Impact of core product quality on sport fans’ emotions and behavioral intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among the core product quality (team characteristics and player performance), emotion (anxiety, anger, dejection, happiness, and excitement), and the fans behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered on the team characteristics and player performance, emotions of anxiety, anger, dejection, happiness, and excitement using a survey from subjects comprised of 233 spectators attending Iranian Premier League soccer matches. Findings – The results showed that both the core product quality dimensions of the team characteristics and player performance are related significantly to the negative emotion of anxiety and both positive emotions of excitement and happiness. Moreover, the positive emotions of excitement and happiness were positively related to the fan attendance, while the negative emotions of anxiety and dejection were negatively and significantly related to the fans behavioral intentions. The practical implications of the findings are discussed briefly. Originality/value – The paper provides useful information for sports marketing executives, suggesting that they strive for unique organizational advantages and employ them in their marketing messages when their teams are unsuccessful. Such a strategy can allow organizations to maximize the positive emotions of spectators in the face of poor core product quality.