Abstract
Research Question: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a transformative perspective on the role of sport brands in promoting fans’ psychological well-being. Drawing upon attachment theory, the current research explores how individuals’ involvement with sport brands may contribute to their
psychological well-being in the wake of COVID-19.
Research Methods: Data were collected from sport fans (n = 770) in mainland China through an online survey. Machine learning-based model selection algorithms were used to optimize the balance between the predictive power and parsimoniousness of the empirical model. Bayesian structural equation modeling was performed to examine the effects of sport brand involvement (SBI), crisis management performance, and perceived togetherness (PT) on fans’ sense of hope and emptiness.
Results and Findings: The results indicate that fans’ involvement with sport brands was positively associated with fans’ psychological well-being. SBI mitigated fans’ perceived emptiness. This relationship was partially mediated by
PT but not by crisis management performance. Furthermore, sport brands’ crisis
management performance and PT fully mediated the positive relationship between
SBI and hope.
Implications: This research contributes to theorizing the transformative role of sport brands in enhancing fans’ psychological well-being. We offer an alternative view of sport branding literature by moving beyond fans’ contributions to business outcomes to explore how sport brands may benefit fans’ well-being. Findings highlight the importance of the transformative power of ‘we’ in unifying sport brands and fans amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
psychological well-being in the wake of COVID-19.
Research Methods: Data were collected from sport fans (n = 770) in mainland China through an online survey. Machine learning-based model selection algorithms were used to optimize the balance between the predictive power and parsimoniousness of the empirical model. Bayesian structural equation modeling was performed to examine the effects of sport brand involvement (SBI), crisis management performance, and perceived togetherness (PT) on fans’ sense of hope and emptiness.
Results and Findings: The results indicate that fans’ involvement with sport brands was positively associated with fans’ psychological well-being. SBI mitigated fans’ perceived emptiness. This relationship was partially mediated by
PT but not by crisis management performance. Furthermore, sport brands’ crisis
management performance and PT fully mediated the positive relationship between
SBI and hope.
Implications: This research contributes to theorizing the transformative role of sport brands in enhancing fans’ psychological well-being. We offer an alternative view of sport branding literature by moving beyond fans’ contributions to business outcomes to explore how sport brands may benefit fans’ well-being. Findings highlight the importance of the transformative power of ‘we’ in unifying sport brands and fans amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 92-119 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | European Sport Management Quarterly |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 12 Oct 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Dec 2022 |
Funding
The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.
Access to Document
- Post print version RB.PDF
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Sport Management Quarterly on 12/10/2021, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2021.1978519