Sports Fan Moral Reasoning Strategies in Response to an Athlete’s Controversial Political Associations

This study explores the reactions of New England Patriots fans to a rookie player’s association with a far-right militia group and objectionable social media posts. Drawing on moral reasoning, team identification, and social identity theories, the cross-sectional survey examines how fans’ team identification and political ideology influence their moral decoupling, moral rationalization, and moral coupling. Findings reveal that as team identification increases and political ideology becomes more conservative, fans are more likely to engage in moral decoupling and rationalization. However, the relationship between team identification and moral reasoning is moderated and weakened by political ideology. Die-hard Patriots fans, regardless of political ideology, equally engaged in moral decoupling and rationalization, while conservatives among slight fans are significantly more likely to do so compared to liberals.