The Effect of Cognitive and Affective trust on Sport Fan Behavior after Team’s Loss: A case of the US men’s national soccer team viewership

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the role of trust on sport fan behavior following the favored team’s loss.Methods Online survey modes were employed to collect the data. A total of 300 individuals participated in the study, of which 288 were valid and therefore analyzed. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling was conducted using Mplus 8.Results The findings are as follows. First, cognitive trust had a significant effect(+) on future viewing intention. Second, affective trust had a significant effect(+) on future viewing intention. Third, cognitive trust had a significant effect(-) on switching behavior. Fourth, affective trust had no significant effect on switching behavior. Fifth, team identification moderated the relationship between affective trust and switching behavior.Conclusions The results of this study suggest that sport fans’ trust affects fan behavior following a team’s loss. Therefore, professional sport teams should seek to establish strong affective trust and cognitive trust.