Sport spectating is a popular leisure activity in the United States; however, the study of sport spectator consumption behavior has been limited. The current study examines the differences that exist between genders and between spectators at men's and women's intercollegiate basketball games regarding several categories of dependent variables. The three categories were (a) environmental factors associated with game attendance (ticket pricing, friends, family, and promotions), (b) present behavior of spectators (merchandise consumption, media consumption, and wearing of team paraphernalia), and (c) future behavior of fans (continued loyalty, future attendance, and future merchandise consumption). Data were collected from spectators at two men's (n = 531) and two women's (n = 751) intercollegiate home basketball games. Multivariate analysis of variance results for the main effects of team gender and spectator gender were significant, while the interaction effect was not. Fewer gender differences were found (5 of 12) compared to the number of gen-der-of-team differences (10 of 12) when univariate results were examined. Results are discussed in detail, and implications for practice and for future research are suggested.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlexanderR. H. (1995). The economic impact of licensing logos, emblems, and mascots. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 5(1), 28–34.
2.
BaadeR. A., & TiehenL. J. (1990). An analysis of Major League Baseball attendance, 1969-1987. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 14, 14–32.
3.
BoydT. C., & KrehbielT. C. (1999). The effect of promotion timing on Major League Baseball attendance. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 8(4), 23–34.
4.
BranscombeN. R., & WannD. L. (1991). The positive social and self-concept consequences of sports team identification. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 15, 115–127.
5.
BrennanC. (2001, May 8). Talking about a revolution. USA Today, p. C3.
6.
CialdiniR. B., BordenR. J., ThorneA., WalkerM. R., FreemanS., & SloanL. R. (1976). Basking in reflected glory: Three (football) field studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 406–415.
7.
De SchriverT. D. (1999). Factors affecting spectator attendance at NCAA Division II football contests. International Sports Journal, 3, 55–65.
8.
EnricoD. (1995, October 11). No longer on the sidelines: Makers pick women as most valuable market. USA Today, p. 1B.
9.
FulksD. L. (1998). Revenues and expenses of Divisions I and II intercollegiate athletic programs: Financial trends and rela-tionships-1997.Overland Park, KS: National Collegiate Athletic Association.
10.
FunkD., RidingerL., & MoormanA. (2000, June). An examination of spectator motives in women's professional basketball. Paper presented at the meeting of the North American Society for Sport Management, Colorado Springs, CO.
11.
GantzW., & WennerL. A. (1991). Men, women, and sports: Audience experiences and effects. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 35, 233–243.
12.
HansenH., & GauthierR. (1989). Factors affecting attendance at professional sport events. Journal of Sport Management, 3, 15–32.
13.
HansenH., & GauthierR. (1993). Spectators’ views of LPGA golf events. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 2(1), 17–25.
14.
HowardD. R., & CromptonJ. L. (1995). Financing sport.Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology, Inc.
15.
JohnsonG. (2001, June 5). WNBA defies odds in 5th year. Los Angeles Times, Business Section, Part 3, p. 1.
16.
KahleL. R., KambaraK. M., & RoseG. M. (1996). A functional model of fan attendance motivations for college football. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 5(4), 51–60.
17.
KolbeR. H., & JamesJ. D. (in press). The internalization process among team followers: Implications for team loyalty. International Journal of Sport Management.
18.
LopianoD. (1997). Tomorrow in women's sports: Now is just the tip of the iceberg. Paper presented at the Summit 1997 (Women's Sports Foundation National Conference), Bloomingdale, IL.
19.
Make room on the couch. (1997, August 28). Sports Business Daily, 3(213), 4.
20.
MawsonM. L., & CoanE. E. (1994). Marketing techniques used by NBA franchises to promote home game attendance. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 3(1), 37–45.
21.
McCarthyM. (2001, January 25). The changing face of Super Sunday marketers, NFL focus on game's audience of 40 million women. USA Today, p. B-1.
22.
McDonaldM., & RascherD. (2000). Does bat day make cents? The effect of promotions on the demand for Major League Baseball. Journal of Sport Management, 14, 8–27.
