Browsing by Author "Danne, Nico"
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- The impact of political, moral and commercial sponsorship controversies on fan trust, willingness to pay and word of mouth communication in German football clubsPublication . Danne, Nico; Tavares, PedroThis study examines how moral, political, and commercial sponsorship controversies influence important behavioral responses of fans in German professional football: fan trust, willingness to pay (WTP), and word-of-mouth communication (WOM). While sponsorship is an important tool for brand positioning and financial stability in modern sports, inappropriate or ethically questionable partnerships can trigger controversies, especially in a value-oriented environment such as German football. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative insights from 21 in-depth interviews with a scenario-based survey of 137 football fans of different age groups and fan levels. This study aims to close the gap in behavior-based fan reactions and present a way of differentiating between sponsorship controversies. The results show that political and commercial controversies have a significantly stronger negative impact on fan trust than moral controversies. Willingness to pay (WTP) was generally unaffected, but fans clearly rejected the purchase of fan merchandise when the sponsor's logo was prominently displayed. Word-of-mouth (WOM) was also most negatively affected by commercial controversies, especially among highly engaged and older fans. Furthermore, the effects varied depending on age and fan loyalty, highlighting different influences across fan segments.