Constraints and Motivators: A New Model to Explain Sport Consumer Behavior

Marketing
Journal of Sport Management, 2010, 24, 190-210 © 2010 Human Kinetics, Inc.

Constraints and Motivators: A New Model to Explain Sport Consumer Behavior
Yu Kyoum Kim
Florida State University

Galen Trail
Seattle University
This study focused on developing a model to explain relationships among constraints, motivators, and attendance, and empirically test the proposed model within the spectator sport context. The proposed model explained 34% of variance in Attendance. Results showed that Attachment to the Team, an internal motivator, entered first and explained approximately 21% of the variance in attendance. Lack of Success, an internal constraint, entered next and explained almost 10% additional variance. Leisure Alternatives, an external constraint entered next and explained an additional 3%. The ability to properly evaluate constraints and motivators gives sport marketers the opportunity to more effectively serve existing fans, as well as attract new fans.

The sport industry is the one of the largest industries in the United States, estimated at $441.1 billion (Plunkett, 2008). Spectator sport is a major part of this sport industry worth $28 billion and it is estimated that U.S. consumers spend almost $17.1 billion dollars a year on tickets to sporting events (Plunkett, 2008). Ticket sales are critical to the success of professional sport organizations as they typically comprise anywhere from 20% to 50% of the total revenue stream for Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball League, and the National Hockey League (Badenhausen, Ozanian, & Settimi, 2007). However, for newer and smaller leagues, the percentage from the gate is even higher, depending on the level and type of sport (Howard & Crompton, 2004). Sport organizations are craving high attendance not only for the ticket revenue but also for the revenue from the sale of on-site game day concessions, merchandising, and parking, which was $11.9 billion a

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