Search

Purpose: This study aims to identify an automated machine learning algorithm with high accuracy that sport practitioners can use to identify the specific factors for predicting Major League Baseball (MLB) attendance. Furthermore, by predicting spectators for each league (American League and National League) and division in MLB, the authors will identify the specific factors that increase accuracy, discuss them and provide implications for marketing strategies for academics and practitioners in sport. Design/methodology/approach: This study used six years of daily MLB game data (2014–2019). All data were collected as predictors, such as game performance, weather and unemployment rate. Also, the attendance rate was obtained as an observation variable. The Random Forest, Lasso regression models and XGBoost were used to build the prediction model, and the analysis was conducted using Python 3.7. Findings: The RMSE value was 0.14, and the R2 was 0.62 as a consequence of fine-tuning the tuning parameters of the XGBoost model, which had the best performance in forecasting the attendance rate. The most influential variables in the model are “Rank” of 0.247 and “Day of the week”, “Home team” and “Day/Night game” were shown as influential variables in order. The result was shown that the “Unemployment rate”, as a macroeconomic factor, has a value of 0.06 and weather factors were a total value of 0.147. Originality/value: This research highlights unemployment rate as a determinant affecting MLB game attendance rates. Beyond contextual elements such as climate, the findings of this study underscore the significance of economic factors, particularly unemployment rates, necessitating further investigation into these factors to gain a more comprehensive understanding of game attendance.

Abstract:The fantasy sport industry has experienced substantial growth, with a value of $22.3 billion in 2021 (Research and Markets, 2021), which has facilitated an increase in both fantasy sport participation and media-content consumption. With the sustained growth across these two areas, fantasy sport participants are relying on a key stakeholder in the industry for information across a number of communication media: fantasy sport analysts. To date, limited research has investigated the role of these analysts within fantasy sport, especially in the context of the motivations that influence participants to engage with these key stakeholders. Therefore, using the uses and gratifications (U&G) theoretical foundation, the current study examined which participation motivations have a direct effect in driving fantasy football participants to identify fantasy football analysts for information consumption. Through a questionnaire, the results found that competition and financial outcomes had a strong positive relationship with analyst selection, while social interaction yielded a moderate relationship. Entertainment, however, demonstrated no relationship with the reliance on fantasy sport analysts. This research helps advance the understanding of U&G within the fantasy sport context and provides a guidepost for analysts looking to meet the specific needs of participants relying on them for content.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to propose and empirically test a sport spectator behavioral model. The model presented here is a micro-level perspective of value creation in the context of live sporting events. This study used directional hypotheses to compare the influence of different value dimensions on specific customer behaviors in the setting of North American professional sport. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine path coefficients for the hypothesized relationships in the model. Organization-related value propositions were found to be stronger predictors of perceived economic, hedonic, and social value. One exception to this was customer density, which negatively impacted certain value perceptions. The hedonic value was found to have the strongest influence on customer in-role and extra-role behavior. The behavioral model tested here can be used in future studies to examine how sport organizations and their customers can create value in the live event setting and how the roles performed by each stakeholder influence future behavior. Findings suggest there are several actions marketers and managers can take to increase customer perceived value and prompt spectators to attend future events or act as advocates for the organization.

The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model for identifying the factors of e-service quality (e-SQ) and for investigating the impact of team identification, e-SQ and satisfaction on behavioural intention to revisit sports websites. The proposed conceptual framework includes five service quality factors of sports websites (usability, privacy, reliability, information, appearance). Based on the previous literature in the areas of e-SQ and team identification, this study attempts to develop a model to better understand the relationships between each construct. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results with a convenience sample of 409 college students reveal that team identification has a positive and significant effect on e-SQ, satisfaction and revisitation. In addition, satisfaction is found to be a mediator between e-SQ and revisitation. Keywords e-service quality (e-SQ) team identification sports websites Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), Executive summary With the emergence of new technologies, the importance of e-service quality is being emphasised by sports marketing practitioners, who are focusing their efforts on improving how sports fans [...]

