The ABC\u27s of Being a Fan: An Operant Analysis of Sports Consumption Behavior

In the last 30 years, behavioral psychologists have begun to systematically apply the principles of operant theory to the analysis of consumer behavior. Two behavioral approaches that have been successfully employed in consumer behavior analysis are the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM; Foxall, 1990) and the Behavioral Ecology of Consumption (BEC; Rajala & Hantula, 2000). However, neither of these models has been used to analyze sports consumption behavior. One purpose of the present study was to integrate consumer behavior models with other theoretical approaches to the investigation of sports consumption behavior. A second purpose was to examine the effects of three antecedent events, displayed in the form of videos, in a sample of self-identified San Francisco Giants fans, who reported their level of team identification. We used a simple behavioral choice task in which participants could choose to view team-related stimuli of the Giants or other sports-related stimuli after each video clip. We hypothesized that the video clips would serve as motivating operations that would influence the incentive value of Giants-related stimuli and subsequent choices for these stimuli, but that the level of team identification would moderate this effect. Participants also reported their affect in terms of feelings of emotional valence, arousal, dominance, and state self-esteem after each clip. We hypothesized that highly identified fans would experience greater changes in affect after viewing the losing video than would moderately identified fans but that any changes in self-esteem across the antecedent video conditions would be relatively small for both groups. Highly identified fans chose Giants-related stimuli significantly more often than did moderately identified fans. Across the two obtained levels of team identification, the winning video resulted in significantly more choices for Giants-related stimuli than did the losing video. Both groups showed consistent and statistically significant decreases in the three affect measures (emotional valence, arousal, dominance) in the losing versus the winning condition. To our knowledge, this study is the first: (a) to study sports consumption behavior from a behavior-analytic perspective, (b) to integrate behavioral approaches to the study of consumer behavior with other theoretical approaches, and (c) to assess the incentive value of team-related stimuli as a function of exposure to sports media. We propose that future studies of sports consumption behavior take an interdisciplinary, multi-method approach

Applying grey relational analysis to Italian football clubs: A measurement of the financial performance of serie a teams

Extant literature on the financial analysis of football clubs has applied a vast array of techniques in determining the fiscal stability of such entities. Although many studies have provided useful comparisons and analyses of the states of various clubs, direct research comparing the financial performance among various clubs is still scant. Hence, we present an application of financial ratio analysis to the greater Italian football market within the Serie A. The main purpose of this study is to assess the financial performance of the top three Italian football clubs currently listed on the Borsa Italiana (Italian Stock Exchange), those being: Juventus F.C., A.S. Roma, and S.S. Lazio. In accomplishing this, we offer a comparative analysis of these clubs through the usage of grey relational analysis (GRA), an optimal performance technique derived from engineering. Overall, our results suggest that S.S. Lazio appears to be the most financially stable club among the sampled, publicly traded Serie A teams. In light of these findings, this study furthers the application of economic evaluation into larger segments of international football

How You Like Me Now? The Influence of Athlete Behavior on Fan Group Dynamics and Sports Consumption

