Loyal to the Crest, Not Limited by the Wallet: The Effect of Emotional Commitment to the Sports Team on the Intention to Purchase Counterfeit Club Products

This study investigated the effect of emotional commitment to the sports team on the intention to purchase counterfeit club products and examined the role of perceived income level in this relationship. A quantitative research design based on the relational survey model was employed. The sample consisted of 467 football fans residing in Erzurum, selected through the snowball sampling method. Data were collected via face-to-face questionnaires, and reliability analyses confirmed high internal consistency. After testing normality assumptions, correlation and moderation analyses were conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 1) with 5000 bootstrap samples. The results showed a significant negative relationship between emotional commitment and counterfeit product purchase intention, indicating that stronger attachment to the team reduces the tendency to buy counterfeit products. However, perceived income level did not significantly moderate this relationship. These findings suggest that emotional commitment is associated with lower counterfeit purchase intention, independent of income differences. The study contributes to understanding sport-related consumer behavior and provides practical insights for sports clubs to enhance fan loyalty, promote licensed merchandise, and develop more effective anti-counterfeiting strategies.