The word ‘spectator’ means someone who is watching something happen. When we add the word ‘sport’, it means someone who is watching a sports event either in person or on TV or the internet (Wann & James, 2017). If you go to a game in person, it’s called ‘direct consumption’ and if you watch it on TV, it’s called ‘indirect consumption’ (Wann & James, 2019). This is important for people who study how people act as sports fans, because the way someone watches the game can affect how they react to it (Wann & James, 2019).
Some people use the words ‘sport spectator’ and ‘sport fan’ to mean different things, but it can be confusing because they both refer to people who like watching sports. A sport fan is someone who likes a particular sport, team or athlete and watches the games both in person and on TV. It’s important to distinguish between someone who has a strong interest in sports and someone who doesn’t care as much (Trail et al., 2003). Just because someone is a sport spectator doesn’t mean they aren’t also a sport fan, so we need to be careful when using these terms.
Trail, G. T., Robinson, M. J., Dick, R. J., & Gillentine, A. J. (2003). Motives and points of attachment: Fans versus spec- tator in intercollegiate athletics. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 12, 217227.
Wann, D. L., & James, J. D. (2017). Sport fans: The psychol- ogy and social impact of spectators (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge Press.
Wann, D. L., & James, J. D. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts. Academic Press.
