Date of Award
Spring 5-2017
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Marketing and Fashion Merchandising
First Advisor
Jamye Foster
Advisor Department
Marketing and Fashion Merchandising
Abstract
The sports industry is highly profitable, with a large and diverse fan base. Many people claim to be loyal to different teams, but what moves a more ‘casual fan’ to the team ‘fanatic’ status? Prior research in sports marketing focuses on elements such as geography and family history, while general marketing research considers the impact of behavioral and emotional loyalty (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001). This focus on strict loyalty can, however, be limiting. Examining the factors within the larger relationship context gives us more insight into extreme fans (Pimentel & Reynolds, 2004), as well as the more casual fan. Prior research has argued that relationships are built on repeated interactions (Fournier, 1998; Foster 2010); therefore, a key distinction between a fan who is merely loyal, and one who is in a true relationship with the brand is the presence of interaction. The current study considers socialization, proximity, attitude toward the team brand, self-image congruence, and brand loyalty (emotional connection and behavioral intentions) to determine which leads to actual interaction with the sports team brand. Regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses, and results provide both theoretical and managerial implications.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Odom, Carly L., "I Love My Team! Factors Leading to Relationship Formation with a Sports Team" (2017). Honors Theses. 499.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/499