Understanding fans’ responses to the sponsor of a rival team

Angell, Robert J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8554-2092, Gorton, Matthew, Bottomley, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8131-6768 and White, John 2016. Understanding fans’ responses to the sponsor of a rival team. European Sport Management Quarterly 16 (2) , pp. 190-213. 10.1080/16184742.2015.1135975

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Abstract

Research Question What factors determine fans’ responses to the sponsor of a rival team? To what extent does higher in-group fan identification, more positive prior attitudes to the sponsor, and a more congruent fit between the sponsor and club, cause denigration or mitigate negative outcomes for the sponsor? Research Methods 300 questionnaires were collected from fans of English Premier League (EPL) football teams Newcastle United and Sunderland allowed us to test our model of sponsorship responses. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate each hypothesis. Results and Findings Brands will gain greater benefits from sponsorships deemed to be congruent with the rival team and where a higher pre-sponsorship attitude exists. More highly identified fans tend to pay greater attention to the sponsor of their rival team. We find that schadenfreude is a better predictor of affective and behavioural responses than fan identification, despite its popularity in recent research involving rival fans. Implications Brand managers concerned about the size and scope of out-groups can employ our findings to more effectively configure sponsorship activities.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Sponsorship, rival fans, perceived fit, schadenfreude, structural equation modelling,
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles
ISSN:	1618-4742
Date of Acceptance:	17 December 2015
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2022 10:14
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/84141

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