An exploratory study of women club members’ experiences with an NFL franchise brand extension

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to arrive at a better understanding of the experiences of the women who comprise a distinct National Football League (NFL) women’s only fan club. Design/methodology/approach – A semi-structured focus group interview was conducted and analyzed using margin coding for a NFL fan club. The focus group data were triangulated with secondary sources such as participant observation, field notes, and documents (e.g. web site and written documents from fan club). Findings – The data analysis revealed the following eight themes: philanthropy, team affiliation, events, social media, brand elements, fan identity, apparel, perks. Research limitations/implications – The paper examines the experiences of women fan club members, which could potentially provide the franchise with insights on how to enhance the member experience. While the present study represents only one case, the researchers believe there are key factors to call attention to for NFL marketers considering a brand extension aimed at women. Practical implications – The results provide marketers with useful information to enhance the experience of current women only fan club brand extension and potential future women only fan club brand extensions. Given the increase in NFL fandom among this segment of the population, it will be crucial for NFL marketers to increase their efforts to leverage their respective sport team brands with female fans. Originality/value – The paper is the first to explore the experiences of women fan club members in professional sports.