International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship最新文献

{"title":"The fit threshold: how gender and fan identity shape persuasion in name, image and likeness (NIL) endorsements","authors":"Soyon Michelle Choi,Natalie Brown-Devlin","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-02-2026-0076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-02-2026-0076","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose The introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy made US. collegiate athletes routine commercial endorsers, yet how fans evaluate their endorsements remains underexamined. This study examines how gender–product fit shapes persuasion and whether these effects vary by student–athlete gender, fan–athlete gender congruence and fanship across attitudes and behavioral responses. Design/methodology/approach Using a 3 (gender–product fit: incongruent vs neutral vs congruent) × 2 (athlete gender: male vs female) between-subjects online experiment (N = 409), participants viewed mock Instagram posts featuring NIL endorsements and reported attitudes and behavioral responses. Effects were tested using MANCOVA, with fan gender and fanship examined as moderators using PROCESS. Findings Gender–product fit significantly shaped persuasion, with gender-incongruent endorsements producing less favorable outcomes than both gender-neutral and congruent endorsements. The latter two conditions were largely comparable, although gender-neutral endorsements produced higher purchase intention. Athlete gender further conditioned responses to incongruence: male student-athletes received more favorable content attitudes than female student-athletes under gender-incongruent conditions. Fan-side moderation emerged primarily at the purchase stage: gender–product fit effects on purchase intention varied by fan–athlete gender congruence, while fanship moderated the contrast between gender-neutral and gender-incongruent endorsements. Originality/value This study extends athlete endorsement and sport marketing research by clarifying when expectancy-based fit and identity-based cues matter most across the persuasion sequence. It identifies an asymmetric pattern in which gender incongruence carries a persuasive penalty without a corresponding premium for gender congruence, with a content-level penalty for female student-athletes and fan-side moderation emerging primarily at the purchase stage. These findings offer evidence-based guidance for brands, athletic departments and NIL collectives.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"13 1","pages":"1-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The CSR of football teams and its impact on the intention to purchase sponsors' products: a cross-cultural study","authors":"Miguel Reyes,Pablo Farías,Manel Valcarce-Torrente,Dario Jose Espinal Ruiz","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-08-2025-0438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-08-2025-0438","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This investigation aims to determine how football teams' corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities influence fan connection, including self-expression, identification, reputation and affective image, and how these factors affect fans' intentions to purchase sponsors' products. Additionally, this study explores the potential moderating effects of country, age, gender and team loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was administered to 220 Colombian and 200 Spanish football fans. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling with the AMOS software. Findings The direct effect of team CSR on sponsor purchase intention was not significant, whereas the indirect effect through self-expression, team identification, team reputation and affective image was positive and significant. Country (Colombia vs Spain), age and gender did not moderate these relationships. Team loyalty did, but not by increasing the size of the effect: among highly loyal fans CSR reached sponsor patronage through the fan–team connection mediators, whereas among less loyal fans it operated directly. Loyalty therefore changes the route through which CSR reaches sponsor patronage rather than the total magnitude of its effect. Originality/value This study contributes to the sports marketing and CSR literature by testing a four-mediator model in a cross-cultural context and by identifying loyalty as a switch between relational and transactional processing of CSR signals. Because the two markets compared are culturally proximate, the observed stability should be understood as robustness within the Hispanic cultural sphere rather than as cultural universality. The study offers implications for teams and sponsors seeking to design communication strategies that optimise the return on CSR investment.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"4 1","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Smart fitness equipment and subjective well-being: the roles of perceived value and brand love","authors":"Seyed Mohammad Javad Razavi,Mikihiro Sato,Susmit S. Gulavani","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-04-2026-0256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-04-2026-0256","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose Despite growing interest in artificial intelligence and smart technologies in sport and fitness centers, little is known about the psychological mechanisms through which smart fitness equipment promotes the well-being of fitness center members. Drawing on servicescape logic and the Broaden-and-Build perspective, this study examines how members’ perceptions of Technogym smart treadmills – as smart fitness equipment embedded in the fitness-center servicescape relate to perceived value of the fitness-center experience, brand love toward the fitness center and subjective well-being. Design/methodology/approach The study included a three-wave panel design, where new members of a fitness center (n = 372) participated in a survey. