University of Teesside - Fandom's not black and white

Football supporters do not believe they have to go to live matches to be true fans, according to research into the followers of the North East's main teams. Kevin Dixon, a senior lecturer in sports studies at the University of Teesside, found that 54 per cent of the fans he interviewed thought that attending a match was an indicator of "real fandom" and that many were choosing to watch games on TV in pubs. Most thought that ticket prices for games should be much lower than they are now.