The Effect of Identification with a Sports Team and its Performance on the Willingness of Fans to Pay for Team Products

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of this research is to examine the connection between the degree of identification, the performance of the team (both subjective and objective) and the willingness of fans to pay for team-related products. Design: An index measuring identification was constructed for soccer fans in Israel on the basis of a designated questionnaire. In addition, each fan’s perception of the team’s performance was estimated and each fan stated his willingness to pay for goods and services connected to the team. Findings: The results indicate that both the degree of identification and the perceived performance of the team affect the consumption behavior of the fans in the case of all the consumption goods and services. The findings show that the degree of identification weakens the relationship between the team’s subjective performance (in the previous season) and the predicted amount of money that the fans will spend in the coming season. Finally, the findings indicate that the team’s objective performance (during the past season) has an effect on the predicted amount of money that fans will spend in the coming season. Originality: The research considers the components of a sports fan’s consumer, where each component is treated separately, and estimates the changes in the monetary expenditure by the fans, based on the performance of their team from the perspective of a full season rather than a single game. Furthermore, a team’s performance was measured both subjectively (the fan’s perception) and objectively (the team’s ranking).