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings Results indicate that each of the three attributes (intelligence, connectivity and aesthetics) was positively associated with perceived value, which in turn was linked to brand love and subjective well-being. Moreover, brand love served as a positive mediator between perceived value and subjective well-being. Originality/value This study provides new theoretical insights into the psychological processes through which smart fitness equipment enhances subjective well-being and highlights the importance for fitness centers of increasing perceived value and cultivating brand love.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"42 1","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149151623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From digital interaction to fan spending through platform-based participation in the Saudi Pro League's fan ecosystem","authors":"Hossein Abdolmaleki,Ekaterina Glebova,Bradley J. Baker","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-02-2026-0092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-02-2026-0092","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This study investigates how digital interaction (e.g. social media engagement behavior) is associated with fan spending in contemporary sport ecosystems. The theoretical problem addressed is that while digital interaction metrics (e.g. likes) are often treated as proxies for commercial value, less is known about the behavioral mechanisms through which observable digital interactions translate into economically consequential fan spending behavior. Drawing on Consumer Engagement Theory, we examine fan spending as an outcome that occurs through structured participation-based mechanisms. The contribution lies in specifying platform-based participation as the mediating behavioral pathway between digital interaction and fan spending at the club level. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a longitudinal panel design using high-frequency data from four leading Saudi Pro League clubs between 2023 and 2025. Digital interaction is measured through a standardized Digital Interaction Index. Platform-based participation captures observable fan behaviors including paid interactions, voting participation, and membership-tier activities on club platforms. Fixed-effects regressions, club-level path analysis, and event-contingent interaction models assess temporal ordering, indirect effects, and contextual amplification. Findings The results show that higher levels of digital interaction significantly predict subsequent increases in platform-based participation. At the club level, platform-based participation mediates a substantial portion (55%) of the relationship between digital interaction and fan spending, indicating that digital interaction primarily affects fan spending through structured participatory mechanisms. Additionally, digital interaction is positively associated with higher average spending per transaction, suggesting greater transaction intensity among digitally active fan communities. These effects are significantly amplified during high-salience event periods. Research limitations/implications The analysis focuses on platform-native and observable participation mechanisms using club-level aggregated data and does not include individual-level transaction data. Future research may extend this framework to contexts with fully implemented blockchain infrastructures or incorporate fan-level panel data linking individual digital behaviors to participation and spending. Practical implications Sports organizations should prioritize the design of participatory digital architectures that translate digital interaction into platform-based participation, particularly during high-attention moments. With 55% of the engagement-spending relationship operating through participation mechanisms, monetization strategies should invest in participatory infrastructure as a core component of digital strategy and emphasize the depth and quality of participation. Originality/value This study contributes to sport marketing research by distinguishing observa","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"34 1","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond interactivity: dual relational pathways to fanship in the sports metaverse","authors":"Daeun Park,YongHee Kim","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-03-2026-0200","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-03-2026-0200","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This study examines how distinct forms of interaction in sports metaverse environments – fan-to-fan (FTF) and fan-to-star (FTS) – shape team fanship through different psychological mechanisms. By proposing a dual-pathway framework, we demonstrate that FTF interaction fosters belongingness, whereas FTS interaction operates through illusionary friendship that subsequently extends into belongingness, ultimately strengthening team fanship. