Relationships among sport commitment, attitude toward the sponsor, and purchase intentions of sponsor-supported high school student-athletes

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among sport commitment, attitude toward the sponsor, and purchase intentions among high school student-athletes who received sponsorship support from a local sports equipment manufacturer in Costa Rica. Data from 89 student-athletes (52 males and 37 females; mean age = 15.36 years, SD = 1.30) were drawn from the post-support survey. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the three-factor measurement model, followed by structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized model. During the evaluation of the measurement model, two sport commitment items with relatively low factor loadings were removed. The revised three-factor measurement model showed acceptable model fit, χ²(32) = 57.773, χ²/df = 1.805, CFI = .960, GFI = .889, and RMSEA = .096. The structural model also showed acceptable fit, χ²(33) = 59.003, χ²/df = 1.788, CFI = .960, GFI = .886, and RMSEA = .095. Sport commitment was positively associated with attitude toward the sponsor (β = .44, p < .001), which was positively associated with purchase intentions (β = .90, p < .001). The model explained 19% of the variance in attitude toward the sponsor and 80% of the variance in purchase intentions. Bootstrap analysis supported a positive indirect association between sport commitment and purchase intentions through attitude toward the sponsor (standardized indirect effect = .39, 95% percentile bootstrap CI [.163, .598]). These findings suggest that athletes’ engagement in sport may shape how they evaluate the sponsor within their own sport environment. In turn, favorable sponsor evaluations may be closely related to purchase intentions. The results should be interpreted cautiously because the study used a relatively small, context-specific sample and post-support data collected at a single time point.