more open in their anonymous criticism than they ever would be in person.
"It was contrary to what we've found in other research," End said. "Usually, fans blame failure on outside factors - a loss was the fault of the officials or the weather or injuries. In chat rooms, they're more likely to come out and say, 'We're a lousy team, and this season is gone.' For us researchers, we find it fascinating."
A quick check of 49ers chat rooms found several examples of such candid criticism as well as piling on the shortcomings of the offensive line and quarterback Jeff Garcia. In Raiders chat rooms, coach Bill Callahan would be lynched.
"We expected one more year (of success)," said Zine, whose far-flung Internet group includes more than 100 Raiders fans throughout the world. "But our defense couldn't stop senior citizens."
In his work, End deals a lot with "BIRGing'' and "CORFing.'' Those terms refer to two basic fan behaviors: "basking in reflected glory" and "cutting off reflected failure."
When a team wins a lot, fans want to share in that success. They watch more games. Attendance and ratings go up. They buy more team merchandise and wear team apparel proudly. They're winners - just like their favorite club.
When that franchise starts losing on a regular basis, these previously vocal rooters become depressed and start distancing themselves. They don't want to talk about Sunday. Attendance drops. Team gear stays in the closet and shows up less often at the mall, except on the discount rack.
"For the Raiders, it was Super Bowl or nothing," End said. "As a result, their fan base will take the deeper hit. There always will be hard-core Raider fans - those guys in spiked shoulder pads you see in the Visa commercials - but for those who only recently started affiliating with the team, this year probably destroyed their interest."
Ruef and Zine don't wear spikes, but they remain loyal to the Raiders. And according to research, their attitude about losing is great, at least for their mental health.
"We've been through this before," said Ruef, a widow and devoted Raiders fan for more than 30 years. "Every team has its ups and downs. We'll be back."
Said Zine, a fan since 1975: "We're already talking about the draft. The way things are going, we could get the No. 1 pick."