Brian S. Gordon

Assessing Satisfaction with Campus Recreation Facilities among College Students with Physical Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate satisfaction with campus recreation facilities among college students with physical disabilities. One hundred twenty-two college students with various physical disabilities participated in the study. This study found that use of and satisfaction with campus recreation facilities were significantly low among college students with disabilities. Specifically, 68% of college students with physical disabilities used campus recreation facilities less than 5 time per semester, and 37% of participants never used the facilities. The personnel in the area of campus recreation programs and facilities for students with disabilities should use the findings and suggestions of this study to provide better accessibility and accommodation of campus recreation facilities to students with disabilities.

A societal perspective of sport: scale development in two settings

Sport scholars have been challenged to critically examine what constitutes distinctive areas of focus for the management of sport. Among these areas, the role of sport in society has been identified as a critical area of inquiry to derive this distinctiveness (Coalter, 2007; Zeigler, 2007). Due to the importance and pervasiveness of sport participation and sport spectating in society, an examination of these settings from a societal perspective is warranted. The purpose of the research was to construct and empirically test scales designed to explore sport participation and sport spectating contexts from a societal perspective. Sport participants (n = 720) and sport spectators (n = 451) completed adapted instruments based on the initial scale development work of Kang (2004). For both contexts, an examination of the psychometric properties revealed evidence of reliability and validity of the modified instruments. Perceptions of the dimensions differed between the sport participation and sport spectating setting. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Sport Fans and Their Behavior in Fan Communities

Understanding why sport fans socially interact with other fans, participate in team-related discussions, recruit new members, and retain other fans in sport fan communities is a key issue in sport marketing. This conceptual paper suggests that three antecedents (brand equity, consumers’ perceptions of team sponsored fan appreciation events, and perceived rituals and traditions) influence sport consumers’ identification with the fan community that in turn affects four community-related behaviors (fan community engagement, enhanced product use, member responsibility, and positive word-of-mouth). Sport fans will form fan community identification either because of formally organized elements (brand equity and brandfest activities) or because of less formal elements (rituals and traditions). Furthermore, the potential effects of fan community identification on the four community-related behaviors are proposed. Describing a model of fan community identification, the authors develop research propositions regarding the antecedents and consequences of fan community identification.

Identities in the Sport Workplace: Development of an Instrument to Measure Sport Employee Identification

Abstract Social identity theory (SIT) has proven to be a popular topic of discourse in academia. Scholars in the field of sport management have predominantly focused on team identification and how sport fans align with their favorite teams. However, recent developments have explored how sport employees identify with their sport organizations. To date, the maturation of theory involving sport employee identification (SEI) has only reached the conceptual stage. This study is intended to fill the void in the literature by creating a psychometric instrument to specifically measure SEI. The results indicate that SEI is a composite of two distinct but related factors, named sport affinity and collective enhancement. The instrument was subjected to and passed various reliability and validity tests. The appropriateness of using team identification variables to measure sport employees’ social identities is also discussed. Lastly, theoretical and practical implications for the use of the instrument are provided.

Steeler Nation in the Midwest: Exploring Membership Benefits of an Out-of-Market Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club

Abstract Out-of-market sport fans are of great importance to teams as their league’s television deals have become such a large part of their revenue. However, most previous research has focused on local sport fans and have neglected to examine these important out-of-market fans. To address this gap, the authors utilized qualitative methods, including interviews and general observations to explore the benefits out-of-market Pittsburgh Steelers fans received from participating in a fan club. It was found that participation in this group improved fans’ overall well-being, enhanced their fandom, and allowed them to promote and discuss the club with other Steelers fans. These findings are among the first to indicate out-of-market fans may receive benefits similar to those of local fans. The results have theoretical implications as they extend this emerging line of research and practical implication as sport teams should cater to their out-of-market fans.

Investigating the Differences in Twitter Content and Effectiveness Between Individual and Team Sport Athletes

While the existing literature has categorized Twitter conversations and examined gender differences in professional athletes’ online self-presentation initiatives, researchers have neglected to examine the differences in Twitter presentation between individual and team sport athletes. This study examined the differences in self-promotional content and effectiveness of Twitter activity between individual and team sport athletes. The authors utilized content analysis to categorize Twitter activity while a comparison not only between different types of athletes but also within categories was conducted by analyzing composite variables. While the findings confirmed the existence of content contrasts in the promotional category, no significant differences were observed in the remaining tweet categories. The analysis of fan perceptions identified team athlete tweets as more effective aside from the promotional category. Independently, the professional category was found to be most effective amongst team athlete tweets, while the athlete exchange category was deemed most effective amongst individual athlete tweets. The current study contributed to the understanding of self-promotional tactics utilized by two categories of athletes (i.e., individual and team) through the investigation of content of tweets and fan perception analysis. Key implications for the academic field and the sport marketing industry and recommendations for future research were discussed.

Bridging the gap between social media and behavioral brand loyalty

Abstract Integrating several streams of theoretical reasoning such as social identity theory and customer engagement theory, this study examines the relationship between consumer responses in social media networks and behavioral brand loyalty in the context of Japanese professional sports: football and baseball. Data were collected from 309 panel registrants of an online research panel service. Based on the analysis, user characteristics as an opinion seeker and the entertainment value of social media pages were found to positively influence online brand community identification which in turn had a positive effect on brand-related social media engagement. Further, brand-related social media engagement and team identification, a type of consumer-brand identification, simultaneously affected behavioral brand loyalty. The theoretical model and results reinforced the importance of brand-related social media engagement toward behavioral brand loyalty, and added new insights into the antecedents of consumer engagement in the brand-related use of social media.

Antecedents and consequences of sponsor-stadium fit: Empirical evidence from a non-historic stadium context in Japan

Purpose Integrating several streams of theoretical reasoning such as social identity theory, congruity theory and the customer gratitude approach, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model of the antecedents and consequences of sponsor-stadium fit and examine the hypothesised relationships. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from professional football spectators in a non-historic stadium context (n=342). Through a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, the authors assessed the antecedents and consequences of sponsor-stadium fit. Findings Based on the results, team identification and prior sponsor attitude were found to be the dominant factors in enhancing sponsor-stadium fit. Furthermore, the indirect effects of team identification on purchase intentions through sponsor-stadium fit and gratitude towards the sponsor were positive and significant. Research limitations/implications When renaming non-historic stadiums of relatively new sport teams, sponsors that present a team-related brand identity can create a preference and image fit with stadiums. The findings serve to advance the literature on stadium sponsorship particularly at non-historic stadiums. Originality/value In its conceptualisation of sponsor-stadium fit, the current study extends previous research that has focused primarily on sponsor-event fit.