Musical congruity in sports: enhancing team branding in esports and traditional sports

Yongjin Hwang and Khalid Ballouli

Sport Management Review, 2025, vol. 28, issue 2, 201-231

Abstract: In the realm of sports team branding, the efficacy of brand anthems remains an unexplored yet crucial dimension. This study investigates the impact of musical congruity in distinct contexts: esports (in Study 1) and traditional team sports (in Study 2). A mixed-model ANOVA revealed a significant increase in study participants’ brand identity, team identification, and brand equity following exposure to a brand anthem. Additional PLS-SEM analyses demonstrated that musical congruity significantly enhanced brand identity and brand equity, with brand identity serving as a mediating factor. Interestingly, the positive influence of musical congruity on team identification was evident only in Study 2, where team identification played a mediating role between musical congruity and brand equity. Additionally, the study found that musical likability did not exert significant moderating effects on the relationship between musical congruity and outcome variables. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of musical congruity and music branding, offering valuable insights for practitioners in leveraging music to enhance the brand value of sports teams.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/14413523.2024.2404722

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