The impact of team and athlete activist behaviors on fan loyalty and team identification: A study on the changing dynamics of fan loyalty in the Chinese Basketball Association

This research examines brand loyalty and team identification among fans of professional basketball and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) teams and how loyalty to basketball, CBA teams and athletes is impacted by the changing dynamics of the fanbase. Brand loyalty in sports is complex and fan attachment to teams often provoke intense emotional responses. The research employed a Likert-type survey questionnaire pre- and post-test and an emotional response pictorial assessment using Self-Assessment Manakin (SAM) to measure emotional dimensions (valence and arousal). Descriptive and parametric statistics were used to measure the relationships between CBA team loyalty, emotional response and team and player social activist behaviors. The research also assesses the relationships between demographics and background and team and player activist behaviors to determine changes in fan dynamics. The findings show moderate positive relationships between fan loyalty, team and player activist behaviors, younger age and middle income. These findings suggest that CBA fans who are committed to and identify with their favorite teams tend to have greater emotional responses to negative and positive media about their teams and that strong emotions toward team efforts for community activism and sustainability are likely to drive stronger feelings of loyalty to teams.