The study advances brand association research into participatory sports (i.e. fitness) by examining health club related dimensions and extending research into the United States (US). Data were collected from health club members (n = 148) at a branded US fitness facility. Factor and regression analyses used specified brand association dimensions and revealed a predictive model of brand loyalty. Findings and discussions will assist fitness managers in brand-building, marketing strategies and member retention. Keywords brand association brand loyalty sports industry fitness segment health clubs membership retention, Peer reviewed Executive summary This study advances brand association research into participatory sports (i.e the fitness or health club segment of the sports industry). It does so by extending the [...]

Abstract The PGA Tour/Tiger Woods golf series was examined for brand and product placement and found to have 2,100 identifiable brand images, with all but one occurring in the final [...]

Abstract This study involved analysis of the consumption behaviours of spectators in the K-League (South Korea). Its dual purpose was to cluster spectators into homogeneous groups on the basis of [...]

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the presence of gender-biased or stereotypical coverage in the written and photographic newspaper reporting of interscholastic sports. Over a one-year timeframe, [...]

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to assess the status of Twitter usage on attracting the public’s attention with regard to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) as compared to the Olympic Games (OG). Associated tweets were collected and analyzed to determine whether retweets, likes, and hashtags of tweets differed by event (YOG or OG), by event year (2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016), or by timeframe (before, during, and after the major sporting events). Using the Python programming language, this study extracted data (i.e., tweets, retweets, likes, and hashtags) during the three timeframes across the eight mega-sporting events. Findings from this study have implications for the analytical development of social media usage by sport organizations and provide a better understanding of social media platforms in the context of mega-sporting events.

AbstractAttendance data in sports leagues are organized at more than one level and thus are nested data with factors varying by individual games (e.g. single game attendance figure), which are nested within the factors varying by teams (e.g. local population and income level, stadium). Such a nested data structure requires a multilevel modeling approach for an accurate examination of attendance. Also, although the previous application of multilevel modeling to sport attendance research has been limited to the data aggregated and averaged by seasons or by teams, no multilevel modeling of attendance data at the individual game level is available. The uniqueness of the current study is its extension of the multilevel modeling approach by analyzing the audience data at the individual game level. Thus, this study examined the relationship between attendance determinants and single game attendance in a Major League Baseball (MLB) season by using multilevel modeling with 14 game level variables and 12 team level variables. Twelve predictors (e.g. home/visiting team playoff appearances, day of game, season progress, ticket price, stadium capacity, game uncertainty) significantly (p < .05) influenced attendance.

In their examiniation of written and photographic newspaper reporting of interscholastic sports, Pedersen and Whisenant (2003) determined the existence of hegemonic masculinity within the sports pages of the Florida print [...]

Abstract:Limited research has analyzed the reduction of youth aggression via the appropriate use of nonviolent mediated sports programming. Therefore, the current study cross-culturally examined the impact of nonviolent mediated sports content integrated within violent content on youth aggression, employing a 2 (level of media violence) × 2 (gender) × 2 (country) repeated-factorial design. Based on excitation-transfer theory, it was hypothesized that nonviolent sports media would have a positive impact on aggression reduction and that gender and trait aggressiveness would mediate the relationship between stimuli and aggressive behavior. A significant decrease in the level of aggressive behavior was found in the nonviolent condition. Moreover, gender and trait aggressiveness played significant roles on aggressive behavior, while the impact varied as a function of cultural difference.

