The patriotism down under: Nationalized qualities and Australian media consumption of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

A survey of 291 Australians before and after consuming varied levels of Olympic media revealed key relationships between national identity, psychological connections to the Olympic Games, and media consumption of the Rio Games. The desire for nationalized emulation significantly predicted televisual media consumption; and the desire for nationalized identification and protection significantly predicted both print and digital media consumption. Differential motivations for identifying with Australia, fan involvement, and media consumption all yielded significant relationships with connection to the Olympics as a whole. Theoretical and applied implications are delineated.