Abstract

This work links fan behaviors to sport-specific Old School values. Two surveys investigate both the well-established basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) and cutting off reflected failure (CORFing), as well as the relatively untested basking in spite of reflected failure (BIRFing) and cutting off from reflected success (CORSing). While Study 1 utilizes a strategic geographic data collection (from fans of the best and worst teams in the US’s National Basketball Association), Study 2 employs a nationwide Internet sample of NBA fans. Results point to interesting differences wherein fan behaviors are not significantly influenced by teams’ win-loss records. Instead, fan values and levels of team identification appear as more meaningful driving forces.