Within sports, membership in a fan base often constitutes an attachment to a team and its various personnel. As part of a presumed ingroup, sports fans will go about evaluating their favorite teams and players based on several factors, such as team or athlete performance and off‑the‑field behaviors by such athletes. Although a vast set of literature within sport management has reported that fans exhibit partiality towards their favorite teams, research in social psychology and group dynamics has presented evidence to dispute this occurrence. This body of work has contended that people in a group will operate using subjective group dynamics (SGD), wherein norms and values are actively considered in group appraisal. Complementary research has offered the manifestation of a black sheep effect (BSE), or ingroup extremity, particularly when members deviate from norms or standards of the group. In a similar vein, this dissertation challenges the prevalent notion of fans’ enduring support for their favorite teams and examines numerous correlates of such behavior. Through five main studies, this dissertation investigates the impact of athlete behavior, group membership, player status, rivalry, and regret on evaluative judgments, identity threat, purchase decisions, product choices, and social media behaviors. Study 1 gauged the role of ingroup extremity when a team’s expectations, or norms of performance by an athlete, are violated, providing evidence to support ingroup derogation among fans. Expanding upon these results, Study 2 offered an assessment of the BSE in determining how fans go about supporting and derogating an ingroup or outgroup athlete based on performance, while furthering the application of these concepts to purchase decisions and social media intentions. Our second experiment offers partial support of the BSE, wherein fans exhibit a proclivity to derogate deviant ingroup and outgroup athletes to the same extent. Using a multi‑method approach integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods, our third experiment tested how rivalry and membership (i.e., player) saliency operate to amplify specific aspects of fan behavior, social media intentions, and product choices. Study 3 reveals ingroup and performance biases among fans as well as the function of team identification as a guide for team-licensed merchandise selections. Study 4 examined how evaluations of deviant performance- and moral‑related behavior by athletes can be affected by various moral reasoning strategies utilized by fans. Our fourth experiment demonstrates similar biases as established in Study 3 and also illustrates the amplified use of moral rationalization over other moral reasoning strategies. Using the findings from our first four studies as a foundation, we introduce a novel concept to the field (i.e., black sheep regret [BSR]) and complete this dissertation with a field study (Study 5A) and an experimental investigation (Study 5B). Although Study 5A did not support BSR in a naturalistic context (i.e., on social media), Study 5B provides data to verify its occurrence in fans. Ultimately, Study 5B produces rationale for the inconclusive results within social media settings, explained by a potential effect of black sheep perpetuance (BSP). Taken together, this dissertation discusses its theoretical contributions and offers pragmatic implications and future directions for sport managers and practitioners within the sport industry. Ultimately, the current composition highlights the importance of multidisciplinary approaches in exploring various components of specific group behavior in fans, as well as in the larger milieu of human behavior itself.PHDKinesiologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136938/1/seanprad_1.pd

Prospectus, September 23, 2009

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Prospectus, April 14, 2010

FEDERAL WORK STUDY PROGRAM FUNDS EXHAUSTED FOR SPRING SEMESTER; Is Parkland prepared to assist the disabled in case of an emergency?; Surge in campus hate crimes challenges notion of a post-racial America; Chuck Shepherd’s News of the Weird; Fantastic, fun and not too far away: The top five summer music festivals you need to see; Parkland Event: Typeface documentary premier; Earth Week celebrations: What to know about upcoming events; How Washington is spending your taxes in 2010; Wrong man convicted even though ‘everybody did their best’; Prospectus Pick: Meeting People is Easy; Give a Hand: Help a Student in Need; Do birds help curb global warming?; Faculty, staff and students involved in sports; The health care bill and youhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2010/1011/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, October 7, 2009

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Prospectus, March 3, 2010

SPRING IS NEAR, BUT NOT TO FEAR: IDEAS FOR WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS WARM; Father of the Bride to elate audiences starting this week; Chuck Shepherd’s News of the Weird; Chuck Shepherd’s News of the Weird; Parkland Art Gallery Presents: Cup-a-palooza; Woman becomes victim of identity theft; Woman becomes victim of identity theft; Insurrectos! Yesterday s Taliban; Ask MNN: Whats the difference between cellulose sponges and those other kitchen sponges?; Not just for jocks: students turn to alternative exercise for fun fitness; Prospectus Pick: Halo Legends; Where is your Cobra Enthusiasm?; Celebrating women all year longhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2010/1006/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, January 20, 2010

PARKLAND STUDENT INVITED TO ATTEND CGI U; Parkland Dental Students help needy through RAM; Chuck Shepherd’s News of the Weird; What to Expect Musically in 2010; Welcome to the Staerkel Planetarium; The dos and don’ts of Parkland; Is your class size overcrowded this semester?; Students save cash by renting textbooks; Making health care about health; Number of free, noncredit courses on Web increasing; Cobras Men’s Basketball team aims high; Dr. King at 81, an anniversary of greatness; The perils of flying while Nigerian; Body art and deviant behavior; Lasting impressions: Reviewing some of the memorable moments in Winter Games history; 10 must-read environmental books; Nexus One great, but consider the ecosystem before you buyhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2010/1033/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, October 14, 2009

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Prospectus, November 18, 2009

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