http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2440-5523
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ABSTRACT
The current study examined fan evaluations of Major League Baseball team performance for a previous season as well as predictions of, and consumption expectations for, an upcoming season. With respect to evaluations of the recently completed season, appraisals were positively predicted by team identification, actual wins, and the number of playoff series played; evaluations were negatively predicted by simply making the playoffs. As for expectations for the next season, evaluations of the previous season, team identification, and actual wins were key predictors as those with more positive evaluations, higher levels of identification, and rooting for teams with fewer wins expected better performances from their team. Regarding consumption, team identification and expectations for the upcoming year were frequent predictors of a variety of consumption forms (e.g. attendance at home games, television viewing).
本项研究调查了球迷对美国职业棒球大联盟球队上个赛季表现的评估, 对下个赛季球队表现的预测以及对下个赛季的消费预期。就最近刚刚结束的赛季的评估来看, 球队认同感、获胜场数、所打的季后赛数量会对评估产生积极影响; 仅仅获得季后赛席位会对评估产生消极影响。同时, 上个赛季的评估、球队认同感和获胜场数都是影响球迷对下一个赛季期望值高低的关键因素。也就是说, 那些为球队做出了更多积极的评估, 有着更深的球队认同感, 支持着获胜场数少的队伍的球迷们期待他们所支持的球队会有更好的表现。在消费方面, 球队认同感和对球队下一赛季的期望值是影响各种消费方式 (如, 去现场观看主场比赛还是通过电视观看比赛) 的常见因素。
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. We had hoped to examine the impact of a participant's team reaching and winning the World Series as predictors of Evaluations of 2014 Season, Expectations for 2015 Season, and consumption. However, very few participants (n = 16) listed a favorite MLB team who had reached the World Series (i.e. the San Francisco Giants or the Kansas City Royals) and even fewer (n = 12) listed the World Series winner (Giants). This is likely a consequence of the geographic locations in which the multi-university sample was acquired (i.e. none of the universities were in or near San Francisco or Kansas City). Thus, it was not appropriate to include these variables on the regression analyses below. However, to at least minimally investigate those issues we conducted a pair of Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA) in which we examined differences in Evaluations of 2014 Season, Expectations for 2015 Season, and consumption types for persons supporting teams that did or did not reach the World Series (MANOVA 1) and those supporting teams that did or did not win the World Series (MANOVA 2). For MANOVA 1, a team multivariate main effect was found, Wilks’ Lambda F(7, 424) = 7.79, p < .001. Follow-up univariate analyses found that persons whose favorite team had played in the World Series reported more positive Evaluations of 2014 Season (M = 30.00, SD = 4.53), more positive Expectations for 2015 Season (M = 21.56, SD = 3.41), were more likely to attend an away game (M = 3.50, SD = 2.83), and were more likely to purchase team memorabilia (M = 5.88, SD = 1.96) than were persons whose favored team had not participated in the World Series (Evaluations of 2014 Season M = 17.83, SD = 7.13, p < .001; Expectations for 2015 Season M = 17.01, SD = 5.42, p = .001; attend away game M = 2.33, SD = 1.87, p < .02; purchase team memorabilia M = 4.11, SD = 2.46, p < .01). For MANOVA 2, the team multivariate main effect was again significant, Wilks’ Lambda F(7, 424) = 6.01, p < .001. Univariate analyses revealed that participants whose favorite team had won the World Series reported more positive Evaluations of 2014 Season (M = 29.33, SD = 5.11), more positive Expectations for 2015 Season (M = 20.83, SD = 3.66), and were more likely to purchase team memorabilia (M = 5.58, SD = 1.98) than were persons whose favored team had not won the World Series (Evaluations of 2014 Season M = 17.97, SD = 7.23, p < .001; Expectations for 2015 Season M = 17.07, SD = 5.43, p < .02; purchase team memorabilia M = 4.14, SD = 2.47, p < .05). These figures and analyses should be interpreted with caution due to the low numbers of persons supporting teams who had reached and/or won the World Series.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Daniel L. Wann
Daniel L. Wann (PhD, University of Kansas) is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Murray State University. Dr Wann's research interests include the psychology of sport fandom with a particular focus on team identification and the relationship between fandom and social psychological health.
Frederick G. Grieve
Frederick G. Grieve (PhD, University of Memphis) is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Western Kentucky University. Dr Grieve's research interests include sport fan behavior and issues surrounding male body image.
Cody T. Havard
Cody T. Havard (PhD, University of Northern Colorado) is an assistant professor in the Sport and Leisure Commerce at University of Memphis. Dr Havard's research interests involve fan and consumer behavior, with a specific focus on how fans perceive rival teams.
Ryan K. Zapalac
Ryan K. Zapalac (PhD, University of Houston) is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Sam Houston State University. Dr Zapalac's research interests include sport fan behaviors, sport marketing, and collegiate athletics.
Ted B. Peetz
Ted B. Peetz (PhD, University of Nevada, Las Vegas) is an assistant professor in the Department of Sport Science at Belmont University. Dr Peetz's research interests include celebrity athlete endorsers, fandom, and consumer behavior.
Jason Lanter
Jason Lanter (PhD, Miami University) is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Kutztown University. Dr Lanter's research interests include the attitudes and behaviors of sport fans, academic identity and motivation in college students, and social roles for men and women.