Sport Fan Motivation: Are You Going To The Game?

Abstract

Every individual or group consume sporting events for different reasons and are therefore motivated in different ways. People consuming sport events can be referred to as sport fans, someone who is enthusiastic about a particular sport, an athlete or someone who is motivated to make the effort to attend a live sporting event. Research on sport consumption motivation had led to the development of the Sport Fan Motivation Scale (SFMS), which consists of eight motives namely, eustress, self-esteem, escape, entertainment, aesthetic, economic gains, group affiliation, and family. The primary aim of this research study is to gain insight into sport fan motivation from a South African perspective, specifically regarding soccer and rugby. The research followed a quantitative questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. The study revealed that both male and female rugby and soccer fans are highly motivated by the sport fan motivational factors, however, the results indicated that female soccer fans have a lower importance score towards the entertainment dimension than the male and female rugby and male soccer fans.