The effect of sport team reputation on team attachment and community attachment: a comparison of fans, local residents, and sponsors

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sport team reputation on team attachment and community attachment by comparing fans, local residents, and sponsors. The team targeted for this research was Victorina Himeji, which was the first professional female volleyball club in Japan. This study consisted of separate surveys for fans, local residents, and sponsors. The results demonstrated that: (a) the measurement scale of sport team reputation could be applied to the three stakeholders; (b) the three stakeholders significantly differed in assessing sport team reputation, team attachment, and community attachment; and (c) the multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that the effect of sport team reputation on team attachment was stronger for fans and sponsors than for local residents, although all paths had positive influences. The present study advanced reputation research in sport by demonstrating the relationships among sport team reputation, team attachment, and community attachment across the three stakeholders.