A Collective Profile of the American Spectator i n tHe Summer Olympic Games in Montreal 1976

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any specific and different profiles of the American men and women who participated as spectators in the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, 1976.

The subjects were 764 American spectators which were selected by a random sample method from the file of Olympic ticket buyers. The subjects answered questionnaires dur ing a period of two months before the Olympics through to the last day of the Games. The results of the questionnaire and the data were analyzed by a computer and were subjected to frequency analysis and chi-square tests by the author.

The data accumulated from the questionnaire were analyzed based on four profiles. A. Profile of the subjects based on demographic variables; B. Profile of the subjects based on their personal involvement in sports; C. Profile of the subjects based on their attitudes towards the Olympic Games; D. Profile of subjects based on their motivation for going to the Olympic Games in Montreal.

It was concluded that for most of the subjects, going to the Olympic Games was a fun adventure and individual sports as track and field, gymnastics, and swimming were the most popular events watched by both sexes. It was also concluded that the Olympic Games became a matter of interest to the American public two weeks before the Games, and that the majority of the spectators have little knowledge of international sporting events.