Title: Understanding senior sport participants' choice of regional senior games using a preference map

Authors: Todd Hall; Mauricio Ferreira

Addresses: Department of Health and Kinesiology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA ' University of San Francisco and Hypothesis Group, 811 West 7th St., Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90017, USA

Abstract: The number of sport participants ages 55 and older is growing in developed countries throughout the world (Dionigi, 2006). An increase in discretionary time and money has led to similar patterns amongst older adults in the USA. Accompanying this growth in sport participation has been the proliferation of regional senior games associations. Increased competition has created the need for event managers to gain a better understanding of attributes that are attractive to this increasingly powerful sport participant segment. As such, the purpose of this study was to identify and examine evaluative criteria senior athletes used to select the regional senior games event(s) in which to participate. Of the 234 participants of the inaugural Brazos Valley Senior Games (BVSG), 104 (44%) athletes completed a questionnaire regarding their perceptions, preferences, and participation in senior games events. A multidimensional preference analysis of the BVSG and competing regional events revealed that factors related to convenience and quality of the events were the determinant attributes in participant decision making. Several qualitative comments supported this preference analysis. This study contributes to our understanding of event competition for an increasingly important, expanding segment of the sport industry - older sport participants.

Keywords: senior sport participation; regional senior games; event competition; preference maps; choice; senior sports; USA; United States; regional events; older sport participants.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2012.052677

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2012 Vol.12 No.3/4, pp.217 - 240

Received: 13 Jan 2012
Accepted: 08 Nov 2012
Published online: 31 Jul 2014 *

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