The impact of the athlete's brand image on the fans loyalty

Athletes brand image is a key preliminary in the loyalty of the fans and a strong stimulus for the presence of the viewers and fans in the sportive events, also it is a powerful stimulus on the purchase intent of goods pertinent to the athlete. The following study is done on the 368 of the students of Kurdistan University based on Sample and Morgan tables by the research method of descriptive-correlative with the goal of investigating the impacts of the aspects of the brand image of the athletes on the loyalty of the fans of the research samples. The measurement tool implemented here is the questionnaires of the brand image of the athletes Arai et al and questioners of the fans loyalty hart. Form and content validity were verified by the specialists, while their internal consistency was verified by the help of Cronbach's alpha. In order to analyze the data, structural equations were used. The findings proved that the aspects of athletes’ brand image (Athletic performance, attractive appearance and marketable lifestyle) has a significant and positive impact on the loyalty of the fans. Among these aspects, marketable lifestyle has the most influence on the fans. The is the aspect which reflects features, activities, and the performances of the athletes outside of the field. Consequently, the athletes should manage their brand in the best possible way by activities such as increasing relationships with the fans, acknowledging and regarding them, depicting ethical behaviors, participating in social, cultural and humanistic activities, improving public relations and etc. Likewise, they should prepare the suitable association of their brands in order to be entitled of its benefits specifically the loyalty of the fans.