Search results

This study explores the motives and objectives of sports sponsorship in China, taking into account the sports, social and cultural contexts. It also adopts a comparative approach to examine the sponsorship of elite and grassroots sports events in China.

This study adopts a qualitative approach, employing semi-structured interviews with representatives of nine companies sponsoring elite and/or grassroots sports events in Western China. The data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis.

In China, sponsors are frequently driven to sponsor elite sport events by a sense of obligation and responsibility to the country, whereas their motives to sponsor grassroots sport events is primarily influenced by sincerity and goodwill. Chinese companies consider brand awareness, exposure and the relationship with the government and authorities as key factors for sponsorship, and use sponsorship to achieve market-related objectives.

Companies’ sponsorship motives and objectives have received significant attention in the literature, but mainly in Western countries. In the context of China, this study identifies how sponsors utilize social networks to shape their motives and objectives. It also reveals certain patterns common with the current literature, as well as specificities such as how the roles of the government and authorities are linked to the contingent economic and social context of the country. Furthermore, the differences between elite and grassroots sports events sponsorship are explained.

This study aims to use event system theory and job demands–resources (JD-R) model to examine the double-edged sword effect of event strength of Beijing Winter Olympics (BWO) on volunteers’ in-role performance and proactive behavior as mediated by work overload and meaningfulness.

The sample included 193 volunteer–leader dyads working at one BWO venue. The authors conducted a multitime and multisource study using Mplus 8 to examine the hypotheses.

Volunteers’ perceived BWO event strength was positively related to work overload, which reduced in-role performance and proactive behavior. Volunteers’ perceived BWO event strength was also positively related to work meaningfulness, which promoted in-role performance and proactive behavior. Perceived organizational support served as a moderator by mitigating the positive relationship between perceived BWO event strength and work overload; however, it did not strengthen the positive relationship between perceived BWO event strength and work meaningfulness.

This study developed a comprehensive model of how BWO event strength affected volunteers’ performance from the perspective of event system theory and the JD-R model, which enriches theoretical application and research in the context of mega sport events.

本研究运用事件系统理论和工作需求-资源(JD-R)模型, 探讨了2022年北京冬奥会（BWO）事件强度通过工作负荷和工作意义感知进而对志愿者角色内绩效和主动性行为的双刃剑效应。

我们在冬奥会场所之一实施了多时点、多来源的收集数据的方式, 最终样本包括193份志愿者-领导配对数据, 并使用Mplus 8来检验我们的假设。

志愿者感知的BWO事件强度与工作负荷呈正相关, 进而会降低他们的角色内绩效和主动性行为。志愿者感知的BWO事件强度与工作意义感也呈正相关, 进而会促进他们的角色内绩效和主动性行为。感知的组织支持通过弱化BWO事件强度与工作负荷之间的正相关关系, 进而调节了志愿者的角色内绩效和主动性行为; 然而, 感知的组织支持并没有强化BWO事件强度与工作意义感之间的正相关关系。

本研究结合事件系统理论和JD-R模型, 发展了一个BWO事件强度对志愿者绩效表现影响的综合模型, 丰富了有关大型体育赛事志愿者的理论应用和研究。

Este estudio utiliza la teoría del sistema de eventos y el modelo de demandas de trabajo-recursos (JD-R) para examinar el efecto de doble filo de la fuerza del evento de los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Pekín (BWO) sobre el rendimiento en el rol y el comportamiento proactivo de los voluntarios, mediado por la sobrecarga laboral y la significatividad del trabajo.

Nuestra muestra incluyó 193 díadas de voluntarios-líderes que trabajaban en una sede de BWO. Realizamos un estudio multitemporal y multifuente utilizando Mplus 8 para examinar nuestras hipótesis.

La intensidad percibida por los voluntarios en los eventos de BWO también se relacionó positivamente con la significación del trabajo, que promovió el rendimiento en el rol y el comportamiento proactivo. Además, el apoyo organizativo percibido sirvió como moderador al mitigar la relación positiva entre la intensidad percibida del evento BWO y la sobrecarga de trabajo; sin embargo, no reforzó la relación positiva entre la intensidad percibida del evento BWO y la significatividad del trabajo.

Este estudio desarrolló un modelo integral de cómo la fuerza del evento BWO afectaba al rendimiento de los voluntarios desde la perspectiva de la teoría del sistema de eventos y el modelo JD-R, lo que enriquece la aplicación teórica y la investigación en el contexto de los megaeventos deportivos.

National surveys reveal that sports fans exhibit greater support for athletes, sports teams and leagues endorsing social justice initiatives compared to the general population, highlighting the potential of sports for positive social impact. This study investigates whether such responses are influenced by systematic biases.

