Scarlet, gray and something more: The science of sports fandom at Ohio State

Bridget Lombardo
Thu, 11 Jun 2026 01:42:43 +0000
Instagram Page, News, Sports, basking in reflected glory, BIRGing, Buckeye community, Buckeye faithful, Buckeye fans, Buckeye football, Buckeye identity, buckeye nation, Buckeye Pride, Buckeye Traditions, college athletics, college football atmosphere, college football emotions, college football fans, college football rivalries, college sports culture, CORFing, cutting off reflected failure, emotional investment in sports, fan behavior, fan engagement, fan identity, fan reactions to losses, fan reactions to wins, Michigan game reaction, Michigan rivalry, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio Stadium, Ohio State 2024 national championship [and 30 more]

Fans celebrate during Ohio State’s game against Rutgers on Nov. 22, 2025 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Sandra Fu | Lantern File Photo.

Owen Samenuk knew the mood inside his apartment changed when one of his roommates pushed a dresser against his bedroom door.?

Hours earlier, more than 100,000 fans had packed Ohio Stadium, expecting No. 2 Ohio State, a 19.5-point favorite, to end its three-game losing streak against Michigan. Instead, the Wolverines stunned the Buckeyes 13-10.

The roommate did not want anyone coming in and refused to talk about the game for the rest of the night.

Reactions like Samenuk witnessed illustrate two psychological concepts that shape how fans connect their identities to sports teams: basking in reflected glory, or “BIRGing”, when fans associate themselves with the team’s success, and cutting off reflected failure, or “CORFing,” when they distance themselves from defeat, according to Lisa Miller, an Ohio State professor of health and sports sciences.

“[BIRGing and CORFing] are essentially ways people manage their social identity,” Miller said. “When a team succeeds, fans often feel successful by association, but when a team fails, people may distance themselves from that failure to protect their self-esteem.”

BIRGing often appears after major victories, when fans proudly wear team merchandise, celebrate publicly and refer to the team’s success as their own, saying “we won.” CORFing, meanwhile, surfaces after losses, when fans emotionally distance themselves by criticizing the team, avoiding conversations about the game or removing team apparel altogether.

“At a university like Ohio State, athletics are highly visible,” Miller said. “Fans see the logos and traditions every day, which strengthens the emotional connection between fan and team.”

Samenuk said emotional connection is part of what makes Ohio State fan culture so intense.

“At Ohio State, sports are part of people’s identity,” he said. “The fan culture is over the top, but that’s also what makes it so unique.”

Maddy Schramm, who graduated from Ohio State with a degree in animal sciences, said some of her favorite moments as a Buckeye came after Ohio State won the 2024 National Championship against Notre Dame in Atlanta and defeated Michigan in Ann Arbor during the 2025 season.

“Those were the moments that felt the most exciting,” Schramm said. “Just being around so many Buckeye fans after those two wins was incredibly fun because everyone was so happy.”

Those moments are rooted in the sense of belonging surrounding Ohio State athletics, Schramm said.

“There’s a lot of pride attached to being a Buckeye fan,” she said. “I think people like feeling connected to others, so being attached to a team like Ohio State helps people feel that sense of connection.”

Miller reiterated Schramm’s sentiment that connection is a core part of belonging to a fan base.

“At their core, BIRGing and CORFing are about connection,” she said. “The more connected someone feels to a team, the more emotionally invested they become in the outcome.”