The Moderating Effects of Social Media Usage towards Fan Attachment in MotoGP
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/4akfhx20Keywords:
Relational Marketing, Team Attraction, Team Trust, Team Involvement, Team AttachmentAbstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between MotoGP fans’ attachment to their favorite teams’ Facebook pages. Data were collected through survey method. The questionnaires were completed by 384 fans. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Sports fans who have formed strong connections to their favorite team may be termed loyal fans. One popular communication tool for such fans is Facebook, which has been found to be an important medium for sharing news and events, yet few studies have examined the moderating of Facebook use in a sports context. Adopting the relational approach examining the determinants of sport-fan attachment, this study examined how Facebook use moderates the building of fan attachment. All independent variables together explain 78 percent of the variance (R Square) in Team Attachment, which is highly significant as indicated by the f values 336.845. Findings revealed the t-values of team attraction, social media, and team involvement are positively related to team attachment. Facebook use was found to significantly reinforce their attachment. Specific implications for both theory and practice are discussed. Overall, respondents indicated they preferred content related to players, including injury and movement, as well as race results, suggesting they might prefer using Facebook as another way to receive information instead of choosing to actively engage with their favorite team. However, because results from modeling suggest engaging individuals on Facebook has positive impacts on future behavioral intentions, sport marketers should consider engaging individuals on Facebook while still fulfilling their need for information about players and game results.
Downloads
References
[1] Pedersen P, Parks, J., Quarterman, J., & Thibault, L. Contemporary sport management Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics.; 2010.
[2] Witkemper C, Choong Hoon L, Waldburger A. Social Media and Sports Marketing: Examining the
Motivations and Constraints of Twitter Users. Sport Marketing Quarterly. 2012;21(3):170-83.
[3] Holt D. Branding in the Age of Social Media. 2016:40.
[4] Leeflang PSH, Verhoef PC, Dahlström P, Freundt T. Challenges and solutions for marketing in a digital
era. European Management Journal. 2014;32(1):1-12.
[5] Fullerton S. Sports Marketing. 2 ed. Irwin, ID.: McGraw-Hill; 2006.
[6] Meenaghan, T. Sponsorship—Legitimizing the Medium. European Journal of Marketing. 1991;25(11):5.
[7] Williams J, Chinn SJ, Suleiman J. The value of Twitter for sports fans. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital
Marketing Practice. 2014;16(1):36-50.
[8] Erdogan BZ, Philip JK. Managerial mindsets and the symbiotic relationship between sponsorship and
advertising. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 1998(6):369.
[9] Susan F. Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research. Journal of
Consumer Research. 1998;24(4):343.
[10] Waters RD, Burke KA, Jackson ZJ, Buning JD. Using Stewardship to Cultivate Fandom Online:
Comparing How National Football League Teams Use Their Web Sites and Facebook to Engage Their
Fans. International Journal of Sport Communication. 2010 4(2):163-77.
[11] Wallace L, Wilson J, Miloch K. Sporting Facebook: A Content Analysis of NCAA Organizational Sport
Pages and Big 12 Conference Athletic Department Pages. International Journal of Sport Communication.
2011;4(4):422-44.
[12] Pronschinske M, Groza MD, Walker M. Attracting Facebook 'Fans': The Importance of Authenticity and
Engagement as a Social Networking Strategy for Professional Sport Teams. Sport Marketing Quarterly.
2012; 21(4): 221-31.
[13] Kassing JW, Sanderson J. Fan-Athlete Interaction and Twitter Tweeting Through the Giro: A Case Study.
International Journal of Sport Communication. 2010;3(1):113-28.
[14] Hambrick ME, Simmons JM, Greenhalgh GP, Greenwell TC. Understanding Professional Athletes' Use of
Twitter: A Content Analysis of Athlete Tweets. International Journal of Sport Communication.
2010; 3(4):454-71.
[15] Pegoraro A. Look Who's Talking—Athletes on Twitter: A Case Study. International Journal of Sport
Communication. 2010;3(4):501-14.
[16] Hambrick ME, Mahoney TQ. 'It's incredible - trust me': exploring the role of celebrity athletes as marketers
in online social networks. International Journal of Sport Management & Marketing. 2011;10(3/4):161-79.
[17] Sanderson, J. To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Exploring Division I Athletic Departments' Social-Media Policies.
2011:492.
[18] Clavio G, Kian TM. Uses and Gratifications of a Retired Female Athlete's Twitter Followers. International
Journal of Sport Communication. 2010;3(4):485-500.
