“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.
Degree
Master 2-years
Other description
MSc in Marketing and Consumption
Collections
View/ Open
Date
2023-07-03Author
Lipovac, Izabella
Johansson, Rebecka
Keywords
Moral decoupling
moral coupling
sports events
unethical behavior
moral judgment
attachment
moral emotions
Series/Report no.
2023:133
Language
eng
Metadata
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