Contents for SMQ Issue 19:2
| Industry Insider: John Fisher, p. 63-66 Authors: Jim Kadlecek |
| Abstract: An interview with John Fisher, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service for the Arizona Diamondbacks. |
| Affinity and Affiliation: The Dual-Carriage Way to Team Identification, p. 67-77 Authors: Mark P. Pritchard, Jeff Stinson, and Elizabeth Patton |
| Abstract: This study examines if fan identification with a sports team is established through two similar yet distinct psychological processes: affinity and affiliation. The brand personality literature indicates consumers build an affinity with brands, or in this case teams, whose image is congruent with their own personality. On the other hand, consumers affiliate with and become attached to organizations they feel emulate and share their values. The current study examines the relative contribution team affinity and organizational affiliation, with the sponsoring university, play in forming student identification with an intercollegiate football team. Path analysis results confirm a proposed dual carriageway model but report the stronger role of affiliation in the context of college sports. Identification with a team was supported as a significant driver of fan intentions to attend games. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. |
| Participants’ Service Quality Perceptions of Fantasy Sports Websites: The Relationship Between Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Attitude, and Actual Usage, p. 78-87 Authors: Young Ik Suh and Paul M. Pedersen |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine participants’ perceptions of the service quality of fantasy sports websites and to understand the relationship between service quality, satisfaction, attitude, and actual usage associated with the websites. Furthermore, this study compared the proposed service-quality model with a rival model to examine the role of satisfaction and attitude as mediating variables. The proposed service quality measure consisted of four perceived service quality dimensions (i.e., ease of use, trust, content, and appearance). A convenience sample of 279 participants was collected from message board users of four fantasy sports websites (i.e., ESPN.com Fantasy Games, Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, FOX Fantasy Sports, and NFL Events: Fantasy Sports). Structural analysis revealed that satisfaction and attitude acted as mediating variables connecting service quality and actual usage of fantasy sports websites. These results are discussed and the study’s theoretical and practical sport marketing implications are detailed. |
| Perceived Motivations for Corporate Suite Ownership in the ‘Big Four’ Leagues, p. 88-96 Authors: Peter Titlebaum and Heather Lawrence |
| Abstract: Selling luxury suite inventory is a priority for professional sport organizations, yet little is known about the motivations of those who purchase suites. There are 12,400 luxury suites in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL (Association of Luxury Suite Directors, 2009) accounting for over $600 million in gross revenues (Lee & Chun, 2002). In the current recession, selling suites is a challenge as many corporate suite clients are leery of the public perception of owning a suite and are being held more accountable for spending than ever before. This study sought to gain a better understanding of how luxury suite sales professionals perceive their corporate client motivations for purchasing and renewal as well as to explore similarities and differences between the “big four” leagues. Results indicated that there are few differences between leagues and that relationships between the team and the suite client are critical to selling suites and retaining corporate clients. |
| Rival Salience and Sport Team Identification, p. 97-106 Authors: Tara B. Luellen and Daniel L. Wann |
| Abstract: Team identification has been defined as an individual’s psychological connection to a team (Wann, 2006). Outgroup or rival team salience is the awareness of a specified outgroup or rival team, and its impact on team identification was explored in this series of studies. In the first study (N = 143), participants viewed either a neutral sports video or a rival team highlight video. A repeated measures ANOVA was performed and supported the hypothesis that a salient rival team would increase identification. The second study (N = 67) examined the impact of a researcher wearing either a rival team shirt or a neutral sporting brand shirt on identification. The univariate analysis of variance did not reveal any identification differences between the two shirt conditions. In the final study (N = 163), participants’ identification was again assessed at two points in time: prior to and after watching a neutral campus tour video or a rival team’s campus tour video. Consistent with the findings of Study 2, the repeated measures ANOVA showed no differences in identification between the two conditions. Taken as a whole, the three studies suggest that rival team salience can lead to an increase in sport team identification, but only when the specific domain of the team (i.e., the team itself) is made salient. The major implications for this research applies to sport marketers and involves ways to increase sport consumption, including increasing team identification in locations that would likely lead to consumption, and the impact that joint efforts in marketing teams could have in reference to game attendance and team-related merchandise purchases. |
| Sport Lotteries: The Professional Sports Leagues take on the State of Delaware, Again!, p. 107-109 Authors: Anita M. Moorman |
| Abstract: The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) prohibits state lotteries that employ a wagering scheme related to the outcome of sports contests (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, 2010). Four states (Oregon, Nevada, Delaware, and Montana) which had operated sports betting schemes before the passage of PASPA were provided a limited exemption from PASPA. PASPA “grandfathered” gambling schemes in these states “to the extent that the scheme was conducted by that State” between 1976 and 1990. Following the passage of PASPA, only two states, Nevada and Oregon, still actively continued wagering on sporting events (Levinson, 2006). |
| Understanding the Legacies of a Host Olympic City: The Case of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, p. 110-117 Authors: Kiki Kaplanidou and Kostas Karadakis |
| Abstract: The Olympic Games is the world’s largest and most complex sporting event to host and manage. Such an endeavor is linked with significant public expenditure, the building of facilities and infrastructure, urban rejuvenation, and revival objectives, which can have favorable or unfavorable lasting consequences for public stakeholders (Horne, 2007). Public stakeholders (e.g., residents, local business owners, and tourists) are some of the numerous stakeholders involved with the Olympic Games. Other stakeholders include the federal, state, or provincial governments, sport and tourism organizations, volunteer organizations, and the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. Officials from each host city strive to host the best games possible, envisioning the longevity of positive impacts. |
