Sport Branding Reimagined: Sponsorship, Fandom, and Identity in the Digital Age

Sport branding has traditionally relied on team loyalty, athlete image, sponsorship visibility, and broadcast-based exposure. However, the rise of social media, streaming platforms, influencer marketing, data analytics, and digitally mediated fan communities has transformed how sport brands are created, experienced, and evaluated. Furthermore, the implications of these digital shifts for physical activity promotion, inclusive active living, and well-being outcomes, core priorities of this journal, remain underexplored. These developments are especially relevant to Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, as digital sport branding may also influence physical activity promotion, inclusive sport participation, active living, and well-being, while also connecting to UN SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. Therefore, this Research Topic responds to the need for updated theoretical and empirical insights into sport branding in the digital age and its potential contribution to healthier, more active communities.The central problem this Research Topic addresses is the lack of integrated, theoretically grounded knowledge on how digital environments are redefining the relationships between sport brands, sponsors, fans, and individual identities. While isolated studies exist on social media engagement, sponsorship activation, athlete branding, and digital fan communities, there is still no cohesive framework connecting sponsorship effectiveness, evolving fan behaviours, and identity formation in digitally mediated sport contexts. This Research Topic aims to bridge that gap by curating multidisciplinary contributions that examine digital sport branding from social, economic, psychological, cultural, and managerial perspectives. We seek empirical research, critical reviews, and policy-relevant analyses that explore how digital branding tools can be leveraged for ethical, effective, and inclusive sport engagement. Ultimately, this collection will provide actionable insights for sport marketers, brand managers, policymakers, and researchers seeking to navigate the complexities of digital sport ecosystems while supporting positive social outcomes aligned with the journal's commitment to societal benefit.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses global sport organizations, leagues, teams, athletes, and digital sport communities. It includes analyses across traditional, virtual, and hybrid sport environments, while excluding topics not directly related to brand equity or sponsorship mechanisms. To gather further insights into the evolving architecture of sport branding, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:1. Brand-equity measurement, modification, and validation beyond legacy models.2. Digital sponsorship activation and valuation, in convergent media ecosystems.3. Athlete personal branding and influencer dynamics on social platforms.4. The role of NFTs, blockchain, and fan tokens in sport brand engagement.5. Digital fandom communities, parasocial relationships, and co-created identity.6. Brand identity formation and negotiation among youth, marginalized groups, and diverse populations (including women in sport).7. Ethical issues including data privacy, authenticity, and commercial overreach.8. Links between digital sport branding and physical activity participation/well-being.9. Digital brand activism and social justice in sport.10. AI and data-driven personalization in sport sponsorship.11. Cross-cultural digital branding and global fan identity.We welcome manuscript types including Original Research, Review, Systematic Review, Policy Brief, Perspective, and Conceptual Analysis. Submissions should align primarily with the Sports Management, Marketing, and Economics specialty section, although interdisciplinary contributions intersecting with Sport Psychology or History, Culture and Sociology of Sport are also encouraged. Topic editors: George Yiapanas, Konstantinos Koronios, Mario Nicoliello Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81162/sport-branding-reimagined-sponsorship-fandom-and-identity-in-the-digital-age