Abstract
Objective. This study empirically examined the relationship between sports practice and Cali’s urban cultural identity (caleñidad) and derived theoretically grounded implications for territorial sports sponsorship.
Design/Methodology/Approach. A structural equation modeling (SEM) was estimated via maximum likelihood (R v4.2.1, lavaan package) on a sample of n = 385 Cali residents. The model specified two second-order constructs—sports identity and caleñidad—causally articulated across 54 Likert-scale items (November–December 2025).
Results/Discussion. The general hypothesis was found to be highly significant (β = 0.354, p0.05), suggesting that sport fosters identity as a holistic communicative experience rather than through diversified causal mechanisms. The Clásico Vallecaucano received the study’s most significant collective accolade, achieving a remarkable 97% success rate. The most salient identity dimensions were identified as liminality (λ = 0.96) and authenticity (λ = 0.94). Although sponsorship variables were not directly measured, the findings suggest that neighborhood sport sponsorship—linked to genuine communitas spaces—presents stronger structural conditions for building deep communicative brand bonds than conventional visibility-based models.
Conclusions. The intangible sports heritage of Cali constitutes a significant territorial communication asset. The effective management of this phenomenon necessitates a transition from exposure-based to belonging-based sponsorship. This hypothesis warrants direct testing in future research.
Originality/Value. This study provides the first SEM-based empirical examination of the sport–caleñidad structural relationship and proposes a theoretically grounded belonging-based sponsorship model applicable to culturally dense markets in emerging economies.