This study investigated how LeBron James’s free-agency decision in 2018 influences sport fans’ image impressions of him with in-groups (Cleveland Cavaliers) and out-groups (all other NBA teams) compared. In the months preceding James’s free-agency decision, an experimental design was employed to ask self-ascribed fans of LeBron James how they felt about 4 possible free-agency destinations: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors, and his eventual selection, the Los Angeles Lakers. A total of 189 U.S. fans of LeBron James were recruited for the study. Results indicate that James’s image became worse (in terms of mean scores) for every out-group condition, while being slightly improved if opting to remain in the in-group; however, images were significantly different from other out-groups in the scenario in which LeBron James opted to join the Golden State Warriors—the Cavaliers most immediate rival at the time.
Inequivalent Out-Groups in “The Decision III”: The Free Agency of LeBron James and the Power of Sport Rivalry
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Guo is with the College of Communication and Information Sciences, and Billings, the Alabama Program in Sports Communication, the Dept. of Journalism & Mass Media, and the Dept. of Gender & Race Studies, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. Abdallah is with the Dept. of Communication, Media, & Culture, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC.
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