The roles of team identification and psychological ownership in fans’ intentions to purchase team-licensed and a sponsor’s products: the case of FC Barcelona members

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between points of attachment and participative decision-making, on the one hand, and team identification and psychological ownership, on the other. It also analyses how team identification and psychological ownership explain intentions to purchase team-licensed sports merchandise and the main sponsor’s sports-apparel products. Data were collected from members of FC Barcelona, who are also season-ticket holders, by means of an online survey (n = 1180). Partial least squares is used to test and validate the proposed theoretical model. The results indicate that players, fans and nation-attachment explain team identification and psychological ownership, whereas soccer only affects team identification. Participative decision-making strongly influences psychological ownership, which is in turn positively affected by team identification. Findings also reveal that the intentions to purchase team-licensed sports merchandise and the main sponsor’s sports-apparel products are better explained by members’ psychological ownership than by team identification. Managerial implications, such as the need to improve feelings of psychological ownership in the club’s promotional activities and to continue to strengthen the other professional sports sections are discussed. HIGHLIGHTS Psychological ownership explains purchases of the club’s official merchandise. Psychological ownership influences the purchase intentions to the sponsor’s products. Team identification predicts members’ psychological ownership toward the club. Participation in the club’s decision-making explained psychological ownership. Attachment to Catalonia influences team identification and psychological ownership.