From Soccer to Gridiron
Exploring Brand Communication and the Rise of National Football League Fandom in Germany
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17813976 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frauke Hachtmann (0000-0002-2273-4940, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, corresponding author), Christof Seeger (0000-0002-0600-485X, Stuttgart Media University), Thomas Wiench (Stuttgart Media University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 84-91 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Sport Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1936-3907 • E-ISSN: 1936-3915 |
| Publisher | Human Kinetics (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1123/ijsc.2025-0211 |
| OpenAlex | W7127946193 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
As American football continues to expand globally, the National Football League (NFL) has found remarkable success in Germany, a country with deeply rooted soccer traditions. This study investigates how German fans form team identification in a transnational context. Grounded in the Psychological Continuum Model, the Fan Attitude Network model, and the Sport Team Identification Model, the study analyzes interest, team identity, and brand attitude among 349 German NFL fans through a quantitative online survey. Findings reveal that, although interest in American football correlates strongly with interest in the NFL, team identity is the stronger predictor of purchasing behavior. In addition, team characteristics and popularity outweigh traditional socialization in explaining fans’ identification with specific NFL teams. To explore motivations behind NFL fandom among Germans, a thematic analysis of open-ended responses revealed six key motivators: (1) first exposure, (2) player attachment, (3) media/pop culture, (4) city/personal connection, (5) team culture/underdog, and (6) visual identity. This study offers theoretical and practical contributions to the understanding of transnational fandom in regions where cultural pathways to fandom differ from domestic contexts
Fandom · Football · German · League · Popularity · Sports marketing · Stadium · Thematic analysis · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Media Influence and Health · Sports, Gender, and Society
The Impact of Media Globalization of English Football
Becoming European Through Football Media? Representations of Europe in German Football News Coverage
The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion
Global Media Sport
Identity Formation, Identity Strength, and Self-Categorization as Predictors of Affective and Psychological Outcomes
The Construction and Confirmation of Identity in Sport Subcultures
Forschungsmethoden und Statistik für die Soziale Arbeit
Sport and globalization
Subcultures of Consumption
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |