Purpose This study aims to investigate the complex dynamics of sports sponsorship within the context of mixed martial arts (MMA). Specifically, it explores how audience attitudes toward MMA influence their perceptions of players and sponsors, and subsequently, how these attitudes affect brand perceptions and purchase intentions. Furthermore, this research examines the moderating effect of fans' attitudes

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the ecological validity of sponsorship effectiveness by examining the visual attention paid to sponsorship at a live sporting event and the subsequent impact of that attention on cognitive outcomes using eye tracking in a natural, real-world environment. Design/methodology/approach Two logistic regression analyses (i.e. sponsor recall and sponsor recognition)

Purpose Sponsorship identification accuracy is typically assessed as the percentage of consumers answering “yes” when asked if a brand is a sponsor (hits). However, this fails to consider misattribution (answering “yes” for a non-sponsor brand; false alarms). Misattribution reflects consumer confusion and dilutes the benefits of an official sponsorship, offers an advantage to a non-sponsoring rival

Purpose The environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement has become a global phenomenon, penetrating even the sports branding industry. Accordingly, this study investigated whether ESG activities can lead to positive attitudes among customers and thereby affect their behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach We collected data by administering questionnaires to 154 consumers, after which

Purpose This study comprehensively explains how sports consumers evaluate athletes’ post-transgression philanthropic activities. We specifically focus on the congruence effect between the pre-transgression philanthropic endeavors and the transgression issue, shedding light on the effectiveness of these strategies in reinstating the positive image of athletes and associated entities. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose The current study applied the concept of country image to a context of bilateral relations for two post-Soviet states to examine the impact of a mega sport event on the image of the host country Russia. Design/methodology/approach Surveys were collected before and after the World Cup to assess any changes among Georgians with regard to their views on Russia and intentions to visit. Findings

Purpose The current study investigated the relationship between nostalgia, conspicuous consumption, and impulse buying and compared gender differences in the effects of nostalgia on conspicuous consumption and impulse buying. Design/methodology/approach A total of 307 college students in western Singapore were recruited. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to

Purpose This study aims to identify how the use of digital technology for performance and commercial aspects of action sports can both create and destruct value. Design/methodology/approach Exploratory research based on 30 interviews with coaches, athletes, judges, federations, fans and sponsoring organizations from Europe, across five action sport disciplines that are included in the Olympic program

Purpose This study examines the relationships among residents' event impact perceptions, attitude towards events, attitude towards sponsors and sponsor-related behavioural intentions (i.e. purchase intention and word-of-mouth). Design/methodology/approach Focusing on the Naha Marathon in Okinawa, Japan, as a research context, data were collected from residents of Okinawa who were familiar with the

Purpose This study aims to develop and validate an accurate machine learning model to categorize NBA fans into meaningful clusters based on their perceptions of sport sponsorship. Additionally, by predicting the intensity of NBA fans’ attitudes toward sponsors, the authors intend to identify the specific features that influence prediction, discuss these findings and offer implications for academics

Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine the extent to which source attractiveness and source credibility (or skill in a sporting context) provide an effective marketing strategy for Field Hockey in New Zealand, a minority sport Minority sports struggle to generate capital and have minimal sponsorship backing due to small participation and viewership rates compared to “major sports”. By understanding

Purpose Social media has revolutionized marketing communication (MC). Rugby is South Africa’s most professionalized sport, leading the industry in its business management structure as well as its high-performance achievements. However, below the professional level, local rugby clubs face a large disparity compared to their professional counterparts, often relying on volunteers or part-time employees

Purpose This study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) How do features of sports and fitness live streaming content influence individuals’ viewing experiences? (2) How do these antecedents interact with each other to influence individuals’ intentions to exercise in the context of sports and fitness live streaming? Design/methodology/approach We employed both symmetric (PLS-SEM) and

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effects of sponsorship on organizational identification among employees of companies that sponsor individual athletes from the perspective of internal marketing. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted in July 2021 targeting employees of Company A. Specifically, employees were invited to participate via email notifications sent through the

Purpose The purposes of the paper were (1) to examine the primary motives for owning sports NFTs and (2) to investigate their influence on fan consumption behavior toward sports teams for NFT-holders and non-holders and to examine whether any difference between NFT-holders and non-holders existed. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach of both individual and focus group interviews

