Collective narcissism, stadium atmosphere, and schadenfreude: predictors of dysfunctional fan behavior

Dysfunctional fan behavior represents a major concern in contemporary sports contexts. This study examines the association between collective narcissism, an exaggerated belief in the superiority of one's group, and dysfunctional fan behavior. It investigates the moderating roles of stadium atmosphere and schadenfreude (pleasure derived from a rival's misfortune) in this association.

A cross-sectional, correlational design was employed. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys from 404 football fans residing in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir during the 2025-2026 football season. Collective narcissism, dysfunctional fan behavior, stadium atmosphere, and schadenfreude were assessed using established and adapted measurement instruments, and the psychometric properties of these instruments were evaluated in the present study. The proposed model was tested using PROCESS Macro (Model 2), with stadium atmosphere and schadenfreude as moderators and fan type (local vs. distant) as a covariate.

Collective narcissism was significantly and positively associated with dysfunctional fan behavior. Stadium atmosphere significantly moderated this association in a negative direction, indicating that higher levels of perceived stadium atmosphere weakened the association between collective narcissism and dysfunctional fan behavior. In contrast, schadenfreude strengthened this association, such that the link between collective narcissism and dysfunctional fan behavior increased as schadenfreude levels rose. Distant fans reported lower levels of dysfunctional fan behavior compared to local fans. The overall model explained 37.5% of the variance in dysfunctional fan behavior.

The findings indicate that dysfunctional fan behavior appears to be associated not only with individual psychological tendencies but also with the interplay among identity-based processes, rivalry-related emotions, and stadium context. While schadenfreude amplifies the behavioral correlates of collective narcissism, the affective quality of the stadium atmosphere may function as a contextual resource that attenuates these associations. These results contribute to the sports psychology and sport management literature by providing a context-sensitive account of the psychological mechanisms underlying dysfunctional fan behavior.