Sponsorship studies have generally been focused on attitudinal measures of fan loyalty to understand the reactions to abstract sponsors. This study examines the relationships between both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty with sponsorship awareness, attitude toward two actual sponsors, and purchase intentions. Data were collected among fans of a professional soccer team, and the results of a structural equation model provide evidence that attitudinal loyalty impacts the attitude toward both sponsors and purchase intentions. Behavioral loyalty influences sponsorship awareness, and impacts differently the attitude and purchase intentions toward each sponsor. Sponsorship awareness influences significantly the attitude toward both sponsors, while the attitude toward the sponsor was the strongest predictor of purchase intentions. These findings highlight the importance of examining actual sponsors and suggest managerial implications, such as the need for sponsors to help attract fans to the stadium and to design additional activation strategies to improve sponsorship value.

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between spectators' emotions, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions at football games. A survey was conducted among spectators of the top Portuguese professional football league during eight games (n=466). The sport emotion questionnaire was used to assess spectators' emotions and the results gathered from a structural equation model suggest that analysis of specific emotions is crucial to understand spectators' responses. Findings provide evidence that only the emotion of joy has a positive direct effect on satisfaction, as well as an indirect effect on behavioural intentions, via satisfaction. In turn, dejection has a negative direct effect on behavioural intentions, while satisfaction positively influences behavioural intentions. These results suggest managerial implications, such as the need to improve stadium atmosphere and social facilitation in order to provide an enjoyable overall experience to the spectators, and contribute to overall spectator satisfaction and positive behavioural intentions.

Researchers have suggested that brand equity is vital for professional sport teams by focusing on the examination of sport fans in general. The current study aims to examine the differences in team brand equity perceptions between fan club members and nonmembers, and the predictive role of brand equity dimensions on behavioral intentions. Data were collected from fans of a professional football league (n = 2287) with an adapted version of the spectator-based brand equity scale. The results gathered through a confirmatory factor analysis provide evidence of fair psychometric properties of the measurement scale. A multi-group CFA analysis showed factorial stability of the model in both groups, while the latent mean comparisons revealed significant differences in the dimensions of brand mark, social interaction, commitment, team history, organizational attributes, team success, head coach, management, stadium, and internalization. In addition, a multi-group SEM analysis revealed that the relationships between brand equity dimensions and behavioral intentions are not significantly different among the groups. Social interaction, team success and internalization were the significant positive predictors of behavioral intentions among the overall sample. These findings highlight the importance of studying different types of consumers and suggest managerial implications, such as the need for clubs to establish reciprocal relationships with fans in order to increase their levels of internalization and contribute to increased behavioral intentions

Physical Education (PE) is recognized for its value in developing personal and social development. However, the instructional approach adopted by the teacher may affect the achievement of positive outcomes. This study aimed to examine the effects of two different teaching approaches, Traditional Teaching (TT) and the Sport Education (SE) model, on students’ empowerment and self-confidence in high school PE classes. A total of 430 high-school students (66.7% male), aged 14–21 years (M = 16.22, SD = 1.03) enrolled in 10th, 11th and 12th grades, participated in this study. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used across 18 classes. Classes met two times a week during a period of 8 weeks for a total of 1080 min. The Psychological Empowerment Instrument was used to measure empowerment. Students’ self-confidence was measured with the self-confidence sub-scale of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2. The findings of the research revealed that only SE was effective in improving high school students’ empowerment and self-confidence. In the TT group, no gains were found, even decreasing over time. These results reinforce the adequacy of SE in PE as a curricular model to be used by teachers, particularly for the development of students’ empowerment and self-confidence.

Fear of failure and anxiety in sport

This paper aims to assess service quality in professional football and to examine the effects of service quality and ticket pricing on satisfaction and behavioural intention. Data were collected among football fans and the results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the psychometric properties of the service quality model. A structural equation model (SEM) revealed that the service quality construct impacts both satisfaction and behavioural intention. Also, behavioural intention is influenced by ticket pricing and satisfaction. Managerial implications of these results are discussed and guidelines for future research are suggested.