Abstract:The purpose of this study was to develop a gratification model to encompass the motivations and usage patterns involved with sport team mobile apps. The hypotheses were tested by a structural equation modeling with single-group and multiple-group (i.e., age and gender) levels. The results indicated that of the 11 motivational factors, seven (i.e., Information Seeking, Convenience, Economic Incentives, Entertainment, Fantasy, Curiosity, and Parasocial) directly influenced Continuance Intention. The findings also revealed some moderating effects—exerting the relationship between motivations and continuance intention—by gender and age. Moreover, as many sport scholars (e.g., Robinson & Trail, 2005) have pointed out the different motivational drivers between different leagues (e.g., National Football League vs. Major League Soccer), a multiple-group factor analysis in the current study also demonstrated that there were significant mean differences among the two groups. The study results shed light on what specific gratifications (i.e., utilitarian, hedonic, and social) users obtain via sport team mobile apps by conducting a first-second factor analysis—integrating a hierarchical concept of sport team app motivations. Overall, the model of sport team mobile apps proposed in this study can be used by sport marketing professionals to assist in enhancing more customer-oriented information systems (IS) for increased sport media consumption.

This study examined the social media interactions between online stakeholders and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and the Olympic Games (OG). The investigation observed what type of users exist as network members within the organisations' social networks (i.e., Twitter), analysed the network structures as they relate to the users engaged with the organisations, and mapped the network members and their online relationships to reveal how the network formations facilitate the social media interactions. Python was used to mine the data and create adjacency metrics and UCINET 6.627 and NetDraw were utilised for analytical procedures and visual representations of the networks. Key findings revealed that for the YOG there has been an evolution with regard to the structure and complexity of the network and that national sport organisations made up one of the key stakeholders for the YOG in comparison to other key stakeholders (e.g., media, Olympians, celebrities) for the OG.

Abstract:While research has revealed the important role of television commentators in sports broadcasts, no model has been established that comprehensively examines the relationship between sports commentary, audience perceptions, and consumption behavior (e.g., re-viewing intentions). Thus, the current study tested a conceptual model to better explain commentary and its relationship with audience perceptions (i.e., perceived quality and satisfaction) and future intentions. This study included data from a convenience sample of 80 undergraduate students from physical activity courses at a large private university in Seoul, Korea. In order to test the model, two commentary experimental conditions (i.e., color commentary and objective commentary) were employed and analyzed through structural equation modeling (sem). The findings suggest that color commentary significantly increases audience enjoyment and re-viewing intentions. Also, the findings of the study imply that audiences who are satisfied with the quality of the broadcast showed greater likelihood of reconsuming the televised sports program. The results of this investigation add to the body of knowledge in sports communication as well as highlight the significant role of sports commentators and the relationships between commentary, perceived quality, satisfaction, and re-viewing intentions.

This Twitter Research Forum essay by International Journal of Sport Communication(IJSC) Editor and leading strategic sport media scholar Paul Pedersen provides an important perspective on the challenges encountered by scholarly journals to the rise of interest in social media and sport. Using metrics on the content of articles published in IJSC, Pedersen notes publications concerning social media and sport have now reached parity with research on legacy media in electronic and print forms. Pedersen observes that because social media data are often readily available, scholars can quickly produce social media thematic/content analyses and surveys and that these are less taxing and time consuming when compared to other methods appropriate to studying other topics. This has resulted in a seeming avalanche of social media and sport submissions and raises questions about whether journals focused exclusively on digital media and sport are needed. The rise in submissions has presented challenges in selecting appropriate reviewers and raised risks of an academic groupthink within delimited quarters of the sport communication academic community. The essay closes with suggestions for research on sport and social media to advance its agenda to inquiry that is more innovative, rigorous, substantive, and significant.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships promoted by professional athletes on Twitter utilizing the theoretical framework of parasocial interaction (PSI). Specifically, this study was a content analysis that examined professional athlete tweets in order to determine whether they predominately promoted social or parasocial relationships. The study also explored with whom athletes were engaging in social interaction as well as the topic of each tweet. The data revealed that professional athletes promoted both parasocial and social relationships equally. When they chose to be social, athletes were communicating with lay people and other professional and college athletes. Most athlete tweets were either general statements or insights into their personal lives. The implications of these and other findings will be discussed further.