Replicating a Nielsen national survey, two experiments explore whether biases affect support for athletes' participation in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The study also examines partisan motivated reasoning as a factor driving sports fans' support for BLM.

While avid fans display stronger endorsement of BLM compared to causal/non-sports fans, evidence suggests that systematic biases distort these responses. When sport identity becomes salient, reported support for the BLM movement becomes inflated.

Researchers often employ self-report surveys to gauge audience perceptions of athlete activism or cause-related initiatives, particularly when assessing their impact. This study's findings indicate that this context is susceptible to SDB.

The study underscores the role of systematic biases in self-report surveys, particularly in socially desirable contexts. People tend to over-report “positive behavior,” leading survey participants to respond more favorably to questions that are socially desirable. Therefore, interpreting survey results with caution becomes essential when the research context is deemed socially (un)desirable. It is crucial for researchers to apply appropriate measures to identify and mitigate systematic response biases. The authors recommend that researchers adopt both procedural and statistical remedies to detect and reduce social desirability biases.

The aim of this article is two-fold. First, it offers a unique account of San Min, the prototype of the current Chinese educational principle proposed by Yan Fu (1854–1921) that aimed at improving people’s physical, intellectual and moral capacities. This system of educational thinking has received only marginal attention in Anglophone research literature. Second, given the influence of Yan Fu’s interpretation and promulgation of Herbert Spencer’s educational philosophy during that period, it investigates the extent to which San Min is derived from Spencer’s educational thought (the “Spencerian Triad”). This article focusses on how Yan Fu adapted the ideas of San Min from Spencer’s account.

This article considers Yan Fu’s principle of San Min in relation to Spencer’s educational triad through a close reading and comparison of key primary texts (including Yan Fu’s original writing). It explores the similarities and differences between each account of education’s goals and its proposed means of attainment.

Yan Fu’s principle of San Min is shown to have been adapted from the Spencerian Triad. However, using the theory of Social Organism, Yan Fu re-interpreted Spencer’s individual liberty as liberty for the nation. While Spencer’s goal was to empower individuals, Yan Fu aimed to serve collective independence, wealth and power.

This article addresses oversights concerning San Min’s Western origins in the Spencerian Triad and its influence on Chinese education under Yan Fu’s sway. It is significant because San Min is still at the core of the current Chinese educational policy.

The study advances an enhanced model encompassing psychological involvement, denoted as the psychological continuum model (PCM) and perceived customer service quality as intermediaries in the association between subjective customer knowledge (SCK) and behavioral loyalty. The purpose of this study is to assess the mediating role of psychological engagement and consumers' perceived service quality in the relationship between SCK and behavioral loyalty among members of nonprofit sports service organizations. Additionally, the study aims to examine the impact of membership duration on the relationship between consumer knowledge and behavioral loyalty.

The study used a quantitative research design, and primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 527 members of nonprofit Chinese sports clubs who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed to measure all constructs in the intended research model. The suitability of the measurement model was analyzed by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data using AMOS-24.

The results of the overall direct effect indicate a significant influence of subjective knowledge on perceived service quality, perceived service quality significantly and positively influences psychological engagement; psychological engagement was found to be an important predictor of consumer behavioral loyalty.

The results offer information for nonprofit sports club (NPSC) managers who seek to increase the attractiveness and retention of their clubs' members by establishing the importance of subjective consumer knowledge.

This paper aims to concentrate on recent innovations in flexible wearable sensor technology tailored for monitoring vital signals within the contexts of wearable sensors and systems developed specifically for monitoring health and fitness metrics.

In recent decades, wearable sensors for monitoring vital signals in sports and health have advanced greatly. Vital signals include electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, electromyography, inertial data, body motions, cardiac rate and bodily fluids like blood and sweating, making them a good choice for sensing devices.

This report reviewed reputable journal articles on wearable sensors for vital signal monitoring, focusing on multimode and integrated multi-dimensional capabilities like structure, accuracy and nature of the devices, which may offer a more versatile and comprehensive solution.

The paper provides essential information on the present obstacles and challenges in this domain and provide a glimpse into the future directions of wearable sensors for the detection of these crucial signals. Importantly, it is evident that the integration of modern fabricating techniques, stretchable electronic devices, the Internet of Things and the application of artificial intelligence algorithms has significantly improved the capacity to efficiently monitor and leverage these signals for human health monitoring, including disease prediction.

