The Relationship of Fans’ Sports-Team Identification and Facebook Usage to Purchase of Team Products

Authors

Caitlin Moyer, Marquette UniversityFollow
Jim Pokrywczynski, Marquette UniversityFollow
Robert J. Griffin, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

19 p.

Publication Date

Spring 2015

Publisher

University of Nebraska Press

Source Publication

Journal of Sports Media

Source ISSN

1558-4313

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1353/jsm.2015.0001

Abstract

Social media has become a regular direct marketing component for sports teams. This study explores the link between team identification and use of a professional sports team’s social-media channels. Questions to answer include, Does social media impact identification fans have with a team or vice versa? What does the amount of social-media use do to impact the relationship? Does this activity lead to increased sales of tickets and merchandise? Data collected by an Internet survey of fans of a professional baseball team show a positive relationship between team identification and use of the team’s Facebook page as well as to team related purchases. Implications for theorists understanding the role of social media in branding as well as implications for sports marketing are discussed.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Sports Media, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring 2015): 31-49. DOI. © 2015 University of Nebraska Press. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Moyer, Caitlin; Pokrywczynski, Jim; and Griffin, Robert J., "The Relationship of Fans’ Sports-Team Identification and Facebook Usage to Purchase of Team Products" (2015). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 276.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/276