Fan Community Identification: An Empirical Examination of Its Outcomes in Japanese Professional Sport

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Issue Date
2015-06Author
Yoshida, Masayuki
Gordon, Brian S.
Heere, Bob
James, Jeffrey D.
Publisher
Fitness Information Technology
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Published Version
http://fitpublishing.com/articles/fan-community-identification-empirical-examination-its-outcomes-japanese-professional-sportRights
Copyright Fitness Information Technology, A Division of ICPE West Virginia
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Show full item recordAbstract
nderstanding why sport fans socially interact with other fans, participate in team-related discussions, recruit new members, and retain membership in sport fan communities is an important issue for sport marketers. In this study, we tested a model of fan community identification that included outcome and moderator variables in the contexts of two major professional sport leagues (soccer and baseball) in Japan. Based on the results, in both settings, fan community identification had positive effects on team brand equity and four fan community-related consequences: fan community engagement, customized product use, member responsibility, and positive word-of-mouth. Furthermore, the impact of team brand equity on positive word-of-mouth was strengthened by consumers' participation in fan loyalty programs. The theoretical model and results add new insights that advance our understanding of fans' collective feelings of friendship and camaraderie in sport fan communities.
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Citation
Yoshida, Masayuki, et al. "Fan community identification: an empirical examination of its outcomes in Japanese professional sport." Sport Marketing Quarterly 24.2 (2015): 105.
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