“In this day and age, you have to stand for something”
Examining organizational advocacy issue choice and spokespeople in sport
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21696136 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Holly Overton (0000-0003-1980-8512, Bellisario College of Communications, Penn State University , , ,), Michail Vafeiadis (0000-0002-9897-2988, Auburn University), Virginia S Harrison (0000-0002-5859-5241, Clemson University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Communication Management (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/jcom-12-2024-0247 |
| OpenAlex | W4414846535 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
Purpose This study aims to examine organizational advocacy or the more collective stance-taking efforts in a sports league – the National Basketball Association (NBA) – to see whether an organization can more effectively communicate about its advocacy efforts with different message spokespeople. The study aims to determine whether each respective message source – an athlete, a league commissioner, and the organization itself – could be effective for the NBA to consider using as a spokesperson for advocacy messaging. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a 3 [message spokesperson: commissioner (Adam Silver) vs. athlete (LeBron James) vs. organization (NBA)] × 2 (advocated issue: abortion vs. gun violence) factorial online experiment between-subjects online experiment using a panel (N = 265) of self-identified sports fans in the USA recruited through the Lucid platform. Findings Liberals with high fan identification perceived the message from LeBron James as less authentic compared to the NBA’s message, leading to lower supportive intentions. Liberals with low or moderate fan identification perceived a message about gun violence as less authentic, which led to lower supportive intentions. Authenticity mediates the relationship between issue and supportive intentions depending on political leaning and fan identification level. Originality/value This paper empirically tests advocacy-related concepts in a sports context, adding new insights to measurement in extant literature and its potential prosocial effects. This study also examines how attitudes toward organizational advocacy can impact the cause itself – extending the understanding of advocacy further by seeing if it impacts society at large
Basketball · Crisis communication · Extant taxon · League · Politics · Prosocial behavior · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
Brands Taking a Stand
Moral Foundations Theory
Professional Team Sports Organizations’ Corporate Social Responsibility Activities
Black Lives Matter to the NBA
Goodwill or just for show? The effects of different corporate social justice statements and the role of perceived authenticity
Muting or Meddling? Advocacy as a Relational Communication Strategy Affecting Organization–Public Relationships and Stakeholder Response
Effects of Authenticity in Organizational Advocacy for Polarizing Issues
“That’s it. i’m done with this team!”
Factors Influencing eSports Viewership
Posting More than Just a Black Square”
I’m Not going to the f***ing White House”
Shut up and dribble? How popularity, activism, and real-world events shape attitudes towards LeBron James and race
Shut up and dribble!”?Athletes activism in the age of twittersphere
Boos, Bans, and other Backlash
Using Political Efficacy Messages to Increase Climate Activism
Corporate Social Advocacy as Public Interest Communications
Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling
Race and resistance
Understanding Emerging Adults' National Attachments and Their Reactions to Athlete Activism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |