FiT Publishing

This study investigates the relationships between fans’ perceptions of the credibility and demographic fit of local sport broadcasters and their corresponding attachment to the broadcasters, along with their identification and loyalty to the team. A sample of 288 Major League Baseball (MLB) fans from the United States and Canada were recruited via Twitter and Facebook fan pages and surveyed to answer questions about their fandom, favorite team, and organization’s broadcasters. The perceived demographic fit with the locale of an MLB broadcast team was found to be significantly related to...Read more

This study explored how the market value of American athletes may be influenced by the presence of international teammates. Specifically, the study examined: (a) Chinese consumers’ feelings of attachment to American National Basketball Association (NBA) players who have a distinguished Chinese teammate; (b) the relationship between Chinese consumers’ attachment level to the American teammates and their credibility as product endorsers; and (c) whether Chinese consumers’ evaluation of athlete endorsement differs for sports products and non-sports products. Respondents felt more attached to...Read more

The Seattle Sounders FC took Major League Soccer by storm in its inaugural season of 2009. The club led the league in attendance, won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy, and clinched a playoff berth. The team’s success was attributed in part to its rabid fan base, which routinely sold out its 30,000-seat venue and nearly doubled the league attendance average. How was it that an expansion franchise was able to garner such immediate, fervent support, while original franchises with well-established fan bases struggled? This case study sought to supplement the limited current literature...Read more

The purpose of this study was to segment spectators based on emotional attachment toward team, university, coach, and player, and to examine whether different groups of people classified by emotional attachment demonstrate different interrelationships between motives and behavioral intentions in attending sporting events. The results revealed that the feasibility of two clusters is derived from emotional attachments and those two groups demonstrate different interrelationships between spectators’ motives and behavioral intentions, respectively. In conclusion, this study can provide a...Read more