Psychosocial Influences on children’s identification with sports teams: a case study of Australian Rules football supporters

The article examines the socialization of children into identification with a sports team. It presents a sociological approach which extends the insights obtained from research into psychological aspects of sports team identification. A conceptual model is presented which proffers an explanation of how and why children become supporters of a particular team. The model depicts the relationship between socializing agents, broader social influences and embodied dispositions. It is argued that these factors coalesce to influence children’s identification with a sports team. The article presents results of a qualitative study of young Australian Rules football supporters which show that their embryonic identification with a sports team is strongly influenced by parental and near family influences, particularly fathers and other male role models.