A Review of Team Identification and Its Influence on Consumers’ Responses Toward Corporate Sponsors

Knowledge about sports spectators can be traced back to the origin of the Olympic Games in Greece, which spanned from 776 b.c. to 393 a.d. Grecian respect for athletic grace and beauty was later supplanted by the “blood-sports” of the Roman Empire. Rome’s Colosseum could seat 40,000 spectators at gladiatorial events, and its racetrack attracted approximately 250,000 spectators per event (Harris, 1972). Admission was charged to these events and seating was assigned according to social status. The allure of watching sports was also evident in ancient China and Japan (Midwinter, 1986).