Sports Fan Research - qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

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Understanding Society – Assessment

Sports Fan Research - qualitative and quantitative methodologies

Sports fan research normally consists as either qualitative or more often quantitative methodologies. In this work the strengths and weaknesses of the above will be discussed and may produce the argument that a single methodology may not be as strong as possibly using mixed methodologies. It consists of cognitive, affective, and behavioural components. Most existing work has tended to favour quantitative methodologies. (Such as Branscombe & Wann, SNCCFR).

King has researched the qualitative method. There’s little or no research which actually combine the two methodologies. “The choice of research design must be appropriate to the subject under investigation” (Patton). So the nature of sports fandom will have implications for the choice of suitable methodology. Branscombe & Wann stress that cognitive and affective, as well as behavioural components are significant. This dimension is also noted by other authors, such as Pooley, pg 14, who says that:

“whereas a spectator of sport will observe a spectacle and forget it very quickly, the fan continues his interest until the intensity of feeling toward the team becomes so great that parts of every day are devoted to either his team or in some instances, to the broad realm of the sport itself.”

Quantitative research is characterised by the assumption that human behaviour can be explained by social facts which can be researched by methodologies that utilise “the deductive logic of natural sciences” (Horna, pg 121). The research looks for “distinguishing characteristics, elemental properties and empirical boundaries"    (Horna, pg 121). And normally measures “how much or how often” (Nau 1995) they are appropriate to examine the behavioural component of sports fans, such as attendance at games. A quantitative research allows flexibility in the treatment of data, in terms of statistical analyses, comparative analyses and repeatability of data collection in order to verify reliability. The advantages of this approach are demonstrated by the research carried out into the English "Premier League" football fan (SNCCFR,). This survey- based research produced broad data across a large fan population at the clubs in the English Premier League, allowing the behavioural patterns of the English football fan to be ascertained. The quantitative method permitted a simple comparative analysis between the premier league clubs it also enabled longitudinal data to be collected in consecutive seasons to improve reliability. These surveys clearly show the composition of the crowd, their obvious behaviour, and their scaleable attitudes towards pre-determined items. Although the approach is obviously useful in determining the extent of such behaviour or attitudes, the methodology however fails to provide any explanation or analysis beyond the descriptive level. The premiere league surveys didn’t use any form of statistical data beyond the parametric measures of frequency counts which gives quantitative method an advantage, and it also produces what may be considered more objective data, it may also allow more objective analysis.

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Its looks as though quantitative methodologies do have strengths for sports fan research. Its strengths are as follows -

  • They are also strong in measuring descriptive aspects, (the composition of the sports crowd).
  • Quantitative methodologies allow replication and comparison.
  • You achieve reliability and validity more objectively than qualitative techniques.
  • Quantitative methodologies are suitable to measure overt behaviour.

These strengths are not the sole prerogative of quantitative methods because many of the arguments for the use of quantitative research, especially in an academic climate where resources are limited, have pragmatic origins in terms of allowing large ...

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