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects, scenario-based experiment was conducted to compare the effects of FTF and FTS interaction in a sports metaverse context. The study tested whether the two interaction types influence team fanship through different psychological mechanisms (belongingness and illusionary friendship) and whether team fanship subsequently predicts revisit intention. Findings Results indicate that FTF interaction increases team fanship indirectly through belongingness. In contrast, FTS interaction increases team fanship via a serial mediation path from illusionary friendship to belongingness. Team fanship, in turn, positively predicts revisit intention. These findings suggest that metaverse interaction is not a uniform driver of engagement but depends on the specific relational mechanism activated by the interaction target. Originality/value This study contributes to metaverse marketing and sports fan engagement research by identifying distinct psychological routes through which interaction strengthens team-related outcomes. The findings offer guidance for social design in virtual environments by showing how strategic interaction targeting may help cultivate team fanship and revisit intention.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"17 1","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The management process of ambush marketing in sport: a case study analysis based on the 2024 UEFA EURO","authors":"Kasimir Lochte,Stefan Walzel","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-02-2026-0123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-02-2026-0123","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose Ambush marketing (AM) research predominantly focuses on the perspectives of consumers, sponsors and event organizers, but the perspective of the ambusher has remained largely underexplored. This study addresses this gap by systematically reconstructing the management process of AM in sport from the ambusher's perspective. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a qualitative, explanatory single-case study approach focusing on a campaign at the 2024 UEFA EURO. Data collection was conducted sequentially through semi-structured in-depth interviews and was complemented by media content analysis. Findings The results highlight both parallels and key distinctions in the individual phases of the management process of sport sponsorship. The key distinctions comprise the predominance of situational and campaign-oriented planning over multi-year strategies, the deliberate creation of strong associations with the target object and the early involvement of legal counsel. Research limitations/implications The specific characteristics of the researched case study hinder an unreflective transfer of the findings to other contexts. At the same time, the study offers valuable knowledge for potential ambushers to manage AM effectively. Originality/value This article introduces a systematically derived management process for AM that helps potential ambushers to make more informed decisions on AM and to enhance marketing performance, while also providing scholars a conceptual basis for further academic exploration.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"59 1","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diaspora marketing in sport: football shirts, belonging and nostalgia across borders","authors":"Alessio Norrito,Paul Widdop,Simon Chadwick","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-06-2025-0277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-06-2025-0277","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This study explains how international football shirt marketing campaigns can assemble material and immaterial elements to mobilize diasporic emotions, enchanting products as affective symbols of place for transnational audiences. Design/methodology/approach An instrumental case study of Palermo F.C.'s jersey marketing campaign was conducted. Data from promotional videos, press releases and social media was analyzed using abductive reflexive thematic analysis, informed by assemblage theory. Findings Findings demonstrate how the football shirt becomes an emotional interface for diasporic audiences, through which they live a simultaneous feeling of belonging and nostalgia to their homeland. The campaign addresses recent histories of human movement, to tap into profound and authentic emotions that resonate with experiences of migration of the audience. Research limitations/implications The study offers depth rather than generalizability. Future research should use interviews, focus groups and further consumer culture theory-informed approaches to broaden our understanding of diaspora marketing in sport. Practical implications Sport marketers targeting diasporic audiences should ground international campaigns in emotionally resonant cultural engagement, while ensuring that global campaigns do not overlook local efforts. Social implications Diaspora-oriented sport campaigns may support well-being by helping dispersed audiences cope with nostalgia, and feel connected to home across distance. Originality/value The study conceptualizes diasporic fans as affective transnational audiences and introduces authenticity of affect to explain how campaigns become authentic when audiences recognize their own emotions within them.