Although Twitter is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the sport industry, few studies have examined how Twitter messages influence sport fans' perception levels. To examine the effects of Twitter messages and user sources, a 2 (message valences: positive or negative toward the referee's decision) × 2 (user sources: professional or non-professional) between-subjects design was employed. The results of the analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed that Twitter messages had significant effects on sport fans' information processing. However, there were no significant user source effects on source evaluation. Professional sport journalists and non-professional writers were perceived to be equally reliable and likeable. Moreover, sport fans' cognition levels were differently shaped by types of message. Induced attitudes by the messages were transferred to the related topics.

In this essay, Paul M. Pedersen provides a personal reflection on communication and sport and examines the area of strategic communication and management. His assessment begins with an overview of the growth and significance of the sport industry and communication’s ubiquitous and influential roles within it. In tracing his scholarly journey, Pedersen comes to see communication as an essential element in the sport industry, whether viewed from individualistic, organizational, or sport-specific perspectives. The focus section in this essay examines research on the Strategic Sport Communication Model (SSCM) and its usefulness in categorizing and operationalizing the field from a strategic management perspective. Using the SSCM as the guide, this reflection provides examples of sport communication research focused on each of the model’s three components. The reflection concludes with an analysis of future research opportunities, particularly opportunities to explore strategic decisions and effectiveness in the sport industry’s use of new/social media. Pedersen concludes that a key to developing best communication practices will be a research agenda that more fully contextualizes strategic communication and management in the sport marketplace.

Abstract:Cette étude a examiné comment les loisirs sérieux, les différences individuelles, le contexte social et l’emplacement contribuent aux expériences de flux – un état psychologique intense – dans la vie quotidienne des adultes plus âgés. La Méthode d’échantillonnage a été utilisée avec 19 adultes plus âgés dans une ville du Midwest des États-Unis. L’expérience de flux a été la mesure des résultats, et les données ont été analysées à l’aide de la modélisation linéaire hiérarchique. Les résultats ont indiqué que la localité et le statut de l’emploi ont influencé l’expérience de flux des sujets. En outre, les conclusions ont révélé que la retraite était négativement liée à la rencontre de flux, et qu’il y avait une association significative entre le domicile et l’expérience de flux. Les résultats de cette étude améliorent la compréhension des expériences de flux dans la vie quotidienne des adultes plus âgés. Abstract:This study examined how serious leisure, individual differences, social context, and location contribute to older adults’ experiences of flow – an intense psychological state – in their daily lives. The Experience Sampling Method was used with 19 older adults in a Midwestern city in the United States. Experience of flow was the outcome measure, and the data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated that location and employment status influenced the subjects’ flow experience. Furthermore, the findings revealed that retirement was negatively related to experiencing flow, and there was a significant association between home and the flow experience. The results of this study enhance the understanding of flow experiences in the everyday lives of older adults.

This content analysis examined the coverage of Tiger Woods' endorsement of Nike products in the first 203 issues of ESPN The Magazine. The results revealed that more than 40% of the issues included at least one photograph of Woods' endorsing a Nike product. Nike logos appeared 241 times in numerous locations, sizes, and settings. Collectively, this coverage provides significant added value to Nike's contract with Woods.

Developing a loyal and devoted base of fans is a primary goal of professional sport organisations. To assist in developing a fan base, sport organisations need to determine which socialisation agent is the most influential for their fans. Therefore, through the use of a consumer socialisation perspective this study investigated the factors that influence the fan loyalty of Korean teens. Of the 525 participants in this study, 78.6% (n = 383) of them were found as loyal fans. This study found that television exerted the greatest influence. Results of ANOVA revealed that the influence of the socialisation agents differed according to certain demographic backgrounds (i.e., gender, age) of the teenagers. The marketers of sport organisations may utilise the findings of this study to develop more effective strategies to build fan loyalty from teenagers in Korea.

