Team identification and willingness to consider illegally assisting teams

Previous researchers have indicated that a sizeable minority of sport fans admit a willingness to

anonymously injure a star player or coach of a rival team. Highly identified fans were particularly likely to consider these acts. In the current investigation we aimed to extend the previous work by examining the frequency with which individuals would consider, under the protection of anonymity, engaging in antisocial acts of cheating that are either illegal or violate societal norms. A sizeable minority of the college student sample admitted a willingness to consider a number of such acts and, as hypothesized, there was a significant positive correlation between team identification and reports of willingness.