Enveloped in the American Flag: Contrasting National Identity within Olympic and National Football League Media Consumption

Abstract

This study explored causal relationships and moderation effects in the context of the National Football League (NFL; American football), employing 732 respondents from a pair of nationally representative samples to determine the degree of similarity or difference between feelings about the United States as it relates to American consumption of the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2018 NFL season. Media consumption’s influence on one’s feelings of nationalism was stronger for Winter Olympic fans compared to NFL fans, yet no differences were detected on patriotism and internationalism factors. Academicians and sport marketers should regard these findings as a warrant for considering exploring cause-related sports marketing (CRSM) techniques. Differences in nationalism findings suggest that the comparisons between nations are exclusively an Olympics-based phenomena while the National Football League seems to be much more insular in that regard.

美国国旗的本质：通过奥运会和美国职业橄榄球大联盟的媒体消费对比国家认同感

该项研究在全国范围内, 从一组具有代表性的样本中选取了732名受访者进行调查, 体现出美国人在谈及2018年冬季奥运会和同年美国职业橄榄球大联盟赛季期间对于美国消费感受的异同点, 以探究美国职业橄榄球大联盟(NFL, American Football)的因果关系和调节作用。就媒体消费在民族主义情感方面, 对冬季奥运会粉丝的影响要比美国职业橄榄球大联盟粉丝的影响更为强烈, 然而在爱国主义与国际主义情感方面, 影响并无差别。学者和体育营销人员可将这些研究发现视为探讨体育善因营销（CRSM）技巧的依据。通过奥运会和美国职业橄榄球大联盟的媒体消费所对比出来的国家认同感的差异在奥运会上体现得更为明显, 而在美国职业橄榄球大联盟中体现得不是很明显。

Keywords:

• Olympics
• National Football League
• nationalism
• media
• fan identification

关键词:

• 奥运会
• 美国职业橄榄球大联盟
• 民族主义
• 媒体
• 粉丝认同感

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melvin Lewis

Melvin Lewis (Ph.D., The University of Alabama, US) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management and Fellow of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication at the University of Alabama. His current research focuses on sports, media, and sport-consumer behavior.

Kenon A. Brown

Kenon A. Brown (Ph.D., The University of Alabama, US) is an Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Advertising Public Relations, and Programming Director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication at the University of Alabama. His research interests include image and reputation management in sports, and minority recruitment in mass communication.

Andrew C. Billings

Andrew C. Billings (Ph.D., Indiana University, US) is the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting and Executive Director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at the University of Alabama. His research interests typically lie within the intersection of sport, media, and issues of identity.

Zachary W. Arth

Zachary W. Arth (MA, University at Buffalo, SUNY, US), Doctoral Candidate in College of Communication and Information Sciences at University of Alabama, US. Mr. Arth's research typically features the intersection of sport, media, identity, and information processing.