Beyond Entertainment: Identity, Rituals, and Willingness to Spend in the Pakistan Super League
An Economic Anthropology Perspective
Abstract
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This study adopted an economic anthropology perspective to investigate how team identification and sociocultural rituals drive a fan’s willingness to spend regardless of athletic success. Utilising a quantitative research design, data were collected via a cross-sectional survey of active Pakistan Super League (PSL) fans through purposeful convenience sampling. Statistical analysis, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and reliability tests, was employed to examine the relationships between team identification, fan intensity, ritual participation, and willingness to spend. The results provide empirical support for all three hypotheses; team identification (encompassing personal, role, and collective dimensions) is a highly positive predictor of Willingness to Spend (WTS), as fans prioritise regional pride and community belonging over winning games. Ritual participation, particularly through digital platforms such as fantasy leagues and interactive polling, significantly contributes to financial returns, effectively transforming passive spectators into active financial partners. Furthermore, fan intensity serves as a critical moderator; while casual fans exhibit fragile loyalties, the 53.6% of die-hard fans demonstrate high financial resilience and behavioural consistency, providing franchises with a stable revenue foundation. The study concludes that the PSL's commercial success is anchored in identity fusion were symbolic consumption and social connectivity override purely economic logic.
Keywords:
Economic Anthropology, Integrated Fan Identity, Pakistan Super League, Willingness to SpendReferences
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