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Abstract
Fans are the significant foundation of the spectator sports industry. Loyal fans ensure stable market income and stimulate the economic benefits of peripheral sports goods. Thus, obtaining loyal fans is crucial to the sustainable operations of a team in the spectator sports industry. This study examined the influence of spectator motivation and team identification on the team loyalty and switching intention of sports fans using a 2×2 experimental design. The results revealed that team identification exerts significant main effects on loyalty and switching intention, but spectator motivation does not have significant main effects on loyalty and switching intention. Furthermore, significant interaction effects exist between spectator motivation and team identification with regard to team loyalty and switching intention.
Among fans with self-esteem spectator motivation, those with high team identification are considerably more loyal than those with low team identification. However, among fans with entertainment spectator motivation, team identification does not have a significant impact on loyalty. With regard to switching intention, among fans with self-esteem spectator motivation, those with low team identification have significantly greater switching intention than those with high team identification. Also, among fans with entertainment spectator motivation, those with low team identification also have significantly greater switching intention than those with high team identification.
Keywords: Sports Spectator, Motivation, Identification, Fans' Loyalty, Switching Intention.
Introduction
As the sports industry continues to flourish around the world, sports marketing has become indispensable. Fans of spectator sports often become loyal customers. Loyalty towards a team brand can ensure stable market income and can promote the marketing of sports peripheral goods. Thus, professional knowledge and skills in marketing are requirements for a successful leader in the modern sports industry. An individual's motivation to watch sports varies with his or her lifestyle. Spectators watch games due to the uncertainty of their results, entertainment effects that exceed the competition level, the skill displayed by the players, the joy shared by the winners, or other reasons19.
A further exploration of the literature indicates that spectators or fans watch games for a variety of reasons1,10,13,47. These motives, which vary from person to person, are associated with personal needs such as escape, pressure relief, and entertainment value. These motives may be social, in that they strengthen family ties or group relationships;...