LIKE, SHARE OR COMMENT ‘TILL WE DIE: ANALYZING FOOTBALL FANS’ ENGAGEMENTS, IDENTITY AND LOYALTY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
LIKE, SHARE OR COMMENT ‘TILL WE DIE: ANALYZING FOOTBALL FANS’ ENGAGEMENTS, IDENTITY AND LOYALTY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Summary/Abstract: Football clubs have increasingly recognized the importance of social media networks as crucialtools for communication and interaction with their fans, both online and offline. The purpose ofthis study was to develop an all-encompassing conceptual model that scrutinizes the complex in-terconnection among fan engagement, team identity, and loyalty on social media channels, witha particular focus on football. Data were collected via an online survey involving 264 avid footballfans associated with three prominent clubs in the Turkish Football Super League. The measure-ment of social media engagement encompassed three sub-dimensions: consumption, contribu-tion, and creation. Hypotheses were tested using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factoranalysis, and structural equation modeling. The results confirmed four out of seven hypotheses,providing evidence of significant associations between the constructs under investigation. Thefindings revealed meaningful connections between fan engagement, identification, and loyaltybehaviors, such as liking, sharing, and commenting on social media platforms. The findings of thisresearch bear multiple implications that offer significant insights for football managers and sportsmarketers seeking to enhance fan involvement through the implementation of advanced socialmedia strategies. Furthermore, this study enhances our understanding of social media habitsamong fans, providing a precious asset for marketing professionals who utilize social media net-works in their marketing strategies.

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