The Complex Club-Fan Relationship: A Glimpse into Stakeholders’ Experience With the Aggressive Interventions of Fans
Dec 22, 2023
About this article
Published Online: Dec 22, 2023
Page range: 15 - 27
Received: Aug 02, 2023
Accepted: Dec 05, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2024-0009
Keywords
© 2024 Felix Lebed et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This study aims to understand the club-fan relationship from the standpoint of club owners, CEOs, and head coaches (i.e., managers). Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with prominent figures from professional football and basketball in Israel. The current findings indicate that while clubs need the support of their fans, they often find themselves struggling with their aggressive behavior and demands to influence the club’s decision-making processes. First, this qualitative research provides an important insight into the unique experience of pivotal decision-makers in professional sports. Second, we apply the