Consumers’ Intergroup Responses to Winning Teams’ Hubristic (vs. Humble) Messages

We aimed to examine the underlying mechanism of how winning teams’ hubristic (vs. humble) messages influence in- and out-group fans’ affect, with downstream consequences for self-worth. We also attempted to investigate how this mechanism interacts with the race of message receivers (Black vs. White) and deliverers (Black vs. White). We recruited a total of 266 and 540 participants and conducted two experiments with between-subjects designs. In Study 1, we revealed that in-group fans in the humble message condition perceived a higher degree of humility than those in the hubristic message condition. However, the levels of their positive affect and self-worth did not differ. In Study 2, we found that out-group fans’ negative affect decreased significantly by humble messages, leading to increased self-worth. The findings emphasize timely importance of humble messages in modern sport. It is also implied that not highlighting merits following a victory does not necessarily violate in-group norms.