Abstract
Sport fans have long demonstrated that their loyalties can be a product of attachment to various entities related to a team. When evaluating team personnel, players and coaches command the most attention, given their role in executing the core product. However, it is reasonable to suggest that sport executives (i.e., general manager) have developed a degree of star power in recent years. In a survey of 276 NBA fans from 29 different teams, multiple regression analyses revealed that a front office executive’s perceived psychographic fit with their fan base was significantly related to attachment to the executive, which then predicted a fan’s intent to support the team. Team identification also moderated the relationship between perceived psychographic fit with the fan base and attachment to that executive. Results yield practical implications related to the star power of team executives, while also illustrating the value of utilizing group identification tactics in marketing.
Recommended Citation
Mudrick, Michael
(2025)
"Front office fandom: Exploring fan attachment to NBA executives,"
Journal of Sport Behavior: Vol. 48:
No.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/journalofsportbehavior/vol48/iss1/4