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"14 1","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"AI-personalized sports experiences: the moderating role of fan identification","authors":"Don Lee,Woong Kwon,Iseup Maeng,Minseok Cho,Michael Cottingham","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-03-2026-0146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-03-2026-0146","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This study aims to investigate how fans respond to artificial intelligence (AI)-personalized sports experiences and how these responses are influenced by their level of identification with a sports entity. Design/methodology/approach Integrating the technology acceptance model, source credibility theory and uses and gratifications framework, personalization is conceptualized as a driver of perceived authenticity, which, in turn, enhances overall satisfaction with AI-generated sports content (e.g. personalized highlights, recommendation feeds, chatbots and AI-driven statistics). Using a cross-sectional survey of adult sport consumers with recent AI content experience, we test a moderated mediation model in which fan identification moderates both the personalization–authenticity and authenticity–satisfaction relationships. Findings Results suggest that personalization enhances perceived authenticity and satisfaction, with these effects amplified for highly identified fans. Conversely, low-identified fans may perceive AI content as overly algorithmic or intrusive, attenuating or reversing these effects. Originality/value This study extends theory on AI-mediated sports marketing by highlighting authenticity as a key psychological mechanism linking personalization to satisfaction and demonstrating fan identification as a critical boundary condition. Findings offer actionable guidance for tailoring AI personalization to optimize fan engagement and sponsorship outcomes.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"226 1","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What is sport service quality and how should it be specified?","authors":"Nicholas D. Theodorakis","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-05-2026-0304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-05-2026-0304","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose Despite its extensive use, the conceptual foundations and operationalization of service quality in sport remain insufficiently clarified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to delineate the specific evaluative judgments that constitute sport service quality and clarify the construct boundaries separating service quality from related evaluative constructs. Design/methodology/approach A critical review of 85 empirical studies in sport service quality research examined how the construct has been conceptualized, operationalized, and modeled in prior sport management and marketing literature. Studies were coded based on their definitions, measurement approaches, and model specifications. Findings The review reveals that the label “service quality” has been used to refer to three distinct evaluative objects: attribute-level performance perceptions, transaction-specific overall quality judgments, and cumulative global attitudes, without consistently distinguishing among them. Controllable service system elements are also frequently mixed with core sport product evaluations, blurring construct boundaries. Advancing sport service quality theory therefore requires sharper theoretical specification of the judgment object, its temporal scope, and the boundaries of the evaluative construct. Originality/value This study contributes to sport management and marketing literature by proposing a conceptual framework that distinguishes among attribute-level evaluations, transaction-specific overall service quality judgments, and cumulative global attitudes. By grounding service quality within the controllable service delivery system, the proposed framework establishes a clearer basis for the conceptualization and operationalization of service quality in sport.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"9 1","pages":"84-110"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Losing the blame game: automated officiating, team identification and fan attribution of losses","authors":"Yoonki Chun,Yulsoo Ji,Sujin Park","doi":"10.1108/ijsms-03-2026-0167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijsms-03-2026-0167","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This study examines how automated officiating affects fans' attribution of negative game outcomes and team satisfaction, with particular attention to the role of team identification. Drawing on Social Identity Theory and Attribution Theory, we propose that automated officiating reduces the availability and credibility of external blame targets, constraining identity-protective attributions and exposing highly identified fans to greater psychological costs. Design/methodology/approach A single-factor (officiating type: human vs. automated) between-subjects experiment was conducted with 577 MLB fans. We measured participants' supported team and team identification, followed by a manipulation using a simulated playoff loss scenario involving either a human umpire or the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system. Then, internal attribution, team satisfaction and preferred post-loss remedies were measured. Hypothesis testing was performed using ANOVA, regression and conditional process analysis. Findings Fans in the ABS condition made significantly more internal attributions than those in the human umpire condition. Internal attributions negatively affected team satisfaction and also mediated the relationship between officiating type and team satisfaction. Team identification moderated these effects, with more highly identified fans showing a stronger shift toward internal attribution and a larger indirect reduction in team satisfaction. Originality/value This study identifies a boundary condition for the identity-protective function of team identification, showing that its benefits depend on the availability of credible external attribution targets. By demonstrating that automated officiating shifts fans' attributional patterns away from the officiating system and toward the team itself, the findings show the psychological consequences of technological innovation in sport officiating.","PeriodicalId":501000,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship","volume":"30 1","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}