How Does Sport Team Identification Compare to Identification with Other Social Institutions

As social beings, people naturally form identifications with various social groups within their environment. Individuals gain benefits by forming identifications with groups, such as increased self-esteem and psychological support. Past research has examined the identification people form with various social groups, but no research has examined with which of these social groups people form the strongest identification. This study examines the strength of identification with various social groups within one’s life. It is predicted that individuals will indicate a stronger identification with a sport team than with any other social group. Secondly, it is predicted that identification with a sport team will provide better psychological benefits than identification with another social group. The analysis of 226 participants’ responses indicated that individuals form a stronger identification with a sport team than with a religious group, a school activity, or with a form of community involvement. A similar level of identification was found between identification with a sport team and a social activity as well as one’s occupation. The study’s results also indicated that identification with a sport team contributed slightly more to one’s social psychological health than identification with another form of social group.