Influence of Team-Based Trust and Team Identification on Behavioral Loyalty: A Study of Soccer Fans

Year 2019, Volume: 24 Issue: 4, 199 - 214, 01.10.2019

Metin Argan , Caner Özgen , Sabri Kaya , İslam Tufanov

Abstract

Team trust is one of the most significant issues associated with satisfaction and loyalty, and it continues to be a fundamental variable for sports marketers. Research has demonstrated that team identification has a critical role on satisfaction and loyalty, yet findings have been limited regarding the importance of team-based trust for fans in soccer context. However, there is no other branch of sport that reflects the spirit of fan better than soccer (football). To fill this research gap, this study investigates relationships among team trust, team identification and loyalty. Therefore, the fact that the relationships between variables have not been analyzed before, point to the importance of the research. The data were collected in Turkey, using questionnaires, which were online self-administrated to fans of soccer teams in Turkey Football Super League. The data were collected using convenience sampling (n= 379). The questionnaire in the research included three scales, and demographic variables. The team trust scale was adapted from brand trust scale (Laroche et al., 2012). The team identification scale was adopted from Lee, Heere and Chung (2013). The seven-item team attitudinal loyalty scale was used to measure fans' loyalty level (Heere and Dickson, 2008). The result of the SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) revealed a significant relationship between team based trust and team identification (β= ,425; p<0,01). The results show that there is no positive relationship between fans’ team trust (β= ,086; p>0,05) and behavioral loyalty was mediated by team identification. The study results also have significant managerial implications that extends theoretical framework of sports marketing by empirical results, it also offer a few implications for practice. Knowing the relationship between team’ trust and team identification provides new perspectives for both academicians and practitioners as well.

Keywords

Team trust, Team identity, Team loyalty, Sports marketing, Soccer fans

Takım Temelli Güven ve Takım Kimliğinin Davranış Sadakati Üzerine Etkisi: Futbol Taraftarları Çalışması

Abstract

Takım güveni ve sadakat ilişkin en önemli konulardan biridir ve spor pazarlamacıları için temel bir değişken olmaya da devam etmektedir. Araştırmalar takım kimliğinin tatmin ve sadakat üzerinde kritik bir rolü olduğunu göstermiştir, ancak futbol bağlamında taraftarlar için takım temelli güvenin önemi ile ilgili bulgular sınırlıdır. Bu araştırma takım güveni, takım kimliği ve tatmin arasındaki ilişkileri incelemek için yapılmıştır. Bu nedenle, daha önce değişkenler arası ilişkilerin analiz edilmemiş olması, araştırmanın önemine işaret etmektedir. Veriler, Türkiye Futbol Süper Ligi'ndeki futbol takımı taraftarlarına çevrimiçi olarak uygulanmakta olan anketler kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Veriler kolayda örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak toplanmıştır (n= 379). Araştırma verileri, üç farklı ölçek ve demografik bilgilerden toplanmıştır. Takım güven ölçeği marka güven ölçeğinden uyarlanmıştır (Laroche ve diğerleri, 2012). Takım kimliği ölçeği Lee, Heere ve Chung (2013)'den alınmıştır. Taraftarların sadakat seviyesini ölçmek için yedi maddelik davranışsal takım sadakat ölçeği kullanılmıştır (Heere ve Dickson, 2008). YEM (Yapısal Eşitlik Modeli) sonucu ekip temelli güven ile takım kimliği arasında anlamlı bir ilişki (β= ,425; p<0,01) olduğu görülmüştür. Elde edilen sonuçlar, taraftarların takım güveni ile davranışsal sadakat arasında direkt bir pozitif bir ilişki olmadığını (β=,086; p>0,05), takım kimliğinin buna aracılık ettiğini göstermektedir. Çalışma sonuçları ayrıca, spor pazarlamasının teorik çerçevesini ampirik sonuçlarla genişleten önemli yönetimsel uygulamalara sahip olup, uygulama alanı için de birkaç sonuç sunmaktadır. Takımın güveni ve takım kimliği arasındaki ilişkiyi bilmek hem akademisyenlere hem de sektördeki uygulamacılara yeni ve farklı bakış açıları geliştirmelerine olanak sağlayacaktır.

Keywords

Okul sporları, Disiplin cezası, Beden eğitimi öğretmeni, Sporcu-öğrenci, Fair play

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