The purpose of this study is to build upon prior work about consumer motivations of sports fans. Using developed and validated scales, this paper explores different factors to gain a better understanding of soccer consumption in multiple countries. The most popular sport in Europe, inarguably, is soccer. However, in the United States, soccer is considered to be a niche sport. This study uses consumer motivation theory and sport interest inventory perspective to provide the explanation for the tepid interest in professional soccer in the USA. Furthermore, we explore these factors through a cross-national sample to gain insights. The current study identifies 10 of the 18 variables from the Sport Interest Inventory Scale (SII) that address our research questions. These are measurable variables that compare a cross-cultural sample, and explain how consumers embrace the sport of soccer. Data for this descriptive study was collected in the United States (n=237) and in Europe (n=270). Our findings indicate that there are significant differences in how consumers of different cultures consume soccer. The findings will be of interest to international marketers engaged in sport marketing.
Associatio, S. G. (n.d.). 2012 Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/SGMA_Research_2012_Participation_Topline_Report.pdf
Abd, E. (2015). 25 People Killed in Egyptian Soccer Match Riot. Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://abc7.com/news/25-people-killed-in-egyptian-soccer-match-riot/509420
Brinker, C. (2014). The Beautiful Game. Retrieved May 6, 2015, from https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/beautiful-game.aspx
Classic Football. (2014). Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-laws/from-%201863-to-present.html
Collins, S. (2014, April). National Sports and Other Myths: The Failure of US Soccer. Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/233445764_National_Sports_and_Other_Myths_The_Failure_of_US_Soccer
Funk, D., Ridinger, L., & Moorman, A. (2003, May). Understanding Consumer Support: Extending the Sport Interest Inventory (SII) to Examine Individual Differences among Women's Professional Sport Consumers. Sport Management Review, 6(1), 1-31.
Mahony, D.F., Nakazawa, M., Funk, D.C., James, J.D., & Gladden, J.M., (2002). Motivational Factors Influencing the Behaviour of J. League Spectators. Sport Management Review, 5.
Dassanayake, D. (2014, July 13). One billion people set to tune in to watch Germany and Argentina battle for the World Cup. Retrieved May 12, 2015, from http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/488521/World-Cup-2014-Fans-gear-up-for-Germany-v-Argentina-final
Gianatasio, D. (2015, July 5). What Globally Ambitious Brands Can Learn From Manchester United’s Marketing Playbook: Lessons from Soccer’s Savvy Ambassadors. Retrieved July 18, 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/what-us-can-learn-manchester-uniteds-marketing-playbook-165723
Ivan, F. (2012). Don't Call Them Hooligans: Meet Ultras, L.A.'s Major League Soccer Superfans. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.laweekly.com/arts/dont-call-them-hooligans-meet-ultras-las-major-league-soccer-superfans-2373950
Football Stats and Results. (2014). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.soccerstats.com
Kennedy, P. (2013). Soccer America. Retrieved October, 13, 2014, from http://www.socceramerica.com/article/54546/seattle-breaks-mls-attendance-record-for-fifth-yea.html
Mahony, D. F., Madrigal, R, & Howard D. (2000). Using the Psychological Commitment to
Team (PCT) Scale to Segment Sport Consumers Based in Loyalty. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 9, 15-25.
Mahony, D.F., Nakazawa, M., Funk, D.C., James, J.D., & Gladden, J.M. (2002). Motivational factors Influencing the Behaviour of J. League Spectators. Sport Management Review, 5(1), 1-24.
Markovits, A. S., & Hellerman, S. L. (2001). Offside: Soccer and American exceptionalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
McDonald, M.A., Milne, G.R. & Hong, J. Motivational Factors for Evaluating Sport Spectator and Participant Markets. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 11(2), 100-113.
History of English Football. (2014). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from http://www.information-britain.co.uk/sporthistory/entry/Football/
Rowlands, J. (2001). Football Hooliganism History. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://people.exeter.ac.uk/watupman/undergrad/rowlands/hooliganismhistory.htm
Sloan, L.R. (1989). The motives of sports fans. Sports, Games, and Play: Social and Psychological Viewpoints, 2, 175-240.
History of Association Football (Soccer). (2014). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/soccerhistory.html
Sutton, W.A., Mcdonald, M.A., Milne, G.R., & Cimperman, J. (1997). Creating and Fostering Fan Identification in Professional Sports. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6, 15-22.
Thomas, E. (2014, June 14). The World Cup Final Was The Most Watched Soccer Game In U.S. History. Retrieved May 7, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/14/world-cup-final-viewers-record_n_5585861.html
The American Outlaws (2015). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.theamericanoutlaws.com/about
U.S. Soccer Timeline (2014). Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.ussoccer.com/about/history/timeline
~***~
Devasagayam, P. R., & Corcione, E. S. (2016). Cross-Cultural Lessons & Implications for Marketing Soccer in the USA. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 6(1), 230-243.
Copyright: © 2016 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
