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Despite consumer concern over climate change, research on environmental issues and sport fandom has focused more on organizational outcomes than on fans themselves. Recognizing fandom can be representative of social movements, and social identity and collective action are utilized in an intrinsic case study of Forest Green Rovers football club supporters (who also identify with environmentalism) to understand the extent to which the club represents a social movement, and whether Forest Green Rovers' sustainability efforts encourage pro-environment actions. Through interview research, we found supporters' team and environmental identities cooperate synergistically. Forest Green Rovers is not just representative of environmentalism but has become a politicized identity itself—a means to act for change on environmental issues. We discuss implications concerning identity synergy, team identity as a politicized identity, perceptions of success, collective action, and cognitive alternatives to the status quo. We conclude by noting the unavoidable inseparability of environmental issues and sport consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent market growth in women's sport has happened as fans increasingly support brands that embrace social issues, suggesting that women's sport houses multiple logics (financial and social) that may be compatible. The purpose of this study is to explore employees' perspectives of the logics in women's sport and how these influence their workplace experiences. Using a case study design, we interviewed 15 women's sport employees. We observed that they navigate both financial and social logics, which they see as compatible. This understanding of a complementary relationship has both behavioral (e.g., collaboration) and emotional (e.g., collective anxiety) consequences for employees. Notably, collective anxiety is simultaneously associated with negative effects and positive coping mechanisms, demonstrating its complexity in shaping individuals' actions. This research advances understanding of how employees respond to multiple logics and the effects of this process. Insights from this study can help women's sport managers better support workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, scholars have sought to understand individuals' identification with sport teams. As a result, we have great knowledge of how team identification influences a variety of attitudinal and behavioral outcomes as well as the impact of identifying with a team on an individual's sense of self. However, nearly all studies of team identification have dealt with men's sport rather than women's sport. The authors addressed this issue in the current study by using the Delphi technique to solicit expert opinion on the lack of team identification research in women's sport, including reasons for the lack of research, the extent to which context matters in studying team identification, and potential contributions to the team identification literature by examining the concept in women's sport settings. The authors conclude by discussing experts' opinions, the extent to which some views may underpin the lack of research, and implications for future studies of team identification. Keywords: consumer behavior, team identification, women's sport, Since its introduction (Wann & Branscombe, 1993), team identification has been one of the most studied concepts in sport consumer behavior. This is likely a result of the influence team [...]

Simultaneous to the sport industry's economic surge, physical health has become an issue of growing societal concern. Fandom and health consciousness have concurrently emerged, yet scholars have not explored the social–psychological relationship between the two. To this end, we conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with 17 self-identified health-conscious sport fans. We leverage identity theory to highlight these individuals' "identity work." Participants' experiences were reflective of both identity conflict and identity integration. The outcome that manifested—conflict or integration—appeared to hinge on psychological and sociological variables. In sharing their stories, we contribute to a growing literature on role identity negotiation in sport fandom, in addition to providing insights on health-minded sport fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport consumer behavior researchers have developed a robust understanding of how and why people consume sport, and the consequences of consumption. There has been little reflection, however, on the settings or populations used to study consumers and develop theory. In acknowledging the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion to advance both theory and practice, the authors conducted a scoping review of diversity in sport consumer behavior research, focusing on four sport management journals. The review revealed a widespread lack of diversity, with most studies focusing on men's sport in highly commercialized settings. Furthermore, study participants often identify as White men, middle-aged or young, educated, and with at least some disposable income. Leveraging an institutional work lens, the authors address taken-for-granted norms that may have contributed to these trends and propose solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have studied sport team identification for decades, advancing our understanding of the influence of a psychological connection to a sport team on attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Despite the contribution of the study of team identification to the sport fan psychology and sport consumer behavior literatures, a critical issue is apparent. A review of the methods used by scholars to assess and study team identification uncovered a misinterpretation of participant responses to team identification scale items. In previous research, not-identified individuals have been examined as individuals with low team identification. We illustrate the problem with scales used to measure team identification, then propose one approach to resolving the problem with the most frequently used scale, the Sport Spectator Identification Scale. We report on the testing of a modified scale, the Sport Spectator Identification Scale-Revised (SSIS-R), to detect not-identified individuals. We conclude with suggestions moving forward the study of team identification in general. Keywords: team identification, consumer behavior, psychological connection, Introduction Team identification has been a popular topic of study among sport management, sport marketing, and sport psychology scholars since the 1990s. A high level of identification with a team [...]

