Athlete scandals are of broad and current interest in the sport industry and literature. Based on brand relationship theory, the present research, consisting of Studies 1 and 2, concerns the effects of consumers’ self-brand connection to an athlete and their self-construal on their psychological and behavioral responses to an athlete scandal. The results of Study 1 (experiment) suggest that people with a strong self-connection to the athlete and interdependent self-construal experience a greater self-identity threat than people lacking these attributes. Study 2 (survey) reveals that people...Read more
