Engaging the Spectator
What Apologia Strategies are Used by Athletes Who Lost Big Games?
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Michael Ostrowsky
Much research has analyzed the apologia (image repair) strategies used by athletes who have committed deviant behavior. In stark contrast, very little research has examined the apologia strategies used by athletes who have lost big games. Using Benoit’s theory of image repair, this study analyzed the apologia strategies used in 30 losing athlete press conferences. The findings revealed that this group of athletes used an extensive amount of bolstering, de-feasibility, and corrective action. The results also expand Benoit’s typology in a few noteworthy ways. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.
The Religion of SEC Football: College Football as a Spiritual Event
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Michael Nelson
“Woo Pig Sooie!? Roll Tide!? Go Cocks!? War Eagle!? College football in the south turns otherwise sane people into raving lunatics. Each fall millions of people schedule their lives around SEC football, spend hundreds of dollars for their team’s newest gear, travel for days to see their team play, with victory or defeat shaping their mood for days to come. Some extreme fans go so far as to name their children after their favorite team or coach. In short, SEC football has become a religion. My research “the Religion of SEC Football” explores this development, examining the experience of fans from the perspective of religion. Witness the pilgrimage to their stadium cathedrals, where fans form a congregation and for hours prior to the game will partake in a variety of rituals, sacraments, and affirmations of their faith in their team. One can see their religious icons all around and hear their hymns being played. Head coaches are their preachers, the post-game press conferences the pulpit. Aware of their own baptism into their football faith, they evangelize about the greatness of their team hoping to convert others all the while of being mindful of the sin of congregating too closely with other football faiths.
Understanding the Role of Team Identification on the Relationship between Sport Service Satisfaction and Revisit Intent
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Yongjae Kim, Soojin Kim, Elizabeth Rogol
By incorporating two different types of service satisfaction (core and peripheral service), this study developed and tested a conceptual model delineating the role of team identification in the relationship between consumers’ satisfaction and revisit intent and examined if the research model has the same pattern across different sport contexts. Data were collected from a total of 918 spectators of both major and minor league sporting events. This study showed that the impact of core and peripheral service-related satisfaction varies across sport contexts. The results revealed that core service satisfaction at both league levels has significant impact on team identification development, which in turn has positive impact on revisit intent. However, at the minor league level, core service satisfaction did not have impact on revisit intent, while having marginal impact on the intent at the major league level. This means that the impact of core service satisfaction on revisit intent is fully mediated by team identification at the minor league level, while being partially mediated by team identification at the major league. In addition, the findings confirmed that an increase in team identification can lead sport fans to sporting events. Given the finding that sport consumers’ revisit intent is a direct function of team identification, managers should be aware of the significant impact of team identification on fans’ patronage behaviors.
