Fan behavior and team identification: Which is the best predictor of responses to football sponsorship?

Abstract

Football has become increasingly attractive to global investors, shareholders, and commercial partners. Sponsoring partners contribute substantially to the revenue that supports team success and enhances fan engagement. Fan’s passion and behavior towards their teams play a central role in the global development of football. The aim of this study was to determine which conceptual model (M1 or M2) more effectively explains fans’ intention to purchase products from sponsoring companies. M1 used team identification as a predictor, while M2 focused on fan behavioral loyalty. A total of 2,647 individuals, self-identified as fans of two professional Portuguese football teams, participated in the study. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to evaluate the models. Model 2 (M2) explained 39.0% of the variance in purchase intention (R² = .39), outperforming Model 1 (M1), which explained 30.0% (R² = .297). Behavioral loyalty (ß = .38, p < .001) was a stronger predictor than team identification (ß = .16, p < .001). Two conclusions can be highlighted. The first conclusion was that model 2 (M2), which included fans' behavioral loyalty, was more effective in explaining fans’ purchase intentions than model 1 (M1). Fans' behavioral loyalty to the team had the strongest influence on their attitude and purchase intention towards the sponsoring company. The second conclusion is that, in addition to passion, fan behavior must also be considered. An important advantage of sponsorship for a company is the opportunity to associate itself with a sports team that has a fan base with behavioral loyalty. The suggestions for sports clubs managers and sponsors are extremely crucial, should prioritize strategies that build fan loyalty to boost sponsorship effectiveness and ROI.