Abstract

Objective: The article analyzes up to what extent the supraordinate identity made up by the classic match, influences fans' consumption intention of media and official merchandise, through a justifiability mediation, while assessing a moderation effect that an identity threat has on the proposed model. Method: The phenomenon was tested through structural equation modeling on a 439 fanbase sample. Participants are fans from both of the clubs who play the Classic match of their league and were randomly allocated into a threat circumstance or a control situation in order to test the identity threat moderation effect. Results: Findings suggest that this supraordinate identity has a positive impact on media and merchandise consumption intentions, while legitimacy and permeability forecast its existence. These results argue that fans from both teams experience an identity threat either when their club is under menace and when their rival is. Conclusion: This is the first article examining a supraordinate identity fabricated by salient rivalries, which is counterintuitive, and how these individuals experience an identity threat when their rival is at risk. The Classic denotes an important marketing instrument, where leagues and clubs can develop stories and rivalries to attract broader audiences.