Essay on Loyalty in Sports

Introduction

Brand loyalty is extremely significant when sports are involved. Sports fans complete many activities to help their clubs. A growing approach that sports marketers use is the determination of how sports fans are loyal. This loyalty is used to create exceptionally strong principles about their team; hence this builds a resilient brand image. This image is key, as it not only represents the brand but also the team. H. Bauer, H. (2008). 'Loyal sports consumers are people who will remain with the team over an extended period. The behavioral consistency or repeat patronage that characterizes loyalty is a significant financial goal for many organizations, and yet true loyalty needs to be considered as more than simply the inertia of engaging in team-related behaviors.” Kaynak, E. (2007). What are the different types of fans and how do they help their sports teams? What different types of activities can fans complete to help their club? Our group created our model that will answer our question and this research will also explain how the model works. Hunt, K., Bristol, T. and Bashaw, E. (1999). (See Figure 1) This research paper will detail what activities brand-loyal sports fans complete to support their teams.

Why are sports fans loyal to their supported team?

Fan loyalty is separated into two different proportions: behavioral and attitudinal. There are various behavioral types of loyalty that a fan can complete. These types include buying tickets for sporting events, viewing sports on television, word-of-mouth discussions about sports, and obtaining different types of sports products, e.g. training jackets. The attitudinal type is when a fan is committed to a certain sports team or player. This specific type focuses on personal choice and resistance to changing the individual’s favorite team. These two complex proportions differentiate the commitment of a fan; however, these two proportions are similar as they have a lot in common. The similarities are the commitment of the fans – these include resistance, struggle, and cognitive intricacy. This proves the loyal bond a fan has to a certain sports team and the total engagement the fan provides to its team. D. James, J. (1997).

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Loyalty is one of the most studied variables in marketing, as it is a concept of how customers stay loyal to one brand. Customer commitment is common to drive the loyal thoughts fans feel towards their favorite sports team. Without a commitment from a customer, businesses have minimized the chance of a repetitive purchase, e.g. When a sports fan is purchasing a team's new season t-shirt each year when it is introduced. Customer commitment to a sports team is common to have an important and optimistic influence on customer loyalty’s actions and insights. Customers have mutual values with sports fans, as both are consuming products produced by a manufacturer, e.g. When a fan buys a ticket for a sporting event to support his acquired football team. A. Martin, C. (2013).

Most fans enjoy being involved with their sports teams. Involvement extends to emotional attachment to the sport. Emotional attachment means the sports team plays a significant part of their life and is key to their lifestyle. In sports terms, the involvement of a fan insinuates the value of importance a fan gives to the sport. This indicates the level of the fans’ beliefs that sport has to them and the relevance it plays in their own lives. Sports fans also keep updated with their teams through media, e.g. news, scores, and analysis of their team. Stevens, S. (2012).

Team loyalty is when a fan is completely dedicated to a certain team and has full allegiance to the team constructed on the spectator’s attentiveness to the team over some time. Fan loyalty is the high commitment that a sports fan has to the team. Commitment isn’t the only thing that is associated with fan loyalty, although additionally it is associated with intimacy, mutuality, interaction, and trust. For example, soccer fans are the most loyal fans in the sporting world and they maintain a deep relationship with their desired clubs. The loyalty of fans can be seen through emotions. These emotions are implemented by the performances of their team; whether they are winning or losing. Within a sporting event, the two teams' aim is impartial as their agenda is the same. The emotional status of fans can be seen in media sources such as newspapers and Television. The emotions of fans are seen in images, e.g. When Leicester FC won the premier league in 2016; fans took to the streets with flags to celebrate. (See Figure 2) Koenigstorfer, J. (2010).

Sports fans are great spectators as they influence a team’s success. If there is a higher number of sports fans at a certain team’s event, it can entice companies to sponsor the team. However, if a fan base is minor it is going to find it difficult to attract many large corporation sponsorship deals. Fans create a club to become superior, if there is a large fan base; it therefore reinforces that sports fans have an emotional loyal obligation towards a team. Many fans attend sports events to gain knowledge about that particular sport and improve their physical fitness by watching these events to motivate them in their own lives. The fan loyalty of a sports fan is crucial to reaching a worldwide audience. These unique fans are fully committed to their team and it is ‘arguably unparalleled in other business or leisure sectors”. In the business world, brand loyalty is on the decline between customers and the brand. However, within the sports world, fans have shown various amounts of loyalty, this loyalty is also apparent when the team is also performing poorly. Samra, B. (2014).

Our Model

Our team chose this solution as we could give comprehensive answers; therefore this is why we came up with our model for our question, “To reveal the types of activities brand loyal sports fans perform to support their teams.” The model we created classifies certain types of sports fans and explains what activities they do to help their supported team. The following model will explain the different types of sports fans, but also what activities they complete.

“To reveal the types of activities brand loyal sports fans perform to support their teams.” (See figure 1)

1. Classifying sports fan types
2. Different types of fans
3. Type of Activity

What are the different types of fans?

There are different classifications of sports fans which can also be entitled if fragmented down as “serious” and “normal” sports fans. However, these five fans are classified as Temporary fans, local fans, devoted fans, fanatical fans, and dysfunctional fans. A. Hunt, K. (1999).

Temporary fan

A temporary fan is an individual who believes in wearing objects that identify with the sports team. This certain type of fan’s attention in the team is time inhibited. After this certain period has finished, the fan is not a fan and has lost interest in the team. The fan is only a passing fan for this period, and they may choose a different sport to be interested in rather than another team in the same sport. The time boundary can range from hours to years and after this time is over, the ‘temporary fan’ is no longer interested in the sports team.

