Motivation for following College Sports Teams' Social Media Accounts

This study attempted to verify what motivates fans to follow college sports teams' social media and identify the motivational factors that can best predict fans' social media consumption. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated that previously identified seven motives for online consumption, i.e., information, diversion, socialization, pass-time, fanship, team support, and technical knowledge, are compatible with the use of college sports teams' social media. In addition, a results of multiple regression found diversion, socialization, fanship, team support, and technical knowledge to significantly predict the level of social media consumption while information and pass-time did not significantly affect social media consumption. In particular, socialization had the greatest influence on social media consumption.