[19] Blaszka M, Burch LM, Frederick EL, Clavio G, Walsh P. #WorldSeries: An Empirical Examination of a
Twitter Hashtag During a Major Sporting Event. 2012:435.
[20] Filo K, Funk DC. Congruence Between Attractive Product Features and Virtual Content Delivery for
Internet Marketing Communication. 2005:112.
[21] Beech J, Chadwick S, Tapp A. Surfing in the premier league: key issues for football club marketers using
the Internet. Managing Leisure. 2000;5(2):51-64.
[22] Coyle P. Teams active in social media build a strategic advantage. Street & Smith's Sportsbusiness Journal.
2010; 12(35): 18-.
[23] Dwyer B. Divided Loyalty? An Analysis of Fantasy Football Involvement and Fan Loyalty to Individual
National Football League (NFL) Teams. Journal of Sport Management. 2011;25(5):445-57.
[24] Chaudhuri A, Holbrook MB. The Chain of Effects from Brand Trust and Brand Affect to Brand
Performance: The Role of Brand Loyalty. 2001:81.
[25] Funk DC, Pastore DL. Equating Attitudes to Allegiance: The Usefulness of Selected Attitudinal
Information in Segmenting Loyalty to Professional Sports Teams. 2000:175.
[26] Meenaghan T, McLoughlin D, McCormack A. New Challenges in Sponsorship Evaluation Actors, New
Media and the Context of Praxis. Psychology & Marketing. 2013;30(5):444.
[27] Newman T. Social Media in Sport Marketing. London: Routledge; 2017.
[28] Schivinski B, Dabrowski D. The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands.
Journal of Marketing Communications. 2016;22(2):189-214.
[29] O'Hallarn B, Morehead CA, Pribesh SL. Gaining S-T-E-A-M: A General Athletic Department Social
Media Strategy. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics. 2016;9:39-61.
[30] Jefferson S. 'Lose Control—Gain Audience,2008.
[31] Bronner F, Neijens P. Audience experiences of media context and embedded advertising—A comparison of
eight media. 2006. p. 81-100.
[32] Cotte J, Chowdhury TG, Ratneshwar S, Ricci LM. Pleasure or utility? Time planning style and Web usage
behaviors. Journal of Interactive Marketing. 2006;20:45-57.
[33] Haim M, Richard LO. Assessing the Dimensionality and Structure of the Consumption Experience:
Evaluation, Feeling, and Satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research. 1993;20(3):451.
[34] Tsiotsou R, Alexandris K. Delineating the outcomes of sponsorship: Sponsor image, word of mouth, and
purchase intentions. 2009:358.
[35] Wilson DT. An Integrated Model of Buyer-Seller Relationships. 1995:335.
[36] Shih-Hao W, Ching-Yi Daphne T, Chung-Chieh H. Toward Team or Player? How Trust, Vicarious
Achievement Motive and Identification Affect Fan Loyalty. Journal of Sport Management.
2012; 26(2): 177-91.
[37] Filo K, Funk DC, Alexandris K. Exploring the role of brand trust in the relationship between brand
associations and brand loyalty in sport and fitness. International Journal of Sport Management and
Marketing. 2008;3(1-2):39-57.
[38] Rodoula HT. Sport team loyalty: integrating relationship marketing and a hierarchy of effects. Journal of
Services Marketing. 2013(6):458.
[39] Couvelaere V, Richelieu A. Brand Strategy in Professional Sports: The Case of French Soccer Teams.
European Sport Management Quarterly. 2005;5(1):23-46.
[40] Beaton AA, Funk DC, Ridinger L, Jordan J. Sport involvement: A conceptual and empirical analysis. Sport
Management Review. 2011;14:126-40.
[41] Dwyer B, Mudrick M, Greenhalgh GP, LeCrom CW, Drayer J. The tie that blinds? Developing and
validating a scale to measure emotional attachment to a sport team. Sport Management Review.
2015; 18:570-82.
[42] Pöyry E, Parvinen P, Malmivaara T. Can we get from liking to buying? Behavioral differences in hedonic
and utilitarian Facebook usage. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. 2013;12(4):224-35.
[43] Gladden JM, Funk DC. Understanding Brand Loyalty in Professional Sport: Examining the Link Between
Brand Associations and Brand Loyalty. 2001:67.
[44] Zaichkowsky JL. Research Notes: The Personal Involvement Inventory: Reduction, Revision, and
Application to Advertising. Journal of Advertising. 1994;23(4):59.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 AUTHOR
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
