Identity and sport: young French Canadians and the Montreal Canadiens hockey club
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the cultural impact and the importance of the Montreal Canadiens hockey club for its francophone fans, as well as to define to which extent young French Canadians (“Quebecers”) associate themselves with the team as a part of their identity building process.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have chosen an exploratory qualitative research. The paper first proceeded with four semi‐directed group discussions (120 people). Then the authors conducted individual interviews from a distinct sample group of 35 students. All respondents were between 18‐25 years old.
Findings
The associations of the identity form indelible memories that remain present in the heart of young French Canadians. The Montreal Canadiens appear to be an entity strongly tied to Francophone Quebec that both feeds and is fed by the team.
Research limitations/implications
Admittedly, looking at the underlying motivations of the adolescents, it comes back to exploring the very subjective domains of the respondents’ personalities.
Practical implications
Innovative marketing strategies in an experiential framework should be a priority to favour the appropriation of a sports team and its brand by young fans.
Originality/value
This paper underlines the importance of culture, identity and symbolism while building a sports team brand.
Keywords
Citation
Richelieu, A. and Korai, B. (2012), "Identity and sport: young French Canadians and the Montreal Canadiens hockey club", Sport, Business and Management, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 127-136. https://doi.org/10.1108/20426781211244024
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited