Modeling the Competitive Advantage of Iranian Soccer Clubs Based on the Team Reputation Considering the Satisfaction Level of Fans of the Selected Teams

Background. Today, all the fields, including science, business, industry, and sports, are influenced by the profound and sustained changes. New rules arise every day; organizations, especially sports clubs, are in an endless struggle to gain competitive advantage in the battle for survival and power stealth. The main function of competitive advantage is to guarantee the survival of organizations, so that they can succeed in their path to developments. Objectives. This study is a field research aimed to model the competitive advantage of Iranian Soccer Clubs based on the team reputation considering the satisfaction level of fans. Methods. The statistical population of the study included the fans of the teams of Iranian Premier League (2017-2018), among which 384 fans were selected as the sample. The measurement tool included the questionnaires of the public relations, brand image and identity, satisfaction, team reputation, and competitive advantage. Validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed by experts using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) and Cronbach's alpha test. The descriptive statistical tests including the central tendency, dispersion, and inferential statistics (the structural equation test) were used for data analysis. SPSS software version 19 was used for the descriptive analysis and LISREL software for the analysis of the structural equation modeling. Results. The variables of public relations, brand identity, and brand image have a positive and significant effect on the team reputation. Also, satisfaction level of fans has a positive and significant effect on the competitive advantage of soccer clubs. Conclusion. The findings confirmed the significance of the conceptual model of the research. However, more studies should be conducted to identify other dimensions influencing the competitive advantage of teams.