Do Fans Care? Assessing the Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Attitudes in the Sport Industry

TLDR

Sport industry organizations face pressure to balance profitability with socially responsible behavior, yet little is known about how consumers perceive and react to corporate social responsibility. The study aimed to examine how CSR activities influence fans’ reputation assessments and patronage intentions, and to assess the moderating role of team identification. Using a mixed‑design approach, the authors surveyed 297 fans of two NFL teams, combining quantitative measures of reputation and patronage with qualitative interviews. Results showed that CSR positively predicts reputation and both types of patronage, with team identification moderating these effects differently, and qualitative data confirmed fans generally view CSR favorably as a key business strategy.

Abstract

Organizations within the sport industry are facing increasing pressure to both maintain profitability and behave in socially acceptable ways, yet researchers have provided little information on how consumers perceive and react to corporate social responsibility (CSR). This mixed-design study examined the relationship between CSR activities and fans’ assessments of reputation and patronage intentions. In addition, the study sought to determine the role of team identification in the aforementioned relationship. Fans of two NFL teams were sampled ( N = 297), with quantitative results suggesting that CSR is an important predictor of reputation, and that two types of patronage could be significantly impacted as well. The moderating effect of team identification was significant yet influenced the outcomes in different ways. Qualitative findings reinforced the quantitative discussion by providing support for the general conclusions that CSR was viewed favorably by most fans, and is an important aspect of the overall business strategy of a sport organization.