Title: Understanding consumers of Asian female sports: a case study of the Women's Korean Basketball League

Authors: Sophia D. Min; James J. Zhang; Minkil Kim; Chong Kim

Addresses: School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services, University of Northern Iowa, 131 Wellness/Recreation Center, Cedar Falls, IA 50614, USA ' Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, 354 Ramsey Center Athens, GA 30602, USA ' School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management, Troy University-Atlanta, 1117 Perimeter Center, West Suite N101 Atlanta, GA 30338, USA ' Department of Sport Industry and Management, Hanyang University, 330 Olympic Gym, 17 Heangdang-dong, Seoul, 133-791, South Korea

Abstract: This study purported to deepen the understanding of sport consumers' decision-making regarding Asian female sports based on the concepts of market demand and game support programmes. The effects of three aspects of sport events - including game attractiveness, event promotion, and event operation - on consumers' value perception of Asian female sports, revisiting intention, word-of-mouth, and overall consumption frequency were empirically tested. Participants were 677 spectators attending six Asian female professional basketball events. A two-step approach (CFA and SEM) was conducted for data analyses. The CFA revealed that the overall measurement model fit the data reasonably well. In addition, the SEM indicated that the specified structural model exhibited an appropriate model fit, and two latent constructs (game attractiveness and event operation) positively affected participants' perceived value of female sports, which in turn improved their revisiting intention and word-of-mouth. Finally, word-of-mouth was found to increase the overall game consumption level.

Keywords: sports consumers; Asian sports; female sports; sports marketing; case study; Women's Korean Basketball League; market demand; game support; sports events; game attractiveness; event promotion; event operation; value perceptions; revisiting intention; word-of-mouth; WoM; overall consumption frequency; perceived value; Korea.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2014.069083

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2014 Vol.15 No.1/2, pp.19 - 35

Received: 03 Oct 2013
Accepted: 23 May 2014
Published online: 27 Apr 2015 *

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