Fan response to the identity threat of potential team relocation

Christine E. Wegner, Elizabeth B. Delia and Bradley J. Baker

Sport Management Review, 2020, vol. 23, issue 2, 215-228

Abstract: Group identities do not remain stable over time and team identity is no exception. As researchers have acknowledged team identity formation and maintenance as ongoing processes, it is equally important to explore how fans navigate threats to team identity. The purpose of this study is to understand how fans’ team identity was impacted by identity threat. The authors used digital ethnography to investigate how fans of the National Football League (NFL) Rams processed the identity threat presented by the team’s potential cross-country relocation from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles, California. Based on analysis of fans’ real-time responses (via online discussion board), the authors found that fans’ team identity changed in meaning and importance as a result of the threat. The findings have theoretical implications for the study of team identification, particularly concerning the evaluative nature of identity, the relationship between team and place identity, and the inclusiveness of the group in team identity.

Keywords: Consumer behaviour; Identity threat; Team identification; Digital ethnography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1441352318303085
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:spomar:v:23:y:2020:i:2:p:215-228

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/716936/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 716936/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.smr.2019.01.001

Access Statistics for this article

Sport Management Review is currently edited by Tracy Taylor

More articles in Sport Management Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().