Charles W. Jones , Todd Hall , Lucas A. Christiansen

DOI:10.46695/ASCS.5.2.1

Abstract

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to examine spectator expectations of service quality comparing free/non-ticketed events (collegiate spring football game) to paid/ticketed sporting events (in-season collegiate football game), to identify timely information as to important characteristics of service, in order to satisfy and retain spectators in the changing landscape of college football in the United States. METHOD Data were collected from spectators attending two collegiate football games - one a free/non-ticketed spring game and the other a paid/ticketed regular season game at the same Division I university located in the Southeast United States. Respondents at both events were asked to rate expectations of service quality on 27 items using a 5-point Likert scale (Parasuraman et al., 1991). Respondents were consequently asked to rate the importance of each of the five dimensions of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) by allocating percentage points (totalling 100), respectively. The mean scores for spectator expectations of service quality were calculated and a set of five t-tests were then conducted to determine if the means calculated for each construct were significant between the spring and fall games. RESULTS The results revealed that spectator expectations of service do not decrease simply because they do not pay to watch an event. On the contrary, spectators maintain high expectations whether they pay to attend a sporting event or not. Additionally, while spectators of both types of events rated tangibles (physical facilities, equipment, and appearance) as the most important dimension of service quality, those attending the free/non-ticketed event deemed assurance (knowledge and courtesy of employees) to be second in importance. Those attending the paid/ticketed event responded that reliability (perform promised service) to be the second most important dimension of service quality. CONCLUSION The current study brings attention to an important aspect of the spectator experience that has previously received very little attention. Practitioners may want to develop strategies to exceed consumer expectations based on the type of sporting event they are organizing.

Key Words

service quality, college football, college athletics, spectator sports, sport marketing

Qiang Zhang , Kyungsik Kim

DOI:10.46695/ASCS.5.2.2

Abstract

PURPOSE Understanding revisit intention and its antecedents is crucial for personalized sports event tourism and effective destination marketing in sustainable destination marathon tourism. Prior studies have focused on marathoners' tourism behavior but not on their decision-making from the destination perception perspective. METHOD To address this gap, data were collected through a survey of 800 marathoners at the Beijing Marathon in 2023 and analyzed to provide evidence. RESULT The results indicated that: 1) Destination image has a significant positive impact on destination personality, self-congruity, and revisit intention; 2) Destination personality has a significant positive impact on self-congruity and revisits intention; 3) Self-congruity has a significant positive impact on revisit intention; 4) Destination personality and self-congruity mediated the relationship between the destination image and revisit intention. CONCLUSION The findings of this study provide some practical suggestions for the organization and management of destination marathons and provide a valuable reference and direction for future research.

Key Words

Destination image, destination personality, self-congruity, revisit intention destination marathon, marathoners

Junhe Cui

DOI:10.46695/ASCS.5.2.3

Abstract

PURPOSE This study aimed to verify the fit of the structural model to the participation motivation, enjoyment, and persistence of college students in Jilin Province, explore the direct and indirect relationships among the variables included in the model, and further analyze the mediating role of enjoyment. METHOD This study focused on basketball players from universities in Jilin Province. The sample comprised 800 individuals selected using random sampling. One university each was randomly selected from four cities in different regions of Jilin Province, and 200 participants were recruited from each university. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to ensure stable test results. RESULT First, participation motivation had a significant positive effect on enjoyment. Second, participation motivation to had a positive effect on persistence. Third, Enjoyment had a mediating effect. CONCLUSION From a survey of college basketball participation in Jilin Province, China, we constructed a relationship model between participation motivation, enjoyment, and persistence. These research results make significant contributions to our understanding of Chinese college basketball and sports to improve the sports education offered by universities. These insights can be applied to facilitate college students’ enjoyment of sports and improve their ability to persist in sports.

Key Words

University Students, Basketball Participation Motivation, Enjoyment, Persistence