Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Assistant professor of Sport Management, University of Neyshabur
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of team identification in fans loyalty of Iranian Football Premier League via structural equation modeling. The research method was descriptive-correlation. The statistical population of the study included all fans over 18 years old in the 16 th. Premier League in 2016/17 season. 640 questionnaires were analyzed as statistical sample. Heer and et al (2011) questionnaire was used to measure team identification and Gladen and Funk (2001), and Iwasaki and Havitz (2004) questionnaires were used to measure attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty respectively.After confirming the face and content validity of questionnaires, the reliability of team identification and loyalty questionnaires confirmed via Cronbach’s alpha coefficient in a pilot study.Structural equation modeling were used to analyze data . Structural equation model analysis showed that team identification has positive and significant effect on fans loyalty.So, it is recommended to sport managers to consider the issues such as acknowledgments the fans and trust building in fans in order to create and enhance the fans loyalty.
Keywords
- Bauer, H. H., Stokburger-Sauer, N. E., & Exler, S. (2008). "Brand image and fan loyalty in professional team sport: A refined model and empirical assessment". Journal of Sport Management, 22(2), 205–226.
- Bee, C. C., & Havitz, M. E. (2010). "Exploring the relationship between involvement, fan attraction, psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty in a sports spectator context". International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 11(2), 37-54.
- Beirami Igdar, J., Abbasian, A., & Hatami, S., (2016). "Design of Brand Social Identity on Reputation of Club Fans". Sport Management Studies, 8(35), 83-96. [Persian]
- Beirami Igdar, J., Jalali Farahani, M., & Beirami Igdar, B. (2014). "Designing the Structural Equation Model of The Role team identity in development of Dimension citizenship behavior spectators". Sport Management Studies, 6(26), 93-108. [Persian]
- Biscaia, R., Correia, A., & Rosado, A. F. (2013). "Sport Sponsorship: The Relationship between Team Loyalty, Sponsorship Awareness, Attitude toward the Sponsor, and Purchase Intentions". Journal of Sport Management, 27(4), 288–302.
- Bollen, K. A. (1989). "A New Incremental Fit Index for General Structural Equation Models". Sociological Methods & Research, 17(3), 303–316. [Persian]
- Branscombe, N. R., & Wann, D. L. (1991). "The positive social and self-concept consequences of sport team identification". Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 15, 115–127.
- Bridgewater, S. (2010). "Football Brands". Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK, Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne ISBN 978-0-230-23253-2.
- Chih-Hung Wang, M., Jain, M., Ming-Sung Cheng, J., & Kyaw-Myo Aung, G. (2012). "The purchasing impact of fan identification and sports sponsorship". Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 30(5), 553–566.
- Chun, J. Y. (2008). "The effect of professional basketball team’s social philanthropy on team image and team loyalty (Thesis)". Ulsan University, Ulsan, Korea.
- Ebrahimipoor, T., Amirnezhad, S., Hosseini, S. E., & Kalashi, M. (2016). "The relationship between brand identity with loyalty of fans of Esteghlal and Persepolis (A Case Study of Mazandaran province)". Applied Research in Sport Management, 5(18), 77-86. [Persian]
- Fairley, S., Green, B. C., & Chalip, L. (2014). "The effects of commitment and identification on consumption". Journal of Sport & Tourism, 19(1), 55–78.
- Farahani, A., Ghasemi, H., Honari, H., & Khodadadi, M. R. (2015). "Analysis and Modeling of Fan-based brand equity in Iran Football Clubs". Applied Research in Sport Management, 3(11), 51-64. [Persian]
- Fasanghari, J., Benesbordi, A., & Shoshi Nasab, P. (2017). "Investigating the Relationship between Brand Identity and Team Identity of Fans in Iran Football Premier League Teams". New Trends in Sport Management, 5(16), 35-47. [Persian]
- Fisher, R., & Wakefield, K. (1997). "Factors Leading to Group Identification: A Field Study of Winners and Losers". Psychology & Marketing, 15(1), 23–40.
- Gladden, J. M., & Funk, D. C. (2001). "Understanding brand loyalty in professional sport: Examining the link between brand associations and brand loyalty". International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 3(2), 67–94.
- Gray, G. T., & Wert‐Gray, S. (2012). "Customer retention in sports organization marketing: examining the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance". International Journal of Consumer Studies, 36(3), 275–281.
- Heere, B., Walker, M., Yoshida, M., Ko, Y. J., Jordan, J. S., & James, J. D. (2011). "Brand Community Development through Associated Communities: Grounding Community Measurement within Social Identity Theory". Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(4), 407–422.
- Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. (2008). "Structural equation modelling: Guidelines for determining model fit". Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 6(1), 53–60.
- Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). "Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives". Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55.
- Iwasaki, Y., & Havitz, M. E. (2004). "Examining relationships between leisure involvement, psychological commitment and loyalty to a recreation agency". Journal of Leisure Research, 36(1), 45–72.
