How Identifying With a Sports Team Can Boost Social Well-Being
Sports fans know the warm rush that comes from being around people who support the same team. A new study from researchers in the U.S. and the U.K. digs into why that feeling matters and how sports organizations—and even other service-based groups—can use it to improve the social well-being of their members. The researchers took a straightforward scientific approach: examine what happens psychologically when people strongly identify with a group, and measure how that affects their sense of social connectedness. What they found is both fascinating and surprisingly practical.
Understanding What the Study Looked At
The research team conducted two major studies. One involved 478 sports fans in the United States, and the other included 490 fans of English Premier League teams in the United Kingdom. Even though the fan bases came from different cultures and sports environments, both groups showed almost identical patterns in how identification with a team influenced social well-being.
The study comes from the Journal of Business Research and was led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors Yuhei Inoue and Mikihiro Sato. They collaborated with Steve Swanson from Deakin University, Daniel Lock from Bournemouth University, James Du from Florida State University, and Daniel C. Funk from Temple University.
The researchers focused on the idea that people who feel connected to a group—like a sports team—gain access to important psychosocial resources. These resources help people build stronger social relationships and feel more socially fulfilled. The study also connected two major research perspectives: the social identity approach (how our group memberships shape our psychology) and transformative service research (how service organizations contribute to personal well-being).
The Key Psychosocial Resources
The team originally proposed five possible resources that could explain how group identification influences social well-being:
- Relatedness
- Purpose and meaning
- Perceived social support
- Progroup norms
- In-group trust
When they tested these, only three of them truly shaped the connection between identifying with a team and improvements in social well-being:
- Purpose and meaning
- Progroup norms
- In-group trust
Among these three, in-group trust stood out as the most critical resource. It acted like a central link between fans’ sense of identity with the group and their overall social well-being. It also carried the effects of the other two resources, meaning the benefits of purpose, meaning, and norms flowed through trust to influence well-being.
Why In-Group Trust Matters
In simple terms, in-group trust refers to the trust people naturally develop when they feel part of the same group. With sports fans, this comes from the shared experience of supporting a team—celebrating wins, enduring losses, and sticking together.
This shared trust strengthens social bonds. It helps fans feel safe, supported, and connected when interacting with other fans. The researchers found it plays a key role in creating a sense of belonging, which is especially valuable in times when social isolation and loneliness are widely recognized as serious problems, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purpose, Meaning, and Shared Norms
The study also highlights how identifying with a team gives people a sense of purpose and meaning. Being part of something bigger—whether a sports team, club, or other service organization—creates a framework for shared goals and shared emotional experiences.
Progroup norms, the belief that everyone in the group is focused on collective well-being, also contributes to stronger social well-being. These norms promote cooperation, friendliness, and a supportive environment among members.
Interestingly, relatedness and perceived social support didn’t significantly shape the relationship between group identification and well-being in this research. This doesn’t mean they aren’t important in general, but in this context, the three stronger factors did the heavy lifting.
Teams Don’t Need to Win to Build Social Well-Being
One of the most encouraging findings is that teams don’t need to win championships—or even be good—to provide psychological benefits. In fact, earlier research by the same authors showed that people supporting teams with poor win-loss records sometimes experience greater psychological rewards.
This happens because when a team isn’t performing well, fans rely more on their shared identity and community connection. Winning produces short-term happiness, but solidarity among fans produces long-term emotional value.
That earlier study, published in 2022 in Sport Management Review, also found that strong group identification helps fans cope by influencing the way they subjectively judge their team’s performance. This helps them stay connected even during losing streaks.
Why This Matters for Service Organizations
The study offers useful insights for any service organization—sports teams, fitness clubs, recreational centers, theme parks, resorts, and more. All of these depend on cultivating a sense of community.
Organizations can enhance social well-being by strengthening members’ sense of identity within the community. This might involve online communities, fan apps, digital engagement tools, organized events, meet-ups, or anything that boosts connection and shared identity. The study even mentions the Cheesehead Nation, known for their strong community around the Green Bay Packers, as an example of a fanbase that excels at creating group identity and engagement.
Instead of only focusing on revenue or performance indicators, the research emphasizes the social value of sports and similar organizations. They can actively contribute to reducing loneliness and social isolation by nurturing environments built on trust and shared meaning.
Broader Context: Why Social Identity Improves Well-Being
This research fits into a broader field known as the social identity theory of well-being. Many studies have shown that feeling part of a group improves mental health. Shared identity reduces stress, increases resilience, and strengthens life satisfaction.
People today have fewer community touchpoints than in the past. Traditional communities—neighborhood groups, clubs, extended families—are less common. Sports teams and modern service organizations can fill that gap.
Strong group identities act like psychological anchors. They give people:
- A sense of belonging
- A reason to connect
- A group to rely on
- A collective story to share
This explains why fans often stick with teams for life. The emotional rewards come not just from games, but from the community around the games.
Additional Insights: The Role of Fan Communities
Fan communities are powerful social ecosystems. Beyond psychological benefits, they often support charitable causes, organize gatherings, create online discussions, and form real friendships. Many fans report that their closest friendships started because of shared team support.
Digital spaces—forums, social media groups, dedicated apps—have transformed fan engagement. They allow global communities of supporters to connect instantly. Modern sports organizations can leverage this to strengthen identification, which in turn enhances well-being.
Extra Context: Why Social Well-Being Matters
Social well-being is a critical dimension of overall health. It involves:
- Building meaningful relationships
- Feeling part of a supportive community
- Engaging socially with confidence
- Experiencing trust and reciprocity
Low social well-being is linked to depression, anxiety, loneliness, and a reduced sense of life satisfaction. That’s why research like this is important—it points to practical ways communities and organizations can improve people’s lives.
Final Thoughts
The study makes a clear case: identification with a group, especially a sports team, boosts social well-being by providing trust, purpose, meaning, and cooperative norms. Organizations that understand this can create healthier, more connected communities. And perhaps most surprisingly, winning isn’t the key—belonging is.
