Rivalry and Group Behavior in Sport and Religious Brands

The study investigated how fans of sport teams and fans/members of religious groups differed in the ways they view relevant rival groups. Using items to measure group identification, brand attitude, rival perceptions, and likely behaviors toward rival groups, analysis found that fans/members of religious groups reported more negativity toward their rival religious group in a variety of areas than did fans of sport teams toward their rival. Additional analysis showed that being a fan of both a sport team and religious group and sport team did not influence differences in perceptions among sport fans, but did among fans/members of religious groups. Implications and future areas of research are addressed at the conclusion of the chapter