The social identity buffer : how cognitive, affective, and evaluative ties sustain fan commitment and loyalty amidst club controversies

Čater, Tomaž (author), Čater, Barbara (author), Ivašković, Igor (author)

This article examines how the cognitive, affective, and evaluative dimensions of social identity buffer negative shifts in fans’ commitment and loyalty following controversial club decisions. Two cross-sectional studies of European football fans (Study 1: N = 172; Study 2: N = 184) assessed reactions to their favorite club's potential participation in the European Super League. Structural equation modeling shows that cognitive identity is the most robust buffer against commitment declines (β = –0.22 to –0.27). Loyalty change is strongly predicted by commitment change (βs = 0.63–0.73), with models explaining 26%–36% of commitment change variance and 44%–53% of loyalty change variance. Commitment change mediates the effects of evaluative identity (both studies) and affective identity (Study 1) on loyalty change, but not the effect of cognitive identity. Crucially, strong opposition to the club's decision significantly weakens the buffering effect of all identity dimensions, highlighting the contingent nature of social identity in sustaining fan relationships during crises. Our research enriches social identity theory by applying its tripartite conceptualization to the sports marketing context. It advances understanding of how psychological constructs and opposition intensity jointly shape fan attitudes and behaviors, providing valuable insights into managing fan relationships during crises.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sports, sport management, loyalty, social identity, commitment, controversial decision, sport fans
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: In print
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181985
• UDC: 796.07
• ISSN on article: 1061-6934
• DOI: 10.1177/10616934261433626
• COBISS.SI-ID: 273845507
• Publication date in RUL: 21.04.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Sport marketing quarterly
• Shortened title: Sport mark. q.
• Publisher: Sage
• ISSN: 1061-6934
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1315860

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: šport, športni management, lojalnost

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0128
• Name: Izzivi vključujočega in trajnostnega razvoja v prevladujoči paradigmi ekonomskih in poslovnih znanosti