Martial arts market demand: Test and validation of a model on the Brazilian judo context

Abstract

Purpose: Deepening the knowledge about factors which determine and explain the reasons and intentions of judo practitioner's consumption, investigating how their demands on the sport relate to the perceived benefits, restrictions, value, satisfaction and commitment to judo. Originality/gap/relevance/implications: We tested a theoretical model that specifies the direct and indirect relations between market demand, perceived benefits, restriction and value, as well as the satisfaction and commitment of a judoist with the martial arts in a different country and sport of the original study. Key methodological aspects: We conducted a survey with 328 judoists in Brazilian gyms. We analysed the data with the software PLSmart which uses the Partial Least Square method. Summary of key results: We found that market demands positively affect the perceived benefits and value and the judo members' satisfaction and commitment. We also discovered that the perceived benefits positively affect the perceived value, which positively triggers satisfaction, this way increasing the practitioner's commitment. Key considerations/conclusions: The results found in this study reinforce the relations proposed in Kim's original study showing a certain solidity in the explaining power of the underlying theory. But there are some peculiarities, like different perceived benefits for practicing judo as well as intrapersonal restrictions which discourages getting involved in judo. Finally, this article reinforces Sheth's (2011) affirmation that marketing is modified according to the context in which it is inserted, in this case, in the sport of judo in Brazil.