People in the 21st century tend to take interest in the qualitative aspects of life and consequently to be concerned much about how to spend their leisure time. Among many leisure activities, the direct and indirect enjoyment of sports has become a wi...
People in the 21st century tend to take interest in the qualitative aspects of life and consequently to be concerned much about how to spend their leisure time. Among many leisure activities, the direct and indirect enjoyment of sports has become a widespread social culture.
In response to this social trend, various sport events are being held and operated in order to satisfy people’ desire for sport activities and to relieve them from mental stress.
As large?scale international sport events or professional sports are regarded as products that produce economic profits, many enterprises attempt to enhance their image, advertise their products, and increase their revenues through such events.
In case of men’s professional basketball, which is one of the three major professional leagues in Korea, 10 teams are being operated based on their respective regions, and each team is making efforts to increase the number of spectators visiting the arena through spectating satisfaction.
The teams are promoting not only high athletic performance, which is the basic element of professional sports, but also many sport?entertainment activities that are external factors but induce various funs and interests.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the quality of event programs in the professional basketball, which are external factors, on spectating satisfaction, game flow, and team loyalty. Ultimately, this study aimed to provide basic information useful to the operation of events as part of each team’s marketing activities by proving the effect relationships among the quality of event programs, spectating satisfaction, game flow, and team loyalty.
For these purposes, literature review and empirical research were used together.
In literature review, factors were identified from previous studies on the quality of event programs, spectating satisfaction, game flow, and team loyalty, and then a research model and hypotheses were formulated. In empirical research, a questionnaire was developed based on the factors derived from the literature review, and spectators who visited the home games of Goyang Basketball Team Orions and Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants were surveyed using the questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS V20.0 through frequency analysis, reliability analysis, factor analysis, and regression analysis.
The major findings of this study and their implications are as follows.
First, with regard to the effect relationship between the quality of event programs in the professional basketball and spectating satisfaction, the quality of event programs was found to have a significant effect on spectating satisfaction in both Goyang Basketball Team Orions and Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants. The sub?factors of the quality of event programs, which were personnel quality, environmental quality, and outcome quality, also affected spectating satisfaction. This result suggests that spectators visiting a professional basketball game visit the arena in expectation of a variety of beneficial event programs in the court, namely, things to watch and enjoy in addition to the game, and when such an expectation is satisfied, they experience spectating satisfaction from the visit to the court. Thus, if efforts are made to design useful and enjoyable event programs fit for the characteristics of the basketball court, to operate personnel effectively, and to improve the environmental quality of the arena in planning and operating event programs, such efforts will induce spectators to higher satisfaction and attract a larger number of fans to the home court.
Second, with regard to the effect relationship between the quality of event programs in the professional basketball and game flow, the quality of event programs was found to have a significant effect on game flow in Goyang Basketball Team Orions. Thus, it is suggested for Goyang Basketball Team Orions to consider elements affecting the spectators’ game flow such as the use of lighting facilities in the court, the adequate operation of music, and the harmony of environmental decorations. What is more, effective personnel operation and substantial event operation programs should be planned and promoted, and event programs be designed carefully so that they do not disrupt or disturb game flow.
In Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants, personnel quality and outcome quality appeared to affect game flow, but environmental quality did not. For personnel quality and outcome quality, it is necessary to reestablish the efficiency and role of personnel operation, and spectators’ expectation should be met through the development of useful and enjoyable programs. For environmental quality found not to affect game flow, moreover, it is required to find ways to improve the quality of environment.
Third, with regard to the effect relationship between spectating satisfaction in the professional basketball and game flow, spectating satisfaction was found to have a significantly high effect on game flow in both Goyang Basketball Team Orions and Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants.
Spectators visiting the basketball court in person consume their time and resources in the visit based on their expectation from or trust in the team that they support.
It was confirmed that providing results for spectating satisfaction and environment for game flow is extremely important for attracting new consumers to the basketball court, and with such results and environment, the spectators are satisfied with services provided and are absorbed into the game.
In the professional basketball that gives the top priority to customer satisfaction, accordingly, various efforts should be made for attracting people to the arena, qualitative growth and development should be achieved, and research should be made to explore various participants’ psychological and behavioral factors.
Fourth, with regard to the effect relationship between spectating satisfaction in the professional basketball and team loyalty, spectating satisfaction was found to have an effect on the sub?factors of team loyalty, which are revisit intention, word?of?mouth intention, and fandom activity intention.
In Goyang Basketball Team Orions, the effect of spectating satisfaction was highest on word?of?mouth intention. This is probably because it has been merely four years since the regional base of the team was changed from Daegu Metropolitan City to Goyang City and the spectators want more fans to visit the arena with higher interest. As spectating satisfaction appeared to influence revisit intention and fandom activity intention as well, moreover, it is necessary for Goyang Basketball Team Orions to provide high?quality services to fans visiting the arena and supporting the team in order to attract new spectators within the area and neighbor areas, and going further, it needs to find ways to increase the frequency of the fans’ visits through supporting various community activities.
In Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants, the effect of spectating satisfaction on team loyalty was high in order of fandom activity intention, word?of?mouth intention, and revisit intention. This may reflects the desire of Elephants’ fans for a larger number of spectators with strong fan loyalty. Research should be made on how to strengthen unity through various relationship supports and community activities fit for the characteristics of the region and the team, and the operation of various online/offline events and promotions and how to arouse loyalty among fans visiting Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants.
Fifth, with regard to the effect relationship between game flow and team loyalty, game flow was found to have an effect on team loyalty in both Goyang Basketball Team Orions and Incheon Etland Basketball Team Elephants. As an extension of the relationship between event program operation and game flow, if external factors affect game flow and induce spectators’ game flow, team loyalty will be enhanced as its consequence. If the development of event programs, which help spectators enjoy the game more pleasantly and excitingly in addition to athletic performance, is discussed from different perspectives, such programs will reinforce basketball spectators’ loyalty and attract a large number of visitors and the spectators will fulfill their roles as fans with strong loyalty who show high interest and profitable consumption behaviors for positive outcomes of their supporting basketball team.
The results of this study confirmed that the quality of event programs in professional basketball courts play very crucial roles for basketball spectators.
If the quality of event programs operated in the basketball court is improved, such programs will raise the level of spectating satisfaction and game flow and strengthen team loyalty. This suggests the need of various strategic studies to improve the quality of such programs.
That is, we need to develop and plan event programs in the professional basketball courts for satisfying basketball spectators’ diverse needs.