Rivalry and Group Behavior Among Consumers and Brands : Comparisons In and Out of the Sport Context

This interdisciplinary book extends knowledge by comparing rivalry and rival group behavior in sport within areas outside of sport, such as consumer brands, political discourse, and product/service preferences. It examines how out-group behavior differs among relevant groups. Readers are introduced to the phenomenon of rivalry, using the sport setting as an example. Then, the author offers separate quantitative and qualitative investigations to compare how rivalry and group behavior differ among sport and non-sport settings. Incorporating research from marketing, psychology, political science, and sociology, this book offers researchers in several fields a new understanding of individual and group behavior. Preface 6 Acknowledgements 8 Contents 10 Abbreviations 13 List of Figures 14 List of Tables 15 1 Rivalry In and Out of Sport: The Need for Research and Comparision 17 Chapter Descriptions 19 Recommended Uses of This Text 21 Researchers 21 Practitioners 21 Students 22 Welcome and Thank You 22 References 23 2 The Games We Play: Investigating Rivalry in Sport and Gaming Console Brands 27 Background 28 The Current Study 30 Method 32 Instrument and Participants 32 Results 34 Testing the Hypotheses 35 Discussion 38 Implications and Future Research 40 References 42 3 They Said What? Investigating Fan Online Commentary in Politics and Sport 48 Background 50 Fandom in Sport and Politics 50 Rivalry in Spectator Sport and Politics 52 The Current Study 54 Method 54 Coding 55 Findings 56 Discussion 61 Implications and Future Directions for Investigation 62 References 66 4 Are You Team Apple or Team Samsung? Investigating Rivalry in Sport and Mobile Phone Brands 72 Background 73 Rivalry 74 Rival Perceptions and Behaviors 75 Apple vs. Samsung Rivalry 76 The Current Study 77 Method 78 Instrument and Participants 78 Results 80 Investigating the Hypotheses and Research Question 80 Discussion 83 Implications and Future Research 85 References 86 5 Rebels or Star Fleet? Investigating Rivalry in Sport and Star Wars/Star Trek Fandom 95 Background 96 Rival Group Behavior 98 Star Trek vs. Star Wars 99 The Current Investigation 100 Method 101 Instrument and Participants 102 Results 103 Investigating the Hypotheses and Research Question 103 Discussion 106 Implications and Future Research 108 References 109 6 Introduction of a Hierarchy of Out-Group Derogation 118 Background 119 Rivalry 120 The Current Study 122 Method 123 Items 124 Data 125 Results 125 Research Question 1 125 Discussion 128 Hierarchy of Out-Group Derogation 128 Out-Group Derogation Spectrum 128 General Discussion 129 Implications and Future Study 131 References 133 7 Here We Are, There We Go 142 Chapter Recaps 143 Implications and Future Research 144 References 147 Index 148 This interdisciplinary book extends knowledge by comparing rivalry and rival group behavior in sport with areas outside of sport, such as consumer brands, political discourse, and product/service preferences. It examines how out-group behavior differs among relevant groups. Readers are introduced to the phenomenon of rivalry, using the sport setting as an example. Then, the author offers separate quantitative and qualitative investigations to compare how rivalry and group behavior differ among sport and non-sport settings. Incorporating research from marketing, psychology, political science, and sociology, this book offers researchers in several fields a new understanding of individual and group behavior. Cody T. Havard, Ph.D. is a Professor of Sport Commerce and the Director of Research in the Kemmons Wilson School at The University of Memphis, USA. He is also the Director of the Bureau of Sport and Leisure Commerce and producer/host of the Being a Fan of Disney Podcast with Cody T. Havard, Ph.D. Dr. Havard researches the rivalry phenomenon in and out of sport to better understand group member behavior and its impact on society.