National Football League (NFL) Fans’ Motivation and Identification
Abstract
This study examined the fans motivation to attend the National Football League (NFL) games and how it relates to fan identification. Data from 158 fans who attended regular season games in a Midwestern city in the United States were analyzed using regression to determine the degree to which fan identification could be explained by motivation factors. It was found that self-esteem, entertainment, escape, and eustress explained 40.1% of the variance in fan identification. Understanding that fans have different levels of identification and different types of motivations will enable sport marketers can better tailor strategies to more effectively reach target market.All manuscripts accepted for publication will be copyright of the Journal of Applied Marketing Theory when published. Upon submission, the Journal of Applied Marketing Theory retains the right to be the sole publisher of the manuscript unless the submitted manuscript is rejected or withdrawn by the author prior to publication. All authors of a manuscript must ensure that works of others are properly referenced and cited. The Journal of Applied Marketing Theory takes no responsibility for failure of authors of the submission to properly reference and cite works of others. All authors of manuscripts are liable for violations of copyrights of other works. Other works include books, articles, websites, and any other works used in the preparation of manuscripts. Authors must also ensure that the use of any video, audio, radio, television, Internet, or other media sources or unpublished papers are properly cited in accordance with the copyright laws. Authors agree that any violation of copyright of cited and non cited sources listed above will be the responsibility of the authors and not the Journal of Applied Marketing Theory. Author(s) agree to hold the Journal of Applied Marketing Theory harmless for copyright violations.