This study examined 152 articles devoted to female tennis players competing in the 2000 Wimbledon Championships in The Times, Daily Mail, and The Sun, covering a 17-day period that coincided with the Wimbledon Championships fortnight. Based upon the theoretical framework of gender power relations, a qualitative textual analysis methodology was used to reveal recurring themes within the dominant discourse about female tennis players. Results indicate the narratives used by the predominantly male journalists devalued, marginalised, and trivialised the athleticism of the female tennis players. The British newspapers seemed equally infatuated with Anna Kournikova, who was portrayed as a kind of sporting Lolita, and her hyper-feminine peers, the 'heterosexual honeys'. In contrast, Serena and Venus Williams – the 'Amazons' – were subjected to racial bigotry. The racial distinctions suggested that the hegemonic standard of the media was a favourable bias towards White female athletes. The sociological implications of such coverage of professional female tennis players are also discussed.

Studying sport in the academia has been in existence for several decades. The educational pursuits in sport have been rooted in such disciplines as history, management, sociology, marketing, organisational behaviour, and law. Communication is another of these established academic disciplines upon which the study of sport has been juxtaposed. One way for the intersection of sport and communication – sport communication – to continue to grow as its own academic discipline is through defining the field itself. Therefore, this analysis proposes a unified definition for the academic study of sport communication and examines the unique and integrated elements involved. Such a definitional inquiry assists in the development of the disciplinary parameters and research possibilities of the field of sport communication.

The purpose of this study was to examine the contents of the literature published in the Journal of Sports Economics (JSE), the first academic journal exclusively focused on the economics of sport. Content analysis methodology was used to examine every journal issue (N= 10) published from the inaugural issue in 2000 through the second issue in 2002. Collectively, the 10 issues yielded 55 articles representing the work of 77 authors (95.3% male, 4.7% female). The majority of the articles reviewed were quantitative (94.1%), and the preferred statistical methodology utilized was regression analysis (64%). The highest percentages of articles focused on team performance and payrolls (20%) as well as labor market research (12.9%). Additional content areas analyzed in this study included measures related to editor, reviewers, authors, sport industry segmentation, gender, scholarly productivity, geographical and institutional makeup, and professional level. Findings and implications are discussed.

This study analyzed the amount of coverage for high school athletics in 43 newspapers with small circulation by devoting 40% of their interscholastic athletics coverage to girls in athletics, printed significantly more articles about girls' athletics than did the newspapers with medium (33%) or large (32%) circulation. Therefore, the smaller the newspaper circulation, the more equitable the coverage of athletics for girls and boys. This finding was consistent with some prior work but not all.

Examination of the surgical techniques for adenotonsillectomy, as described in the medical literature during the past 75 years, discloses that adenoidectomy has received somewhat less than adequate attention. The methods of tonsillectomy, as well as the technique of most surgeons, may vary from personal preference, but, generally speaking, they accomplish a satisfactory result. In the past decade this slight has been partially corrected by recognition of adenoidectomy as a somewhat more than trivial procedure and in many cases deserving of equal if not more attention than tonsillectomy.The Byzantine period1 of medical history produced a record of perhaps the earliest attempt to perform an adenoidectomy. Paul of Aegina (A. D. 625-690) wrote in Greek, while in Alexandria in A. D. 640, of treatment of projections in the nasal space and upper throat area.2 He advocated passing a ligature through a tube into the nose and pulling the end

The present study analyzed the amount of photographic coverage devoted to high school athletics over 1 year. Previous research pertaining to sex differences in newspaper coverage of sports has focused on the amount of written coverage given. Present findings indicated that, as with written coverage given female athletes, photographic coverage differed significantly by newspaper circulation. Specifically, the larger the newspaper circulation, the more inequitable the photographic coverage of high school athletics was for girls.

The article presents the authors' insights on the application of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (SBA) to the U.S. Supreme Court case American Needle vs. National Football League (NFL). The authors mentioned that the NFL agreed to limit sports broadcasting in exchange for explicit antitrust exemption which led to a decision that favored the NFL against American Needle's antitrust claim. They noted that professional sports broadcasting will change if the SBA were to be judicially overruled.