Purpose – This study explores the effect of video assistant referee (VAR) sponsorship on spectator response
and compares it with advertising and conventional sponsorship.
Design/methodology/approach – An experiment with 809 subjects is conducted by analyzing 20 oneminute
video clip stimuli from a Premier League soccer game divided into four formats: two formats of VAR
sponsorship, advertising, and conventional sponsorship.
Findings – The results show that the indicators of recall, credibility, and perceived congruence improve when
the VAR sponsorship format is used.
Originality/value – This is the firstmanuscript to examine the effectiveness of a newtype of sponsorship:VAR
sponsorship. This manuscript provides metrics that will guide practitioners on whether to use this type of
sponsorship
