The Role of Team Identification and Self-Construal on Attitudes Toward Player Resting

Purposely resting athletes during competitive games has become commonplace in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Despite this phenomenon, little research has investigated fan attitudes and behavioral intentions concerning the act of NBA teams purposely resting players. This study utilized Prolific Academic crowdsourcing service to recruit a national sample of NBA fans to participate in this research. Participants provided data concerning their attitudes toward the practice of player resting as well as their strength of team identification and self-construal level. Results indicate that those who are low on both team identification and an interdependent self-construal should be expected to respond negatively to resting. If fans are strong on either team identification, interdependent self-construal, or both, they are less likely to respond negatively to player resting. Keywords: player resting; fan attitudes; team identification; self-construal
In professional sports, teams may have a variety of motivations to rest their top performing players. Yet, research is scant on how fans respond to this practice. Whether in attendance, [...]