Purpose As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence sports league and team operations, the brands providing these services are sponsoring sports properties to demonstrate and communicate their performance capabilities. This article examines Amazon Web Services (AWS) sponsorship with the National Football League (NFL). This sponsorship features functional congruence, which is when a sponsor

Purpose Over the past years, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have sparked growing interest in the sport industry. NFTs are unique digital assets verified using blockchain technology. Each NFT has a distinct identifier that sets it apart from other tokens, documenting its uniqueness and ownership. NFTs promise innovative growth opportunities by generating revenue via novel products such as digital collectibles

Purpose Despite the use of plagiarism-checking software and current ethical guidelines in sport management journals, raising awareness of ethical concerns and potential risks of artificial intelligence (AI) applications is necessary. This paper discusses how AI affects ethical research and publishing and provides guidelines for sport management scholars to ensure quality and integrity of their research

Purpose Many voluntary sports clubs face financial difficulties and consequently turn to external funding sources. Recent developments suggest that sports clubs have been successful in significantly increasing sponsorship income by professionalizing their sponsorship activities. However, not much is known about how voluntary sports clubs professionalize their sponsorship management (e.g. sponsorship

Purpose While existing research has predominantly focused on the positive relationships between service quality and outcome variables, there has been limited investigation into the influence of food service quality on these variables or the moderating role of stadium atmosphere in the realm of sports marketing. This study aims to fill these gaps by examining the structural relationships between baseball

Purpose The purpose of this study is to use structural equation modeling to examine the interaction between the variables of corporate image, credibility, trust and satisfaction in the context of a virtual sporting event. The aim is to determine whether these variables have significant relationships with each other and which of them has the greatest influence on the prediction of participants' satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of sport scandals on consumer perceptions of the associated sponsors and sport and to provide a typology of sport celebrity scandals to guide management response tactics. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted four focus groups that were followed by social media data mining. A total of 8,289 consumer comments were collected from

Purpose With the competitive nature of golf club operations, understanding the loyalty formation process is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. This study investigated the sequential developmental stages of consumer loyalty, progressing through cognitive, affective, and conative stages. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted a survey targeting consumers who have experienced golf club

Purpose With the advance of Web 3.0 and the range of sensory experiences offered by virtual reality (VR) to sport fans, this study examines how VR spectators’ sensory experiences affect their intentions to consume VR products and services. For this purpose, the study puts forth an expanded stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model. In this framework, the stimuli are the sensory imagery and stimuli,

Purpose The aim of this study is to utilise the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify the main barriers and facilitators of positive attitude towards trying Virtual Active Sports (VAS). Design/methodology/approach 200 individuals took part in an online cross-sectional survey based on 11 domains within the TDF. Linear logistic regression analysis was performed on the participant’s self-reported

Purpose The study investigated the impact of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employees' turnover intention in professional team sports organizations, focusing on employee identification and co-production’s role in this context. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 225 employees in professional team sports organizations, with analysis conducted via partial least squares

Purpose Despite fast developments in esports sponsorship, limited research exists in the area of sponsorship evaluation in the esports context. The purpose of the present study was to test the relationships among esports involvement, sponsorship perceived fit and viewers’ intention to buy the sponsor’s products, and examine the degree to which perceived fit mediates the relationship between the involvement

Purpose This study examined brand hate within the context of the (German) Bundesliga and (Australian) National Rugby League (NRL). The study pursued two research questions: (1) What types of brand hate were expressed towards the Bundesliga and the NRL? (2) To what extent did hateful comments attract more likes than non-hateful comments? Design/methodology/approach Brand hate was studied in the context

Purpose Drawing upon a push-pull-mooring model and the literature on behavioral loyalty, this research aims to examine the underlying factors and mechanisms that influence switching intention in the context of professional sport in Japan. Design/methodology/approach Using a two-wave survey design (pregame and postgame surveys), we collected data from 367 fans of a professional soccer team in Japan

Purpose The aim of this paper, which analyses the use of sports celebrities in advertising discourse, is to understand the strategic use to which brands put them in their commercial and corporate communication on Instagram. Design/methodology/approach To this end, a content analysis was performed on the Instagram posts of the brands Santander, Movistar, Red Bull and Iberdrola during the period 2021-2022

