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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Why Is My Team Wearing Rainbow Jerseys? Exploring Effects of DEI Messages on Sports Fans' Responses
Australasian Marketing Journal, Vol.32(3), pp.212-222
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
The current research explores the impact of fans’ team identification on their emotional responses towards diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by sporting organisations. Using the theoretical lens of Construal Level Theory (CLT), two experimental studies were conducted in Australia (n = 386) and the US (n = 402) to understand how fans’ level of team identification and the framing of communication by sporting organisations influence their emotional responses. The findings suggest that fans with low levels of team identification are more likely to feel disgust towards abstract reasoning for DEI initiatives and are more likely to abandon their support for the team. In contrast, fans with high levels of team identification were less likely to feel disgust and less likely to abandon their support for the team. These results have important implications for both theory and practice. Theoretical implications of this research suggest that CLT can provide a useful framework for understanding the emotional responses of fans towards DEI initiatives. The findings also support previous research suggesting team identification is an important predictor of fan behaviour. Practical implications of this research suggest that sports marketers and organisations should carefully consider their communication strategies when promoting DEI initiatives.
Details
- Title
- Why Is My Team Wearing Rainbow Jerseys? Exploring Effects of DEI Messages on Sports Fans' Responses
- Authors
- David Fleischman (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesRory Mulcahy - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesPeter English - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesEmma Florence - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesRetha de Villiers Scheepers - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesMalin Ronnberg - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Publication details
- Australasian Marketing Journal, Vol.32(3), pp.212-222
- Publisher
- Sage Publications Ltd.
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1177/14413582241244841
- ISSN
- 1839-3349; 1441-3582
- Copyright note
- © 2024 Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991022996002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Web Of Science research areas
- Business