The effects of star players’social intelligence and grit on team identification and athlete-endorsed product image

This study aimed to examine the effects of star players’ social intelligence (that consists of social information processing, social awareness, and social skills) and grit (that consists of passion and perseverance for long-term goals) on team identification and athlete-endorsed product image. For this purpose, structural equation modeling was employed with a total of 342 Korean baseball fans. As a result, the study found that two factors(social information processing and social awareness) of the social intelligence and both passion and perseverance of the grit had positive effects on team identification, while social skills of the social intelligence did not have an effect on it. The study also revealed that two factors(social information processing and social skills) of the social intelligence and both passion and perseverance of the grit had positive effects on athlete-endorsed product image, whereas social awareness of the social intelligence did not have an effect on it. To maximize team identification and athlete-endorsed product image, both star players and sport teams need to develop specific strategies that foster such social intelligence and grit.