UP319 Fandom and the Psychology of Belonging

Today's guest is Michael Bond, author of a new book exploring the nature of fandom, a fascinating and entertaining investigation in to worlds of obsession, belonging and human connection. We talk about what connects Spurs fans with Potterheads, Trekkies, Swifties and MAGAs. We ask whether fandom fills the gap left by the decline of organised religion, what happens to the club-fan relationship when it is too obviously commercialised, the rise of the celebrity activist and what happens when your idol falls from grace.The book is Fans: A Journey into the Psychology of Belonging. Today’s episode is sponsored by our friends at Turnstile.Do you know what your sponsorship is really worth, or are you guessing? Turnstile uses real market rates to quantify the value every single sponsorship right within a deal, looking beyond the traditional media metrics to calculate the value of the Exposure, Intellectual Property and Direct Benefits. This enables Turnstile to deliver a recommended transaction price that’s comprehensive, accurate and defensible. So don’t pay too much. Don’t leave money on the table. Know the fair market price, and buy and sell with confidence. If you value your sponsorships, value them properly. Get in touch with Turnstile at turnstilegroup.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.