CULTURAL RUNS BATTED IN: CONSUMPTION ACCULTURATION BETWEEN BRAZILIAN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL FANS

Resumo

The singularities involving fan prosumption have been highlighted as an emerging theme in consumer research. Among the possibilities for carrying out such investigations, it is worth dwelling on the consumer acculturation process that occurs when fans reframe values of local and global culture through virtual interactions about sports products and brands. One of the sports leagues associated with consumer acculturation is Major League Baseball (MLB), a representative media product of the U.S. culture that has interest in Brazil as a promising market for expanding its audience. Thus, the present study aims to understand how virtual interactions of Brazilian MLB fans lead to forms of consumption acculturation. To meet this objective, a Netnography was carried out between 2018 and 2022 based on messages published by Brazilian MLB fans on Twitter. Three forms of consumer acculturation were identified: assimilation, integration, and marginalization. Each indicates Brazilian fans' interest and effort in prioritizing U.S. cultural signs and values in the MLB. However, the fans' prosumption roles on the acculturation process represent the positioning of cultural identities via consumption when they recognize their relationship with cultures and others through market relations.