Caroline S. L. Tan

Abstract: Taking a stand on socio-political issues has become prevalent in sport, where professional clubs and players convey their support or condemnation on a plethora of issues, such as gender and inclusion. This has garnered polarized opinions from fans and spectators. This paper examines self-brand connection (SBC) of sport fans and the relationship with intention to boycott through socially responsible consumption behaviour (SRCB) stemming from clubs’ participation in brand activism. Data were obtained from 220 adults and analyzed using AMOS 27 and Hayes SPSS PROCESS macro 3.5 accordingly. The findings show that (1) SBC has a positive relationship with SRCB, (2) SRCB mediates the relationship between SBC and intention to boycott, (3) However, conditional indirect effect is not found to be present. Amid the growing importance of brand activism in sport, this study contributes to the growing body of literature regarding brand activism and political consumerism among fans and spectators.

Keywords: Sport activism, brand activism, political consumerism, boycott, sport fan,
self-brand connection, socially responsible consumption behavior, perceived hypocrisy

Citation: Tan, C. S. L. (2023). The name of the game: The effect of socio-political activism in sport on fan boycott intention. International Journal of Sport Management, 24(3), 237-265.

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