Influence of sports fan ethnocentrism on identification and media consumption intention: a preliminary investigation with Taiwanese baseball fans

Abstract

Media consumption is one of the essential sport fan behaviours. While the level of sport fans’ ethnocentrism can play a critical role in their attitude and intention towards the globalised sport contents, little is known about the linkage of sports fan ethnocentrism (SFE) to identification and media consumption. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the relationships between SFE, identification (with the player and the team), and media consumption intention. Data from 447 Taiwanese baseball fans were analysed primarily using structural equation modelling technique. The results showed that SFE had an indirect influence on media consumption through player identification (the fan-player level). Moreover, SFE also had an indirect influence on team identification via player identification. The findings of the current study contribute to the cumulative knowledge of SFE regarding the mechanism of how it influences identification in different levels and sports fans’ media consumption intention.

Keywords:

• Ethnocentrism
• sports fan ethnocentrism
• player identification
• team identification
• media consumption
• sport media consumer

Acknowledgment

The first author would like to thank the Institute of International Business and Governance, established with the partial support of a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (UGC/ IDS16/17), for its support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).