2005 Distinguished Researcher

Dr. Dan Wann
Department of Psychology

Daniel L. Wann, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at Murray State University, a member of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Youth Sports, and is a member of the faculty for the Academy for Youth Sport Administrators (NAYS).  He has been studying the psychology of sport fans and spectators since the mid 1980’s, with a particular interest in fan identification (i.e., a fan’s psychological connection to a team), spectator violence, and the actions of parents as spectators at youth sporting events. He has published approximately 100 referred articles and given over 50 conference presentations on the topic of sport fans and parental involvement in sport and currently serves as director of the Sport Fandom Special Interest Group for the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology.  He has published two books (Sport Psychology, Prentice Hall, 1997; Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Spectators, Routledge, 2001).  He has been interviewed by over 200 media outlets including newspaper and magazine (e.g., the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Sporting Kid), radio (e.g., talk-net, sport-talk, NPR), and television (e.g., ESPN, CNN, CNBC). He has been hired as a consultant to several national business and sport organizations (e.g., the Professional Golfers’ Association, Taylor Made Golf, the National Basketball Association, ARAMARK/Major League Baseball, National Collegiate Athletic Association) to assist them in their understanding of sport fans. 

Last Modified: December 1, 2006