When game atmosphere and crowd experience shape Latin American fans' behavior: the role of sport fan engagement

Purpose This study examines how game atmosphere and crowd experience influence fan engagement and subsequent consumption behaviors among Latin American football fans. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework and Social Identity Theory (SIT), the research investigates the mediating role of fan engagement and the moderating effect of club membership. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey with 293 fans who attended Brazilian football major league matches and used Structural Equation Modeling to test a theoretical model linking stadium-related stimuli to fan engagement and subsequent consumer behaviors, including the purchase of licensed products, digital content consumption, and word-of-mouth communication. Findings The results indicate that fan engagement mediates the effects of game atmosphere and crowd experience on consumer behaviors. Club membership moderates these effects asymmetrically the impact of engagement on word-of-mouth communication but weakens its effect on digital content consumption. Overall, fan engagement emerges as a crucial mechanism via emotional and social stimuli translate into behavioral responses. Originality/value This investigation contributes to the sports marketing theory by integrating the S-O-R framework and SIT theory to explain fan behavior in a Latin American context, an underexplored geographic setting. The findings highlight fan engagement as a central driver of consumer behavior and identify club membership as a meaningful boundary condition with both amplifying and dampening effects.