Managerial perspectives of fan socialisation strategies for marketing to new NHL fans

Author's Biography

Brandon Mastromartino is a PhD candidate in sport management at the University of Georgia (UGA). His research focuses on the consumer behaviour of sport fans and the psychological connection fans have to other fans within a fan community. He has conducted extensive research on fans of the National Hockey League (NHL) and has worked with various NHL teams in examining their fan communities and finding opportunities to grow and market the team. Brandon has published several articles and book chapters about sports fans and has presented his work at conferences all over the world. He teaches classes at UGA in sport marketing and sport finance and is involved with students finding and excelling in sport management internships.

James J. Zhang is a professor of sport management at the University of Georgia (UGA). His primary research interests are applied measurement and/or applied studies examining sport consumer and organisational behaviours. Dr Zhang has published extensively and is a frequent presenter at international and national conferences. He has served the profession in various leadership roles, such as the President of North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), sport management section editor of the Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES) and Chair of the Measurement and Evaluation Council of American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). He has received such prestigious recognitions as Fellow of National Academy of Kinesiology, Fellow of NASSM, Dr. Earle F. Zeigler Lecture Award, Fellow of the Sport Marketing Association, J.B. Nash Scholar from the AAHPERD, University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship, Measurement and Evaluation Council Honor Award of the AAHPERD, Southern District Scholar of the AAHPERD, and the Richard Reiff Internationalization Award at the University of Georgia. He was a Distinguished Oriental Scholar named by the City of Shanghai and has served as the Honorary Dean of the College of Sport Economics and Management by Shanghai University of Sport since 2014.

Daniel L. Wann is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Murray State University, where he has been a faculty member since 1991. Dubbed ‘Dr. Fandom’ in a 2019 ESPN documentary film on his work, Dr Wann has been studying the psychology of sport fans and spectators since the mid-1980s, with a particular interest in team identification (ie, a fan’s psychological connection to a team). Professor Wann has written many books on the topic of sport psychology, including Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Fandom (Routledge, 2019), which is in its second edition and has been added to the International Olympic World Library in Lausanne, Switzerland. Additionally, he has authored over 200 journal articles and book chapters, and has given over 200 conference presentations and invited talks on the topic of sport fans and parental involvement in sport, including the prestigious ESPN Newsmakers Series, which was given in June 2019. He is a former member of the Executive Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Youth Sports and currently serves on the Advisory Board for this organisation. Dr. Wann has received numerous awards for his teaching, research, mentoring and service, including being named as a Distinguished Professor by the Murray State University Alumni Association. Additional awards include the 2018 Marlene Mawson Scholar by the University of Kansas Department of Sport Management, the Murray State University Distinguished Mentor Award, the Murray State University College of Humanities and Fine Arts Outstanding Researcher Award (twice), the Murray State University Alumni Foundation Distinguished Researcher Award, and the Murray State University Board of Regents Award for Teaching Excellence.