Adding to research on team identification and well-being, inquiry into meaning in life and team identification could illuminate how sport fandom impacts consumers' lives. In the current study, an instrumental case study design was used to explore how team identification impacts meaning in life, focusing on significance. Participant diaries and interviews with identified fans of a professional women's basketball team revealed that connecting with family and friends, supporting women's sport, and enhancing mental health via support of the team were sources of significance in participants' lives. The findings illustrate that meaning in life is not necessarily experienced just from being a highly identified fan. Instead, specific elements of one's connection to the team provide meaning. The findings also highlight the importance of close relationships over imaginary intimate relationships, impacting social justice among fans of women's sport, and how mental health via fandom may provide older adults significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, almost all team identification inquiries have focused on men's sport, with minimal studies using women's sport to examine the concept. Recognizing social identities are fluid and context dependent, the purpose of the current study was to understand the psychological meaning of team among individuals who identify with a women's sport team. Using an interpretive mode of inquiry, the author conducted interviews with fans of a professional women's basketball team. Central elements of team meaning were gender equality (contributing to social change) and pure sport (perceptions of game play and player characteristics). These aspects jointly contribute to a paradox experienced by fans, in that perceived purity may be sacrificed in realizing social change. Theoretical implications include the ability of teams to represent social movement organizations, as well as the need for individuals to shed status-irrelevant aspects of an identity to raise a low-status group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Team identification has frequently been associated with positive outcomes; however, team identification is also associated with negative outcomes such as identity threat. Team identity threat has been studied from the perspective that fans enduring identity threat employ emotion-focused coping rather than problem-focused coping strategies because they lack the authority to change team-related stressors. In this study, the author examined fan reaction to team identity threat, wherein fans ultimately used both problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping strategies. The particular instance examined involved fans of a National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball team reacting to an identity threat caused by program scandal. Through the use of unobtrusive digital observation, fan reaction was analyzed via comments from three online sources. The study highlights how fans used problem-focused coping to preserve identity meaning, creating their own reality in the process. Theoretical and managerial implications of the research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have frequently examined sponsorship effectiveness via survey instrument; however, no efforts have been made to gauge sponsorship effectiveness via social networking sites. As a medium for consumer activity and interaction, scholars and industry professionals can leverage social media to monitor the effects of sponsorship in real time, as consumers experience a sporting event. In this exploratory study, we employed a mixed methods study design to examine Twitter users' discussion of 2013 French Open sponsors during the tennis tournament. We found a weak positive relationship between sponsor-event functional fit and positive sponsor-related sentiment, and a weak positive relationship between a sponsor company's social media presence and event-related buzz. Through case study analysis, we discovered unintended misrepresentation and activation were apparent drivers of sponsor-related social media conversation during the 2013 French Open. As an emerging area for sponsorship research, we provide suggestions for future research into sponsorship and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global sponsorship spending increases, so too do efforts to gauge effects of sponsorship. However, much of the sponsorship literature to date has emphasized the influence of sponsorship from a business perspective, thus neglecting to address the social and psychological influence of sponsorship on the consumer. Reasoning that such deep levels of consumer inquiry cannot be accomplished through (post)positivist inquiry, I pursue an interpretive ethnographic mode of inquiry, using Syracuse University fandom as a case study. In doing so, I engage in reflexive autobiography as a method of critical inquiry to interrogate my own (personal, professional, and academic) experience with sponsorship (specifically, facility naming rights) as a Syracuse fan. Through this introspection, I discover my perception of and connection to the sponsor are inherently complex, as I possess a subconscious yet meaningful attachment to the sponsor that contributes to my overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have studied the self-presentation techniques of sport fans in a variety of contexts, however an empirical investigation of such behaviors via social media is absent from the literature. In this study, we examine self-presentation of sport fans via Twitter. Data were collected during multiple points of a mega-sporting event involving two traditionally passionate and highly identified fan groups. Twitter activity was used to identify general themes of self-presentation for the pre-game, halftime, and postgame time periods. In general, basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) and blasting were reflected in numerous forms based on the game situation and individual affiliation. Examining selfpresentation through social media is especially relevant as the popularity of the medium grows. Further, the real-time nature of Twitter and other platforms allows researchers to capture behaviors immediately after a positive or negative event during an athletics competition. Finally, a number of theoretical and practical implications are identified and presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]