Lingering effects of sponsor transgression against a national fan base: the importance of respect in relationship management

Research on sport sponsorship–fan relationships rarely explores the duration of fans’ feelings towards a sponsor, even though research demonstrates that management of this relationship is crucial. In addition, little research in management, sponsorship, marketing, or public relations explores contexts in which sponsorship involves a national sports team that attracts significant patriotic sentiment. The purpose of this study was to address these absences by exploring the longevity of public responses to a sponsor transgression crisis. The results identify the central role played by perceptions of respect and disrespect in New Zealanders’ responses to a jersey-pricing crisis and the sponsor’s response to public criticisms. The results indicate that national team sponsors who explicitly galvanize intense feelings of patriotism need to understand and respect the national public’s emotional stake in their national team rather than narrowly pursuing sales or the bottom line. The study also highlights the importance of implementing respectful crisis management strategies during a crisis involving patriotic feelings.Respect is an important but undervalued concept for sponsors of sports teams Foreign sponsors of national teams must respect fans’ national identity feelings.Fan perceptions of disrespect can cause damage to a sponsor’s reputation.Damage caused by a sponsor’s disrespectful transgression has enduring effects.Sponsors must understand they can only borrow, not own, national sport icons.