Symbiotic Relationship Between Sport Media Consumption and Spectatorship: The Role of Flow Experience and Hedonic Need Fulfillment

Abstract

When it comes to the relationship between sport media consumption (SMC) and sporting event attendance, two contradicting notions have been dominant: symbiosis vs. competition. With a focus on consumers’ hedonic need fulfillment and the psychological concept of flow experience, the current study examined whether SMC stimulates spectatorship (symbiotic relationship). Specifically, we aimed to examine the impact of a personal factor (team identification) and a situational factor (perceived team performance) on flow experience and how the flow experience drives attendance intention through hedonic need fulfillment. Data on 386 sport media consumers who watched a 2014 World Cup match on television were collected and analyzed for the study. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that both team identification and perceived team performance positively influenced flow experience, which in turn significantly influenced future spectatorship intention through hedonic need fulfillment. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.

体育媒体消费与观看的共生关系:流动体验与享乐需要满足的角色

当谈到体育媒体消费(SMC)与体育赛事出席率之间的关系时, 有两个矛盾的概念占据主导地位:共生与竞争。本研究以消费者的享乐需求满足和流动体验的心理概念为重点, 考察SMC是否刺激共生关系。具体来说, 我们的目标是检验个人因素(团队认同)和情境因素(感知团队绩效)对流动体验的影响, 以及流动体验如何通过享乐需求的满足来驱动出勤意愿。该研究收集并分析了386名在电视上观看2014年世界杯比赛的体育媒体消费者的数据。结构方程建模(SEM)分析结果表明, 团队认同和团队感知绩效都对流动体验有正向影响, 而这又通过享乐需求的满足显著影响了未来的观观意愿。讨论了研究结果的理论和管理意义。

Keywords:

• Sport media consumption
• spectatorship
• flow experience
• hedonic needs
• team identification

Keywords:

• 关键词:体育媒体消费;于;流经验;享乐的需要;团队识别

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on Contributors

Daehwan Kim (Ph.D., University of Florida, U.S.) is a Visiting Scholar in Institute of Sport Science at Seoul National University, Korea. Dr. Kim’s research interests include optimal experiences in sport media consumption and sport consumers’ information processing and judgment in the context of sponsorship and endorsement.

Amy Chan Hyung Kim (Ph.D., The Ohio State University, U.S.) is an Assistant Professor in Department of Sport Management at Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA. Dr. Kim’s research interests include dynamics of organizational structures, strategic network management in sport events, and Knowledge development in the field of sport management.

Jeeyoon Kim (Ph.D., Florida State University, U.S.) is an Assistant Professor in Department of Sport Management at Syracuse University, Syracuse, USA. Dr. Kim’s research agenda is anchored on the impact of sporting events on local communities and event consumers.

Yong Jae Ko (Ph.D., The Ohio State University, U.S.) is a Professor in Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management at University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. Dr. Ko’s primary research interest is sport consumers’ decision-making process, focused on their socio-psychological variables such as personality, needs/motivation, and attachment.