Fan participation behaviour in baseball: an application of the theory of planned behaviour

Abstract

Watching sporting events is a popular leisure activity. However, in the context of sports marketing, little is known about the mechanism that determines fans' game-attending behaviour. This study aims to investigate fan participation in the context of baseball, using the theory of planned behaviour. The 623 subjects of this study were recruited from the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. The structural equation indicates that attitude and perceived behavioural control will have an influence on gameattending behaviour through behavioural intention. However, subjective norms do not significantly predict behavioural intention, nor do perceived behavioural controls significantly predict game-attending behaviour. The results are discussed in terms of their applicability to fan behaviour.

Citation

Cheng, C.-F., Chen, L.H., Chen, M.-Y. and Lu, W.-C. (2012), "Fan participation behaviour in baseball: an application of the theory of planned behaviour", International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-14-01-2012-B003