A Case Study of Factors Impacting Aspiring E-sports Athletes in South Korea

This study examines the structural relationships of factors like attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and career pursuit intentions among aspiring e-sports athletes using the theory of planned behavior, and exploring the moderating influence of athletic identity on these relationships. We assessed the measurement scale’s validity and reliability with confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, and correlational analysis. Structural equation modeling evaluated the effects of three factors – attitudes, subjective norms, and PBC – on career pursuit intentions. Additionally, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed to confirm the moderating effect of athletic identity. The results revealed positive impacts of attitudes (0.300, p<0.001), subjective norms (0.414, p<0.001), and perceived behavioral control (0.274, p<0.001) on career pursuit intentions. However, athletic identity did not moderate the relationships among the research variables. We confirmed that subjective norms were the most influential factor in improving career pursuit intentions; and, although PBC has been considered as a moderating variable, our study found that PBC was a direct determinant of career pursuit intentions

The Antecedents of Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions at Sporting Events: The Case of South Korea

Mega-sporting events can bring diverse benefits to the hosting areas, such as job creation and image improvement. However, only a handful of studies have explored the antecedents of destination image—which plays a crucial role in eliciting certain tourist behaviors—and personal involvement. To fill this gap, this study evaluates the relationships among personal involvement, destination image, place attachment, and behavioral intentions in the context of sporting event tourism to provide destination managers useful information for sustainable sports tourism development. We gathered information from 374 international tourists at the FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation—International Swimming Federation) World Masters Championships Gwangju 2019 in South Korea. We used structural equation modeling was used along with maximum likelihood estimation to examine the predicted relationships. The findings show the positive impacts of (a) personal involvement on destination image, (b) destination image on place attachment, and (c) place attachment on behavioral intentions. Furthermore, (d) place attachment dictated the relationship between destination image and behavioral intentions. The findings confirm the significant role personal involvement plays in the improvement of a destination’s image. To ensure sustainable sports tourism, destination managers are advised to pay close attention to research findings on destination image in the development of their plans

The Relationship between Coaching Behavior and Athlete Burnout: Mediating Effects of Communication and the Coach–Athlete Relationship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between perceived coaching behavior (autonomy-supportive and controlling), communication, coach–athlete relationship, and athlete burnout. The study participants comprised 347 Korean active collegiate athletes from 10 sports. The results of the final model indicated that autonomy-supportive coaching was positively related to communication, whereas controlling coaching was negatively related to communication. Communication was positively related to coach–athlete relationship and was negatively related to athlete burnout. Autonomy-supportive coaching was significantly related to both the coach–athlete relationship (positively) and athlete burnout (negatively), whereas controlling coaching was only related to athlete burnout (positively). Coach–athlete relationship was negatively related to athlete burnout. Significant indirect effects were observed. The bootstrapping results indicated that the relationship between autonomy-supportive and athlete burnout was mediated by team communication and the coach–athlete relationship. The study findings enhance our current understanding of the relationships between perceived coaching behavior and athlete burnout and shed light on the important roles of team communication and the coach–athlete relationship in the relationship

Determinants of Behavioral Intentions in the Context of Sport Tourism with the Aim of Sustaining Sporting Destinations

This study was undertaken to examine structural relationships between event quality, tourist satisfaction, place attachment, and behavioral intentions with emphasis on the mediating effects of tourist satisfaction and place attachment on relations between event quality and behavioral intentions in the context of a small-scale recurring sporting event. Responses obtained from 350 attendees were collected and analyzed. Results showed positive impacts of (a) event quality, tourist satisfaction and place attachment on behavioral intentions, (b) event quality and tourist satisfaction on place attachment, and (c) event quality on tourist satisfaction, and demonstrated (d) tourist satisfaction and place attachment partially mediate relationships between event quality and behavioral intentions and that (e) place attachment partially mediates the relationship between tourist satisfaction and behavioral intentions

Examining the Process Behind the Decision of Sports Fans to Attend Sports Matches at Stadiums Amid the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: The Case of South Korea

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has taken a toll on the sports industry worldwide. One of the key challenges for team managers or marketers is to understand how it affects the decision-making process of sports fans. This study examined the process behind the decision of sports fans to attend sports matches at stadiums amid the pandemic using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which includes the moderating roles of team identification. Responses were obtained from 269 undergraduate and graduate students who had attended a sports match in 2019. Structural equation modeling was performed to evaluate three factors: the attitude toward attending sports matches, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the decision to attend. In addition, a hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the moderating effects of team identification. The findings displayed the positive influences on attendance intention from the perspective of (a) attitude, (b) subjective norm and (c) perceived behavioral control. On the other hand, team identification did not have a moderating effect on the relationships among attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control regarding the intention to attend a sport event. These findings suggest that it is important to grasp the role of volitional and non-volitional processes to explain the how the decision to attend sports matches is made

Sustaining Sporting Destinations through Improving Tourists’ Mental and Physical Health in the Tourism Environment: The Case of Korea

The purpose of this study was to explore structural relationships between emotional experiences, novelty seeking, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty in the context of active sport tourism. The study emphasizes the mediating effect tourist satisfaction has on the relationship between emotional experiences and destination loyalty. The validities and reliabilities of the measures used were examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and correlation analysis using 230 domestic and international participants who attended a marathon race as amateur athletes. Structural equation modeling analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to investigate relationships between study variables. Findings disclosed the positive impacts of (a) emotional experiences on tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty, (b) novelty seeking on tourist satisfaction, and (c) tourist satisfaction on destination loyalty, and demonstrated that (d) tourist satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between emotional experiences and destination loyalty. Based on its results, this study (a) indicates that emotional experiences play key roles in predicting tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty, (b) provides an example of the merits of the Destination Emotion Scale (DES) in a sport tourism setting, (c) implies that both emotional experiences and novelty seeking should be incorporated into tourist behavior models, and (d) contributes to tourism studies by exploring the mediating effect of tourist satisfaction on the relation between emotional experiences and destination loyalty. Thus, destination managers should manage gorgeous natural views and beautiful cityscapes, and organize various fun events, such as prize and ticket giveaway events, music performances, and charity campaigns for tourists during events