Tyler C. Spencer, Adam Cocco, T.C. Greenwell

Abstract: The NFL has seen a recent uptick in franchise relocation. The St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles and the Oakland Raiders have committed to moving to Las Vegas. As franchise relocation continues, leagues have to be concerned with potential negative effects. Specifically, these relocations can alienate fan bases from the cities left behind. A survey of St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers fans was utilized to examine which different points of attachment were related to continued identification or disidentification with the NFL. Results indicated that fans who were attached to the former city were more likely to disidentify with the NFL. Disidentified fans are less committed to the NFL as a whole and consume less of the NFL through the media.

Keywords: organizational identification, points of attachment, media consumption, commitment, national football league

Citation: Spencer, T. C., Cocco, A., & Greenwell, T. C. (2020). Identification with the National Football League following franchise relocation: An analysis of St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers fans. International Journal of Sport Management, 21(4), 325-346.

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