Purpose The study aims to provide a reference for market segmentation in a relatively new market. Esports consumer profiles are developed based on consumption motives, structural factors, game genres, interests, demographics and behavioral intentions. It delivers managerial advice for a growing esports market. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach using an online survey was implemented

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), sport and the metaverse. Design/methodology/approach The authors overview the metaverse, sport applications and ways multilevel theory can help explain the influence of DEI. Findings Drawing from multilevel theory, the authors identify parallels between the sport metaverse and traditional

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the relationship between food sponsorships and gender stereotypes, focusing on how patriarchal beliefs influence consumers’ purchase intentions in sports. Design/methodology/approach The research comprised two studies. In Study 1, n = 161 participants participated via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform. Study 2 involved n = 250 participants who completed a cross-sectional

Purpose This paper aims to provide an integrated legal and marketing perspective on the imminent trademark challenges and opportunities for sports organizations operating in the metaverse. Design/methodology/approach The approach is a legal commentary that explores the ways in which the current legal framework, especially in the context of trademarks, might need to transform to offer robust protection

Purpose The current study aims to explore the determinants of user intentions towards fitness YouTube channels, employing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) and Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) as theoretical frameworks. Design/methodology/approach Symmetric and asymmetric analyses were employed for data analysis, utilizing partial least squares-structural equation

Purpose The aim of this research was to investigate fans’ responses toward a sponsor that has had a long-standing sponsorship deal with a club and decided also to sponsor the club’s rival. Design/methodology/approach A long-term sponsorship deal between a retsina wine company and a popular football club and a newly established deal between the company and the main rival club were selected as the research

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate how Qatar Airways’ sponsorship of FC Barcelona affects Qatar’s sports diplomacy and brand awareness. It focuses on the sponsorship’s demand strategy and takes into account the opinions and attitudes of Spanish nationals toward Qatar and Qatar Airways. Design/methodology/approach To assess this, a survey of 434 Spanish nationals from 17 different regions

Purpose The purpose of this essay is to explore the ramifications of Web 3.0 on sports media and the desire for the ultimate fan experience. Design/methodology/approach The essay explains how Web 3.0 will influence (1) the social TV experience, (2) the drive for zero latency in sports streaming, (3) the desire for exclusive sports memorabilia and experiences, (4) artificial intelligence-driven content

Purpose To extend research into sport consumer behaviors related to online sports betting, this study is designed to identify and examine the relationship between online sports betting motivations and online sports betting intentions. By applying a push-pull framework from online sport consumption and gambling studies, nine motivations to engage in online sports betting were identified. These motivations

Purpose This study aimed to identify subgroups of esports players based on their gaming behavior patterns across game genres and compare self-efficacy, social efficacy, loneliness and three dimensions of quality of life between these subgroups. Design/methodology/approach 324 participants were recruited from prolific academic to complete an online survey. We employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to

Purpose Framed by nostalgia marketing, this research draws upon lessons from ParticipACTION, a Canadian non-profit health promotion organization, to examine one of their most well-known campaigns, Body Break with ParticipACTION, in order to assess the potential role for nostalgia-based marketing campaigns in sport participation across generational cohorts. Design/methodology/approach Exploratory sequential

Purpose While consumer preferences for sporting goods have been widely researched within sport management, literature is lacking on aspects of social and environmental sustainability. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the role of social and environmental sustainability for purchase decisions of sportswear and compares them to the role of price and functionality. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose The purpose of this study was to gather insights from sport marketing professionals and identify key opportunities, challenges and knowledge that sport marketing educators and researchers could utilize in developing curriculum and research agendas. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used, and data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 sport marketing professionals

Purpose The aim of this study was (1) to investigate the relationship between destination image (DI), destination personality (DP) and behavioral intention (BI) in the context of ski tourism and (2) especially the role of DP in the relationship between DI and BI among ski tourists. Design/methodology/approach We collected data using WJX.CN (N = 400) to test the hypothesized model. Confirmatory factor

Purpose In a dynamic, continuously evolving sports landscape, social media have become an indispensable tool for sports organizations to cultivate meaningful connections with fans. The rapid pace of technological advancements has elevated these digital platforms from a supplementary role to a pivotal position within strategic management frameworks. The existing literature explores how football clubs

