King James holds court: A qualitative examination of the athlete brand community phenomenon

Abstract

While superstar athletes’ relatable personalities, on-field achievements, and attractive brand image facilitate a direct connection with the target demographic, little is known about how this indelible bond manifests itself in athlete brand communities. The literature concerning identification among like-minded consumers through systematic functions in athlete brand communities and associated psychological benefits is virtually non-existent. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the practices of consumers within an athlete brand community, relationships with the focal athlete brand, and multifaceted emotional benefits derived from shared community experiences. The author conducted 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected members of a LeBron James fan club and analyzed related documents associated with the studied athlete brand community. Four prevalent themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews including athlete brand community adoption, culture, ideological uniformity, and sustainable development. This endeavor represented an initial attempt to explore how brand communities function in the context of athletes as focal brands.