23.
MurrellA. J., & DietzB. (1992). Fan support of sports teams: The effect of a common group identity. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 14, 28–39.
24.
NakazawaM., MahonyD. F., FunkD. C., & HirakawaS. (1999). J. Segmenting League spectators based on length of time as a fan. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 8(4), 55–65.
25.
PanD. W., GabertT. E., McGaughE. C., & BranvoldS. E. (1997). Factors and differential demographic effects on purchases of season tickets for intercollegiate basketball games. Journal of Sport Behavior, 20, 447–463.
26.
PopeN., BrownM., & ForrestE. (1999). Risk, innovativeness, gender, and involvement factors affecting the intention to purchase sport products online. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 8(2), 25–31.
27.
SanchezJ. (2001, March 23). Prime time for women's game comes of age at 20. The Denver Post, p. D-01.
28.
ShannonJ. R., & TurleyL. W. (1997). The influence of in-arena promotions on purchase behavior and purchase intentions. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6(4), 53–59.
29.
SloanL. R. (1989). The motives of sports fans. In GoldsteinJ. H. (Ed.), Sports, games, and play: Social & psychological viewpoints (2nd ed., pp. 175–240). Hills-dale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
30.
TabachnickB. G., & FidellL. S. (1989). Using multivariate statistics (2nd ed.). NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
31.
TrailG. T., FinkJ. S., & AndersonD. F. (2001). Sport spectator consumption behavior: A comprehensive model and empirical analysis.Manuscript submitted for publication.
32.
TuggleC. A., & OwenA. (1999). A descriptive analysis of NBC's coverage of the centennial Olympics: The games of the women?Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 23(2), 171–182.
33.
WannD. L. (1995). Preliminary validation of the Sport Fan Motivation Scale. The Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 19, 377–396.
34.
WannD. L. (1996). Seasonal changes in spectators’ identification and involvement with and evaluations of college basketball and football teams. The Psychological Record, 46, 201–215.
35.
WannD. L., & BranscombeN. R. (1993). Sports fans: Measuring degree of identification with their team. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24, 1–17.
36.
WannD. L., DolanT. J., McGeorgeK. K., & AllisonJ. A. (1994). Relationships between spectator identification and spectators’ perceptions of influence, spectators’ emotions, and competition outcome. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16, 347–364.
37.
WannD. L., SchraderM. P., & WilsonA. M. (1999). Sport fan motivation: Questionnaire validation, comparisons by sport, and relationship to athletic motivation. Journal of Sport Behavior, 22, 114–139.
38.
WannD. L., TuckerK. B., & SchraderM. P. (1996). An exploratory examination of the factors influencing the origination, continuation, and cessation of identification with sports teams. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 82, 995–1001.
39.
WeillerK. H., & HiggsC. T. (1999). Television coverage of professional golf: A focus on gender. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 8(1), 83–100.
40.
WellsD. E., SouthallR. M., & PengH. H. (2000). An analysis of factors related to attendance at Division II football games. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 9, 203–210.
41.
Women's Sports Foundation. (1997). The future of women's professional sports teams. Panel discussion at the Summit 1997 (Women's Sports Foundation National Conference), Bloomingdale, IL.
42.
YerakB. (2000, October 16). Baseball makes pitch to women. League isn't the only sport to court female fan base. USA Today, p. B.-3.
43.
ZhangJ. J., PeaseD. G., SmithD. W., LeeJ. T., LamE. T., & JamborE. A. (1997, Summer). Factors affecting the decision making of spectators to attend minor league hockey games. International Sports Journal, 1, 139–53.
44.
ZhangJ. J., SmithD. W., PleaseD. G., & LamE. T. (1998, Summer). Dimensions of spectator satisfaction toward support programs of professional hockey games. International Sports Journal, 2, 1–17.
45.
ZillmannD., BryantJ., & SapolskyB. S. (1989). Enjoyment from sport spectator-ship. In GoldsteinJ. H. (Ed.), Sports, games, and play: Social & psychological viewpoints (2nd ed., pp. 241–278). Hills-dale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