Purpose The study aims to identify critical factors that influence football fans’ support of their favorite team by examining the impact of social responsibility, brand credibility and team brand equity on patronage intentions of professional football teams. Design/methodology/approach An online survey collected data from 331 football fans of the Persian Gulf Premier League (PGPL) in Iran. The data

Purpose This paper aims to identify different combinations of causal conditions (celebrity attributes) that explain our outcome: destination image. More specifically, three main research questions guide our work: (1) Which attributes should an outstanding sportsperson have to enhance the image of his/her country as a destination image? (2) Are these the same for different product categories? (3) Do

Purpose The aim of this research is to measure the impact of eWOM (electronic word of mouth) and brand celebrity use on the purchasing behavior of sports consumers. Design/methodology/approach To test the model hypotheses, sports consumers who use social media and have purchased at least one online sports product were selected as the research group. Online survey method was used, and 836 participants

Purpose Given the rise of sport non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and sponsorships from cryptocurrency companies in the sport industry during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this paper aims to critically frame the partnerships between cryptocurrency and sport by exploring the reception of fan tokens amongst supporters of three English Premier League clubs: Manchester City, Everton and Crystal

Purpose Although the fitness switching costs scale (FSCS) was shown to have sound psychometric properties, the length of the 54-item may impose burdens on survey participants and present methodological and analytic challenges for researchers and practitioners. Therefore, the present study shortened and validated two versions of the FSCS, namely the 33-item FSCS (FSCS-33) and the 11-item FSCS (FSCS-11)

Purpose The purpose of this paper was (1) to examine the underexplored intersection of sports betting and favorite team loyalty, and (2) to assess differences in gambling behavior among sport bettors by varying levels of team loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,555 National Football League (NFL) bettors and non-betting NFL fans were surveyed to assess media consumption across a mix of

Purpose This study aims to identify an automated machine learning algorithm with high accuracy that sport practitioners can use to identify the specific factors for predicting Major League Baseball (MLB) attendance. Furthermore, by predicting spectators for each league (American League and National League) and division in MLB, the authors will identify the specific factors that increase accuracy, discuss

Purpose Sports marketing and sponsorship research is located at the intersection of behavioral and design research, which means that it analyzes the current world and shapes a future world. This dual focus poses challenges for formulating and testing theories of sports marketing. Design/methodology/approach This article develops criteria for categorizing theoretical concepts as either behavioral or

Purpose This study delves into the psychological processes underlying sport fans' post-purchase innovativeness behaviour. This exploratory research aims to establish a theoretical framework that elucidates the formation of sport fans' word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviours, particularly emphasising the structural relationship between motivated consumer innovativeness and satisfaction in using AR live-streaming

Purpose The user experience during the use of activities and services is a fundamental aspect for sports managers and can provide a competitive advantage. The purpose of this study was to identify the dimensions of experiential quality and the relationship of this construct with customer trust and customer satisfaction in achieving behavioral intention. Design/methodology/approach Using a convenience

Purpose This study aimed to understand better what makes esports fans engage with streamers' live-streaming of esports gameplay. This study used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and additionally adopted streamer identification and esports game identification as moderating variables. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from streamers' esports content streaming viewers over 18 years of

Purpose The purpose of this commentary is to discuss a framework (the Revised Model of Sport Consumer Behavior – R-MSCB; Trail, 2019) to accomplish the following objectives. (1) Provide a framework for sport marketers and sport organizations to use in their own market research. (2) Designate the processes needed to generate results and knowledge that sport organizations, sport marketers and associated

Purpose This study aims to develop a conceptual model to understand how customer knowledge management (CKM) affects fitness club membership renewal through the mediation of relationship quality. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected outside of fitness clubs using a systematic sampling method. A total of 224 valid responses were collected. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate

Purpose Demonstrate proof-of-concept for conducting NFL Draft trades on a blockchain network using smart contracts. Design/methodology/approach Using Ethereum smart contracts, the authors model several types of draft trades between teams. An example scenario is used to demonstrate contract interaction and draft results. Findings The authors show the feasibility of conducting draft-day trades using

Purpose Professional sports teams employ highly paid managers and coaches to train players and make tactical and strategic team decisions. A large literature analyzes the impact of manager decisions on team outcomes. Empirical analysis of manager decisions requires a quantifiable proxy variable for manager decisions. Previous research focused on manager dismissals, tenure on teams, the number of substitutions