The recent expansion of pro sports organizations in terms of number and quantity can be a series of social phenomena which occurred by the existence and increase of the public(consumer) who would want to watch the pro sports and the existence of the s...
The recent expansion of pro sports organizations in terms of number and quantity can be a series of social phenomena which occurred by the existence and increase of the public(consumer) who would want to watch the pro sports and the existence of the supplier who would satisfy it. The cultural validity and value that sports have as well as such social phenomena are the reason that sports are loved by the public with the historical passage, though such a form may be changed.
Regarding such pro sports, the academic field as well as a social interest actively conducts the research on a viewer of pro sports. This study began with a doubt on the perspective of the existing studies regarding a consumer's behavior to such pro sports. Generally, the perspective of the existing studies began with the traditional marketing paradigm. Most of studies on consumer's behavior regarding pro sports also analyze the system of decision-making by rational and reasonable consumers on the basis of the usefulness and feature of sports products. However, regarding pro sports, there exists an area which cannot be found out by the traditional marketing paradigm due to a feature of sports. This is due to the fact that unlike the electric home appliances or toothpaste, which were the object of a main research in terms of the traditional marketing paradigm, sports are the experience-typed factor and that consumers do not consume with respect to watching sports on the basis of the feature and usefulness in terms of type, which sports have, but value an experiment-like value and sentiment provided by sports more.
This study reviewed the difference with the focus on an experiment-like value and activity of pro sports fan on the basis of such a research view, selected, compared, and analyzed each game's fans in consideration of a regional difference and degree of loyalty in respect of pro baseball and pro football, which were the representative pro sports in Korea for the purpose of such an efficient approach. As an analytic method, the researcher used a method of ethnographic interview and a method of observation by participation.
The summary of this research result is as follows: First, in terms of the area of watching pro sports, not only watching a game, which can be the time of end use, but also all actions before and after the time of watching a game should be dealt with in one area. This is due to the fact that detailed areas to watch a game do not independently work but show a circular cycle occurring in connection with everything.
Second, although pro baseball and pro football show a similar desire and sentimental form, the factor and content generating it can be different. Such a cause is seen in a result with a different inner and external sports feature, which each sport event has, and shows a similar and different feature in terms of a sentimental form under a similar desire.
Third, regarding the decision on watching of sports in a future, an experience-like value in a sports field is important. In case a continuous contact is not made in a life, such value can be easily forgotten.
This study examined the consumer's behavior regarding pro sports in a perspective different from the view or marketing paradigm of the existing researches. The researcher focused on an experience-type value such as a sentiment of pro sports fan and, on the basis of it, tried to find out the core value of pro sports. Unlike other areas, sports contain a man's inherent feature. Such factor is an attractive factor of sports so that its form may be changed in generations but people's concern and love do not change. In terms of the result in this study, sentimental factors felt in sports can be the main factor determining a charm of sports. The value of pro sports fan's watching is also regarded as the one which should be considered.
The recent actions to recognize the importance of sports marketing and change in the domestic pro sports market can be a meaningful change. However, if an essential part is neglected and an outward and superficial part is focused, the true value to be presented to sports fans will be decreased. Hence, a deliberation is necessary for the essential part. The result in this study has its significance in that it can satisfy some of such a necessity, can be provided as basic data to actually analyze sports consumer's behavior, and provides other perspective in terms of a perspective of study to analyze sports consumer's behavior.
It is true that this study has a difficulty of generalizing the research result to the entire area due to a limitation of qualitative research methodology which considers a context among variables or speciality, not a generalization of data. Thus, the quantitative study should be followed to verify the group more broadly on the basis of the qualitative result in this study. The accumulation of such subsequent researches can supplement the insufficient outcome in this study.