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Where Your Treasure is, There Your Heart Will be Also: Cultivating Sports Fan Ethnocentrism Through Team Identification and Perceived Sacredness in the Sports Industry

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  • David Amani

Abstract

The growing need to persuade sports fans to support the domestic sports industry has driven the integration of ethnocentrism into the industry, leading to the concept of sports fan ethnocentrism. While existing literature acknowledges the relevance of sports fan ethnocentrism, there is a lack of evidence regarding its drivers in both developed and developing countries. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the drivers of sports fan ethnocentrism. Data were collected from 329 fans of Simba Sports Club and Young Africans Sports Club in Tanzania. The results, analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), indicate that both fan identification and fan community identification contribute to sports fan ethnocentrism via perceived sacredness. The study recommends that fan ethnocentrism can be promoted when fans strongly identify with their sports team and the broader fan community. Additionally, the study offers specific recommendations for sports managers and outlines avenues for future research in this area.

Suggested Citation

  • David Amani, 2025. "Where Your Treasure is, There Your Heart Will be Also: Cultivating Sports Fan Ethnocentrism Through Team Identification and Perceived Sacredness in the Sports Industry," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:21582440251378692
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440251378692
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