Hamid Roodbari, Hadi Tabatabaei, Soleiman Abdolahi, Hossein Akbari Yazdi,
Volume 100, Issue 100 (10-2020)
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between team identity and spectator flow with the atmosphere of the stadium and spectator loyalty. The research method is causal communication and the survey method is survey. The statistical population of the present study consists of 40,000 football spectators present at Azadi Stadium in the football match between Persepolis and Esteghlal Khuzestan in the 2017-2018 season. 384 of them were selected as the statistical sample of the study and the questionnaires were distributed among them as a non-random-voluntary sample. The research tools included James and Ross’s Team Identity Adjusted Questionnaire (2002), Csikszentmihalyi’s Stream Questionnaire (1990), Uhrich and Benkenstein’s Stadium Atmosphere Questionnaire (2012), and Mahoney et al.’s Spectators Loyalty Inventory (2000). The descriptive statistics and path analysis method were used in PLS software to analyze the data. The results showed that team identity and spectator flow with a path coefficient of 0.580 and 0.386, have a significant effect on the atmosphere of the stadium and also the three variables of stadium atmosphere, flow and team identity with path coefficients of 0.247, 0.248 and 0.428 have a positive effect on spectator loyalty. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested to the managers of clubs and stadiums to pay special attention to team identity and spectator flow in order to increase spectator loyalty and understand the appropriate atmosphere of the stadium.
Dr Ali Shah Hosseini, Dr Seyed Nasrolah Sajadi, Dr Hossein Rajabi,
Volume 100, Issue 100 (10-2020)
Abstract
This research aimed to design a personal branding model for elite individual athletes, drawing upon findings from previous studies. Employing a qualitative approach and Glaser constructivist grounded theory strategy, data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 national and international champions and experts in sports marketing, selected via purposive sampling. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and analysis was performed using MAXQDA 2022 software. The study's findings were categorized into three main axes: influencing factors, development strategies, and consequences of personal branding. Following an initial analysis of 251 propositions, 443 final frequencies were prepared for categorization. The research extracted four core concepts in personal branding and identified three main categories of influencing factors: "environmental factors," "individual athlete characteristics," and "athlete performance characteristics." In the strategies section, "enhancing individual capabilities," "striving for successful performance," and "branding education" emerged as prominent categories. Furthermore, the consequences of personal branding were categorized into "positive" (encompassing political, economic, individual, social, and athletic dimensions) and "negative" outcomes. Positive branding outcomes included economic benefits (revenue generation), individual growth (becoming a role model), social impact (increasing public awareness), and athletic advantages (enhancing sport popularity). Conversely, mismanagement could lead to negative consequences such as unethical attention or corruption. This study integrates these findings to offer a practical model for personal branding among individual athletes.
