Crisis Communication in Sport Celebrity Scandals: Effects of Openness, Directness, and Credibility of Response to Scandals on the Behavioral Intentions of MLB Fans
Journal Title: Choregia - Year 2017, Vol 13, Issue 1
Abstract
Athletic scandals have become popular theme in sport and many studies have focused on examining the impact of sport celebrity scandals on sport fans, teams, and organizations. Nevertheless, there has been minimal research regarding effective media response strategies when sport celebrity scandals occur. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine how a sport celebrity’s media response to athletic scandals affects credibility of the response to scandals and a sport fan’s behavioral intentions to support. A sample unit of this study was a Major League Baseball (MLB) fan who visited a stadium to enjoy the game and a total of 308 (Male: 158 / Female: 150) individuals were randomly asked at baseball stadiums in Midwest area. To examine sport fans’ perceptions about sport celebrity scandals, a self-administered survey was conducted. The data was analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) test. Results of the study revealed openness to scandal response and directness of crisis communicator positively affected credibility of scandal response respectively, and credibility of the scandal response positively affected MLB fans’ behavioral intentions. This study provides individual athletes, PR managers, and administrators in sport organizations with practical implications regarding important response strategies in sport celebrity scandals.
Authors and Affiliations
Geumchan Hwang, Ph. D. | Department of Human Performance and Health Education, College of Education and Human Development, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008
Keywords
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- EP ID EP12627
- DOI https://doi.org/10.4127/ch.2017.0115
- Views 359
- Downloads 28
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