- Jaberi, A., Assadi, H., Mazloomi Soveini, F., & KhazaeiPool, J. (2016). "The Effects of Team Brand Identity Dimensions on Team Loyalty among Fans of Football Pro League in Iran". Sport Management and Development, 5(1), 1-18. [Persian]
- Kaynak, E., Salman, G. G., & Tatoglu, E. (2008). "An integrative framework linking brand associations and brand loyalty in professional sports". Journal of Brand Management, 15(5), 336–357.
- Kelloway, E. K. (1998). "Using LISREL for structural equation modeling: a researcher’s guide. Book, Sage Publications". Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id= I9UfAQAAIAAJ
- Kelman, H. C. (1961). "Processes of Opinion Change". Public Opinion Quarterly, 25(1), 57–78.
- Kline, R. B. (2011). "Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling". Book, New York: Guilford Press.
- Lawshe, C. H. (1975). "A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO CONTENT VALIDITY1". Personnel Psychology, 28(4), 563–575.
- Moradi, Z., Houshyar, K., Sadri, M., & Hamed, S. (2014). "The character of the relationship between professional identity and fans of the team, Major League Soccer Case Study in Iran". Organizational Behavior Manangement in Sport Studies, 1(2), 85-92. [Persian]
- Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). "The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing". Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38.
- Morrison, K. A., Misener, K. E., & Mock, S. E. (2018). "The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility and Team Identification on Spectator Behavior in Major Junior Hockey". Leisure sciences, 40(1-2), 1-19.
- Moshabaki Esfahani, A., Yar Ahmadi, A., & Naseri, A. (2016). "The Study of the Role of Brand Association Assets of Iran Football Premier League Clubs in Belonging of Fans with Moderator Role of Self-Definitional Deeds of Fans (Case Study: Persepolis Football Club)". Sport Management Studies, 8(37), 127-148. [Persian]
- Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). "Psychometric theory (3rd Ed.)". Book, McGraw-Hill.
- Oliver, R. L. (1999). "Whence consumer loyalty?" Journal of Marketing Management, 63(Special Issue), 33–44.
- Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R. P., Grewal, D., & Evans, K. R. (2006). "Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Relationship Marketing: A Meta-Analysis". Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 136–153.
- Parry, K., Jones, I., & Wann, D. (2014). "An examination of sport fandom in the United Kingdom: A comparative analysis of fan behaviors, socialization processes, and team identification". Journal of Sport Behavior, 37(3), 251–267.
- Parry, K., Jones, I., & Wann, D. (2014). "An examination of sport fandom in the United Kingdom: A comparative analysis of fan behaviors, socialization processes, and team identification". Journal of Sport Behavior, 37(3), 251–267.
- Schlesinger, T., & Güngerich, M. (2011). "Analysing sport sponsorship effectiveness–the influence of fan identification, credibility and product-involvement". International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 9(1–2), 54–74.
- Soltan Hosseini, M., Nasr Esfahani, D., Nasr Esfahani, F., & Jaberi, A. (2014). "The Determination of the Relative Contribution of Team Identification by Managerial Factors in Clubs Attending Iran Football Premier League". Journal of Sport Management, 6(1), 109-133. [Persian]
- Stevens, S., & Rosenberger, P. J. (2012). "The influence of involvement, following sport and fan identification on fan loyalty: an Australian perspective". International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 13(3), 220–234.
- Stokburger-Sauer, N. E., & Teichmann, K. (2014). "The relevance of consumer—brand identification in the team sport industry". Marketing Review St. Gallen, 31(2), 20–31.
- Sutton, W. A., McDonald, M. A., Milne, G. R., & Cimperman, J. (1997). "Creating and Fostering Fan Identification in Professional Sports". Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6(1), 15–22. Journal Article.
- Underwood, R., Bond, E., & Baer, R. (2001). "Building Service Brands via Social Identity: Lessons from the Sports Marketplace". Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 9(1), 1–13.
- Waddell, H. (1995). "Getting a straight answer". Marketing Research, 7(3), 4–9.
- Wu, S. H., Tsai, C. Y. D., & Hung, C. C. (2012). "Toward team or player? How trust, vicarious achievement motive, and identification affect fan loyalty". Journal of Sport Management, 26(2), 177–191.
- Yoon, C. (2014). "The Significance of Relationship Equity and Its Impact on Affective Commitment and Behavior Loyalty in the Professional Spectator Sport Setting (Thesis)". University of Massachusetts - Amherst. Retrieved from http://scholarworks. umass.edu/dissertations_1/145.
- Yoshida, M., Gordon, B., Nakazawa, M., & Biscaia, R. (2014). "Conceptualization and measurement of fan engagement: Empirical evidence from a professional sport context". Journal of Sport Management, 28(4), 399–417.
- Yoshida, M., Heere, B., & Gordon, B. (2015). "Predicting behavioral loyalty through community: Why other fans are more important than our own intentions, our satisfaction, and the team itself". Journal of Sport Management, 29(3), 318–333.
)