An Examination of Fan Support of Tanking in the NBA

In recent years, considerable attention has been given to tanking in sport, especially in the NBA, as certain fans have indicated support of the practice. This is an aspect of consumer behavior that has received scant academic focus. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine fan support for tan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of sport behavior Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 357 - 375
Main Authors Mudrick, Michael, Sauder, Molly Hayes, Davies, Melissa, Sheaffer, Kevin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Mobile University of South Alabama 01.09.2021
Journal of Sport Behavior
Subjects
Athletic drafts & trades
Basketball fans
Basketball teams
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Company business management
Consumer behavior
Decision making
Franchises
Management
Professional basketball
Qualitative research
Revenue sharing
Social aspects
Success
Tournaments & championships
United States
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Summary:In recent years, considerable attention has been given to tanking in sport, especially in the NBA, as certain fans have indicated support of the practice. This is an aspect of consumer behavior that has received scant academic focus. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine fan support for tanking in the NBA. First, an understanding of the motivations for supporting tanking was sought via qualitative research, which allowed for the development of an instrument to measure support for tanking. Multiple regression analyses showed that endorsement of analytics, concepts of group identification, and the interaction of perceived basketball knowledge and group identification were significantly related to tanking support. Essentially, it appears that identity preservation mechanisms and support for statistical analysis in sport decision making play unique roles in explaining why an NBA fan would want their team to lose in the short term, in hopes of experiencing future success.
ISSN:0162-7341
2641-3477