Abstract

Intercollegiate naming right sponsorship has a great potential in its market value, but it is usually accompanied with a potential risk of generating negative outcomes. With such a dilemma, a structural model that can help in assessing the effectiveness of the sponsorship become extremely important. The current study was designed to reexamine the theoretical framework of a model that was developed for evaluating the effectiveness of naming right sponsorships. Through a comprehensive literature review, the current study identified specific relationships among eight proposed factors, proposed and tested a new structural model through a path analysis. The proposed model fit the data well (χ 2 (1, N = 548) = 42.03, p = .000), where root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .072 with the 90% confidence interval from .050 to .095, comparative fit index (CFI) = .974, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = .025. Most of the hypothesized paths in the model were confirmed, in which attitudes toward commercialization (ATS) are fully mediating the relationship between beliefs about naming rights sponsorship (BFN) and two outcome variables (purchase intention of sponsor’s product (PIP) and willingness to attend sporting events (WAS)). The moderating effects of the two proposed moderators were also confirmed.

Key words: Collegiate Athletics, Facility, Perception, Attitude, Behavioral Intentions

Abbreviation

BFN, Beliefs about the nature of facility naming rights sponsorship; ATC, attitudes toward commercialization; TID, team identifications; SID, stadium identifications; PFS, perceptions of financial status; ATS, regarding attitude toward sponsor; PIP, purchase intention of sponsor’s product; WAS, willingness to attend sporting events.