Sport fandom in a connected world: Technology, community, and the future of fan identity

Sport fandom is experiencing profound transformation as digital technologies and globalization redefine how people connect with teams, athletes, and fellow fans. Once anchored in local communities and stadium experiences, traditional allegiances now exist within vast, interconnected landscapes that cross continents, cultures, and increasingly hybrid (online/offline) spaces. Fandom remains deeply intertwined with personal and social identity, yet the rise of social media, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and immersive media is reshaping how these identities are constructed, expressed, and negotiated. While these digital developments foster new opportunities for real-time interaction, participatory media production, storytelling, and global community-building, they also raise urgent questions about authenticity, loyalty, trust, and the evolving significance of “belonging” in a context where digital networks are as influential as geographic place.This Research Topic aims to advance theoretical and empirical understanding of contemporary sport fandom by examining the interplay between digital connectivity, globalization, and identity. We seek to explore how fan identities, loyalties, and senses of belonging are co-constructed through digital platforms, how relationships between fans and sport organizations are mediated by technology, and how fan communities navigate power dynamics and questions of trust in data-driven environments. Additionally, the collection seeks to interrogate the sustainability of sport fandom by considering not only environmental but also social, cultural, ethical, and relational aspects that support the long-term vitality of diverse fan communities. Through these aims, we intend to foster critical insight into how innovation and tradition can be reconciled across the ever-evolving sport landscape.To gather further insights into the complex, multidimensional nature of sport fandom in the digital age, we invite contributions spanning global, transnational, and local perspectives. Research is encouraged across a range of sporting codes, contexts, and methodological approaches, addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Digital fan engagement and the strategic use of social media• Fan identity, loyalty, belonging, and authenticity in hybrid (online/offline) environments• Transnational fan communities and challenges to traditional geographic allegiance• Immersive and emerging technologies (e.g., VR/AR, AI) shaping sport experiences and storytelling• Trust, power, and governance in technology-mediated fan–organization relationships• Sustainability in sport fandom (social, cultural, relational), including responsible and ethical data practices• Ethics, activism, and the cultural/commercial ramifications of digital transformation for sport organizations Topic editors: Ricardo Roseira Cayolla, Marco Escadas Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78028/sport-fandom-in-a-connected-world-technology-community-and-the-future-of-fan-identity