Local fan

A local fan is completely different from a temporary fan, they are not restricted to periods but they are bordered by geographic limitations. Within this geographic area, the fan is regarded as ‘local’. This is when the fan supports its closest local team. The ‘local’ fan can become similar to a ‘temporary’ fan, however, this fan is still under a restriction, for example: If the ‘local’ fan decides to move location, their loyal devotion to the team may change due to the length of travel time it takes to get to their previously supported team. The local fans' motivation is mostly decided by geographic locality, nevertheless, if the fans are completely loyal to the team they will still support them.

Devoted fan

Another type of fan is a ‘devoted fan’. A devoted fan can begin their support either as a temporary or local fan. There are no restrictions that occur to a devoted fan, they are completely motivated by the sports team. The motivation of the fans towards the team is increased even more rather than the other fans, as they are defeating the restrictions of time and locality. However, the devoted fan is completely loyal to their supported team and is committed to this team. Even if there are humiliating demotions or promotions for their team, devoted fans thrive on of the intensity of their feelings. This certain type of fan identifies themselves as a ‘loyal’ supporter and wants people to identify them as a key team supporter.

Fanatical fan

The ‘fanatical fan’ is engaged in producing ‘fan-like’ behavior, they are very comparable to a devoted fan. This particular fan is not restricted to periods or distance, they are more inclined to the sports team than a devoted fan. However, both of these fans may possess similar characteristics to a devoted fan, and therefore they appear the same on paper. This fan puts their sports team on the same level as family, work, and religion. The individual believes that they are more than a fan and part of the club as a whole. For example, in American football, fanatical fans of the New York Jets painted their whole body and face in the team’s colors to show their dedication. (See Figure 3)

Dysfunctional fan

The final type of fan is a ‘dysfunctional fan’. This type of fan utilizes the sports team for self-identification as it identifies themselves as an association of the sports team. This ‘dysfunctional fan’ is different from a ‘fanatical fan’ as a dysfunctional fan is seen as a primary form of self-identification rather than an important part of self-identification. Both of these fans display ‘fan-like’ behavior, but dysfunctional fans are more inclined to take part in anti-social behavior, e.g. British soccer fans are known for fan violence and this is known as ‘hooliganism’. They believe that they are fighting for their team against other team supporters. (See Figure 4)

Activities that sports fans complete for their teams

The supported club never questions a sports fan's loyalty. It is unusual for a fan to have a problem with the sports club that they are dedicated to. However, within the world of football, there has always been a problem with a club and its fans; either it is financial difficulties or the team isn’t performing to a high standard. Fans can own football clubs and these clubs are usually less likely to have financial struggles. Supporters are less profit-driven and focus on the long-term achievements of the club, for example: one of the biggest football clubs in the world, which is owned by fans, is Barcelona FC and it is one of the highly successful clubs. O'Shaughnessy, J. (2019).

Football fans feel indebted to support their teams financially. If the team is struggling financially, it will not be able to pay its professional players and sign new players. Therefore, this demotivates the players and in turn, lowers the playing performance of the team. The club cannot purchase new players due to financial difficulties; a fan can purchase merchandise and tickets which will therefore help the club gain profit and sales revenue. Attachment has been identified as a major determinant of relationships between fans and professional sports clubs, for example: Bury FC fans cleaned 11,640 seats at Gigg Lane Ground to help their club and to urge the selling of the club. (See Figure 5) Sports fans in general play a major part in how a club is run and influence how the team performs by showing their willingness to help the team’s success. de Ruyter, K. (2000).

Another example of football fans helping their club is ‘Real Oviedo’ which is also located in Spain. The club was struggling financially and bankruptcy was only a matter of time. However, a fan's loyalty is important for a club to survive. The fans raised funds for the club and they are now halfway to reaching their target. Social media played a key role for fans to express their heartfelt love for the club by trying to fundraise online too. This proves that a sports fans club means a significant amount of affection towards them in their lives. Wilson, J. (2012).

Conclusion

This research paper has assisted in determining the types of activities brand-loyal sports fans perform to support their teams. The general view is to what different types of fans there are and what activities do they perform to show their loyalty to their chosen sports team. As the research paper was carried out, there was an exploration of what fans existed and how they helped their teams. In this paper, I talked about how loyalty with fans was shown through the activities that they perform for their sports teams. “Individuals characterized as loyal fans are thought to demonstrate particular behaviors: talking and reading about sports, watching sports, and purchasing sport-related products. While an individual may demonstrate fan behaviors, an accurate assessment of fan loyalty should consider an individual’s behavior and commitment to a sport, team, or player. Commitment is thought to be characterized by cognitive complexity, volition, and resistance to change.” D. James, J. (1997). Sports clubs have recognized the affection that fans show for their team by offering supporter clubs in certain areas, e.g. In Northern Ireland, there is a Downpatrick Manchester United Supporters Club, which allows fans to get priority access to tickets if they are a member. (See figure 6) The types of activities loyal fans perform can include helping the team financially to volunteering at sporting events. Sports fans are unique due to their strong commitment to a certain team, if the team needs support, the fan will certainly assist. These points within my research paper have indicated the wide knowledge and understanding of the different types of activities brand-loyal sports fans perform to support their teams.

Recommendations

• Sports clubs have to demonstrate further acknowledgment of their fan base and make sure that they are comfortable enough to stay loyal to the team, e.g. Christmas letters to members of the club to show recognition that they are important to them.
• Brand managers of the sports team should concentrate on directing products toward temporary, devoted, and fanatical fans. However, the sports team can only find out what type of fans they have through primary market research, e.g. Asking fans to fill out a questionnaire before a sporting event.
• Fans should try and help their teams in more ways, for example: After a sporting event, fans could help clean and pick up rubbish. This happened in Japan, as Japanese international football fans helped clear rubbish from the ground. (See Figure 6)