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An Investigation Of Highly Identified Fans Who Bet Against Their Favorite Teams, Nola Agha, B. David Tyler
An Investigation Of Highly Identified Fans Who Bet Against Their Favorite Teams, Nola Agha, B. David Tyler
Sport Management
Using a mixed-method exploratory approach we describe and explain the seemingly nonnormative behaviors of highly identified fans who Bet Against their Favorite Teams (BAFT). Axial coding of qualitative data from 190 survey respondents and two focus groups indicates the emergence of common themes allowing a typology to unfold that explains the motives for and against BAFTing. Results reveal that Gamblers BAFT for reasons un-related to fandom. Hedgers, on the other hand, BAFT precisely because they are fans; they offset a perceived impending emotional loss with a financial gain, a behavior we identify as Hedging Against Future Failure (HAFFing). This research …