Motivations of College Student Game Attendance and Word-of-Mouth Behavior: The Impact of Gender Differences

Abstract

This research explores the impact of four individual psychological motivations (i.e., team identification, eustress, group affiliation, and self-esteem enhancement) on college students’ reported verbal recommendations and patronage behaviors toward a sporting event. Seven of the eight hypothesized relationships are supported and one non-hypothesized path from patronage to word-of-mouth is added. Investigating potential gender differences among the motivation constructs extends the findings. Of particular interest are the statistically significant findings of a eu-stress/attendance relationship for men, and a group affiliation/word-of-mouth relationship for women. Findings and corresponding implications are discussed and future research directions presented.