“You Are the Brand”: Examining the Experience of Person–Environment Fit in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes’ Pursuit of Name, Image, and Likeness Sponsorship

The importance of endorser–product fit in sports sponsorship is well established; yet, knowledge on how athletes establish a sense of fit when pursuing sponsorships is lacking, although fit is critical for successful outcomes. Employing the conceptual framework of person–environment (PE) fit, we pursue a constructivist grounded theory approach featuring interviews ( N = 26) and five focus groups ( N = 24) with National Collegiate Athletic Association college athletes to explore their experiences in pursuit of name, image, and likeness sponsorship. We uncover (a) motives informing search for fit, (b) perceived facets of the fit experience, and (c) consequences of (mis)fit. The findings show the complexity of PE fit negotiation as PE fit is evaluated across role, market, and sponsor fit umbrella dimensions, each comprising two related facets. The process of PE fit negotiation is cyclical as athletes use dispositional, situational, and exit strategies to reconcile individual considerations with external demands to achieve PE fit.