Cause-related marketing (CRM)has become increasingly popular with professional sport leagues and large charitable organizations (Genzale, 2006). Research suggests that CRM can positively affect purchase intentions and behavioral responses (e.g., Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003), consumers’ response to CRM in a sports context may be confounded by team allegiances and rivalries. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of home team versus rival team imagery in CRM on perceived sincerity and behavior in support of the cause. The findings from an online experiment suggest that hometown versus rival team imagery in sports CRM campaigns can have influential effects on perceived sincerity and intentions to support the cause
