Dmitry Kirpishchikov
Petr Parshakov
and Marina Zavertiaeva

Previous papers provide evidence that psychological characteristics such as personal masculinity are related to performance. Although relationships have been well established on an individual level, there has been little attempt to analyze the performance of teams that diverge in terms of masculinity. This paper studies the impact of team masculinity on its performance, paying particular attention to the connection between masculinity and cooperative behavior within a team. We use data on Major League Soccer teams because sports competitions represent a good ground for demonstrating...Read more

Michael Mudrick and Janet Fink

With increased exposure on college athletics, coaches are often subject to augmented attention from fans. However, little research has focused on the drawing power that coaches exude as essential components of the sport product. Given the tenets of social identity theory, which focus on the value of group membership and the development of prototype characteristics and associated biases within a group and its leaders, it is reasonable to suggest that coaches induce fan attachment. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived congruence between the coach and prototype for the program...Read more

Joris Drayer
Stephen L. Shapiro
and Brendan Dwyer

Despite the high levels of team identification associated with many sport fans, previous research has established that even these consumers must be enticed with offers that are perceived to be good values before making a purchase. The current study examined three key areas related to perceived value in a spectator sport setting. First, we tested and confirmed the mediating effect of perceived value on the relationship between team identification and purchase intention in the context of sport event tickets. Second, we examined search intention as a behavioral outcome in an environment (i.e...Read more

Nicholas M. Watanabe

Sport demand literature notes multiple sources of demand for a sport product. Two forms of direct demand come in the form of live attendance by patrons and purchases of pay-per-view (PPV) to watch sporting contest through a television set (Borland & Macdonald, 2003). That is, attendance and PPV purchases are both direct consumption of the sporting product. Recent theoretical discussion has noted the importance understanding both live attendees and television viewers of sport events in order for organizations to behave more strategically (Budzinski & Satzer, 2011). This study...Read more

Nicholas M. Watanabe

While much of the focus on professional sport is divided between North America and Europe, there is a growing need to analyze sport leagues and organizations outside of these two regions. In this paper, the J-League, Japan’s top flight professional soccer league, is the focus of examination through a seasonal attendance model which seeks to test the importance of region and competitive balance in determining demand for attendance. The results of this model indicate that fans are sensitive to competitive balance, confirming the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis. Furthermore, this paper...Read more