The prevalence of sexual harassment (SH) in Pakistan can be traced back to deeply ingrained cultural ideas, myths and practices that justify and normalize such behavior. This prevalence justifies the need to uncover the factors behind this phenomenon.  As a result, a more detailed mechanism of how and why abuse of power (AOP) can influence female athletes' perceptions of SH behaviors is needed. This study aims to investigate the indirect effects of gender stereotyping in sports (GSS) and benevolent sexism (BS) using sequential mediation.

We collected data from 398 female athletes at football sports clubs in Pakistan. The SEM-PM technique was applied to determine whether these factors are linked to an increased risk of female athlete SH.

The direct relationship between AOP and SH was discovered to be positive and significantly associated with SH, where GSS and BS sequentially mediate the relationship between AOP and SH.

This research provided valuable insights and data related to perceptions of athletes of SH in sports in Pakistan that can lead to the development of effective policies and introduce preventative measures. By addressing this problem, study advises sports governance officers and directors to establish policies, protocols and procedures, including periodic training and dissemination of the policy, subsequent review of its effectiveness, and successful reactions to sexual contact. To ensure that criminal and disciplinary provisions are applied by providing specialized training to the staff of sports organizations.

Primary data collection and analysis were focused.

Sustainability is a major global concern, and research has suggested a bidirectional relationship between participatory sport events and the natural environment. Against this background, we examined the influence of runners’ environmental consciousness on their perceptions of the quality of green initiatives and their supportive intention at a running event.

We collected questionnaire responses from 496 runners at an event held in Taiwan, and we used partial least squares structural equation modeling for our measurement and structural models.

Our findings revealed that environmental consciousness had a positive relationship with green perceived quality, and that green perceived quality, in turn, positively affected supportive intention. Green perceived quality also mediated the relationship between environmental consciousness and supportive intention, and running frequency moderated the relationship between environmental consciousness and supportive intention.

Stakeholders should promote the environmental consciousness of event participants and implement sustainable initiatives to enhance participants’ supportive intention towards participatory sport events.

This study contributes to the literature by examining the role of environmental consciousness, green perceived quality and supportive intention in the context of a running event. The findings highlight the importance of environmental sustainability in participatory sport events and provide valuable insights for event organizers and stakeholders in designing and implementing sustainable initiatives.

Research on electric sports (eSports) has experienced significant growth in recent years as a consequence of increasing connectivity, institutionalization, and technological advances. However, the interdisciplinary nature of the eSports as a field and the burgeoning growth in eSports articles have rendered it necessary to conduct a systematic review of extant literature to take stock of the knowledge accumulated. To this end, we aim to undertake a comprehensive review of extant literature that takes stock of published research to derive opportunities for future research in the realm of eSports. In so doing, we contribute to the advancement of the field by mapping out the knowledge trajectory of eSports research and elucidating areas that have remained underexplored thus far.

To conduct systematic review of the eSports literature, we employed a framework that included six essential steps: protocol, search, appraisal, synthesis, analysis, and report. This comprehensive approach enables us to meticulously investigate the existing body of literature on eSports and identify key trends and topics addressed within the field. By conducting the multidisciplinary systematic literature review, we thoroughly assess the current state of eSports literature and subsequently outline potential research avenues that can contribute to eSports fields.

This study draws on a six-phase framework – member preparation, team formation, character selection, team coordination, team performance, and team reflection – to illustrate the roles played by different levels of analysis unit (i.e. characters, players, and teams) and three distinct yet interconnected stages (i.e. inputs, process, and outputs) within eSports games as well as the research opportunities it brings.

We conducted a rigorous systematic review of the eSports literature by using quantitative citation analysis and qualitative content analysis. Furthermore, we adopted team dynamic view of eSports to identify potential research avenues for future research that contribute to advancing our understanding of the eSports tournaments.

The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between the attributes of Olympic mascots and their impact on sponsorship effectiveness. Based on a multiattribute model and the introduction of engagement theory and the meaning transfer model, this article uses the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics mascot “Bing Dwen Dwen” as the research object to empirically analyze the effects and mechanisms of the mascot's attributes on preference, event engagement, sponsorship enterprise trust and sponsorship enterprise attitude, ultimately constructing a sponsorship effectiveness model.

The survey method was used to examine 238 respondents' emotions and attitudes towards companies participating in sponsoring Olympic mascots.

The study found that the main attributes of the mascot include visual and emotional factors, both of which have a positive impact on preference, with emotional factors having a greater influence than visual factors. Visual and emotional factors indirectly affect engagement through preference. Preference and engagement play a completely mediating role in the effect of mascot attributes on sponsorship enterprise trust and sponsorship enterprise attitude.

This study provides practical recommendations for managers to achieve marketing success in sports sponsorship through mascots.

This paper provides a measurement tool for the study of mascot attributes and important support for subsequent research in sponsorship marketing.