Title: The intersection of pop culture and non-traditional sports: an examination of the niche market of quidditch

Authors: Adam Cohen; Brandon Brown; Jon Welty Peachey

Addresses: Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, 4243 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4243, USA ' Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, 4243 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4243, USA ' Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, 4243 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4243, USA

Abstract: The real sport of quidditch was recently adapted from the fictional sport of the same namesake in the Harry Potter (HP) franchise. Quidditch is played at hundreds of locations across the USA and around the world. Considering the lack of marketing research on non-traditional, co-ed sports and the innovative nature of quidditch, the purpose of this research was to conduct a qualitative, grounded theory study (Strauss and Corbin, 1990) on the athletes and determine how involvement and identification is associated with these individuals becoming a viable niche market within the sports industry. Five factors led towards a desire to partake in quidditch and become involved and identified with the sport: identification with Harry Potter, camaraderie and friendship, desire to have fun, desire to try something new, and desire to get in shape.

Keywords: non-traditional sports; niche sports; psychosocial involvement; social identification; quidditch; Harry Potter; grounded theory; player motivation; niche markets; sport marketing; sport motivation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2012.052666

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2012 Vol.12 No.3/4, pp.180 - 197

Received: 02 Jan 2012
Accepted: 18 Sep 2012
Published online: 31 Jul 2014 *

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