“It’s not like I can stop consuming football” - How consumers through moral decoupling support a sports event conducting unethical behavior

Abstract

Using the case of the 2022 Fifa World Cup, this study develops the notion of moral decoupling, a reasoning process that separates moral judgment and performance judgment. This separation allows consumers to condemn unethical behavior performed by companies and public figures while simultaneously continuing to offer them support. Building on previous research, this study extends the research on moral decoupling to sports events and explores: How do consumers apply moral decoupling to support a sports event conducting unethical behavior? By using a qualitative method and conducting 14 semi-structured interviews, an increased understanding was obtained of individuals' motivations and reasonings for watching the event. The study's findings present three different categories of facilitators for moral decoupling for consumers supporting a sports event conducting unethical behavior; belonging, uniqueness, and insignificance. In addition to this, the study further contributes to understanding the role of consumer attachment and emotions in applying moral decoupling, as well as explores how consumers can go from moral decoupling to the opposite, moral coupling, through reflective reasoning.