Abstract
The purpose of the current studywas to examine howtwo key characteristics of sports fan communities - relative size and homogeneity (behavioral similarity among fans) - influence potential fans' perceptions and intentions to support the team. Study 1 showed that relative size and homogeneity created a two-way interaction effect on potential fans' support intentions, such that the low-homogeneity fan community resulted in greater support intentions in the minority condition, whereas the high-homogeneity fan community resulted in greater support intentions in the majority condition. Study 2 revealed a boundary condition of this interaction effect: The interaction effect disappeared when potential fans had extremely low levels of involvement with watching the sport. Study 3 showed that potential fans' perceptions regarding similarity to fans and social pressure mediated the effect of relative size on their support intentions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 103-119 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Sport Management |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2020 |
Keywords
- Brand community
- Group perception
- Self-categorization
- Social influence
- Socialization