Looking at Gender Differences Through the Lens of Sport Spectators

This paper explores common assumptions about the intrinsic differences between male and female consumers within a subset of leisure consumption sport spectating. This research utilized the Sports Interest Inventory (SIi) (Funk, Mahony & Ridinger, 2002) to examine differences between spectators (N = 959) attending men's and women's basketball games at a NCAA Division I institution. MANOV A results revealed nine differences for Team-Gender, seven differences for Spectator-Gender, and three interaction effects. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that three core interest factors ( university pride, team interest, and vicarious achievement) explained a significant proportion of vari_ance in commitment and attendance behavior for fans of both teams. However, a number of interest factors related to Team-Gender and SpectatorGender emerged to differentially explain levels of commitment and behavior. The results indicate that while there are some commonalities that motivate people to attend college basketball games involving athletes of each gender, there are also differences that make women's basketball unique from men's basketball. Looking at Gender Differences Through the Lens of Sport Spectators The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee was established in 2002 to examine issues surrounding the marketing and promotion of women's basketball (Lee, Lynn L. Ridinger, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science, Sport, Physical Education, and Recreation at Old Dominion University. Her research interests include consumer behavior and involvement with women's sports. Daniel C. Funk, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel, and Sport Management at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. His primary research includes understanding sport consumer psychology with an emphasis on attitude development toward sport, brands, services, issues, and persons. "Women's sports are caught in a "Catch-22" in terms of recognition, respect, and financial viability . . . Many sport marketers, promoters, and corporate advertisers have treated fans of women's sports as second-class consumers . " 2004b ). Spurred by encouraging TV ratings for coverage of the 2004 Division I women's basketball tournament, the committee members believe that the time is right to capitalize on the growing interest in women's basketball. Recently, a series of focus groups were conducted and a survey was issued to coaches, administrators and marketing directors at NCAA institutions in all divisions. The purpose of these inquiries was to identify six or seven attributes unique to college women's basketball that could serve as the foundation for a new branding effort. According to Sue Donohoe, Vice President of Division I women's basketball at the NCAA, a branding platform will help solidify the game's identity and help the sport grow. Once the unique attributes have been identified, the committee plans to develop marketing materials that can be used by college coaches and administrators to communicate a more consistent message to constituents (Lee, 2004b). One goal of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee was to identify factors that are unique to women's college basketball (Lee, 2004B). Several questions come to mind in association with the notion that there are, in fact, factors that are unique to women's basketball. Is women's basketball a product unlike men's basketball? What attributes and benefits of the sport experience motivate fans to attend games? Do these motives differ for those who attend men's basketball games? Are there any differences in the motives of male and female fans? For college athletic programs, many with limited marketing dollars, can advertising and promotional campaigns for the men's teams and women's teams be combined or would they be more effective with distinct messages? What does research tell us about gender differences associated with sport spectatorship? Within the last decade, a variety of studies on sport consumers have examined gender as one of several posVolume 15 • Number 3 • 2006 • Sport Mar/feting Quarterly 155 sible segmentation variables. A major limitation of these studies is that the sample was limited to college students (Bahk, 2000; Dietz-Uhler, End, Jacquemotte, Bentley, & Hurlbut, 2000; Dietz-Uhler, Harrick, End & Jacquemotte, 2000; Sargent, Zillmann, & Weaver, 1998; Wann, 1995; Wann, Schrader, & Wilson, 1999) or spectators that were surveyed within the context of a single gender team (male or female) as the object (Armstrong, 1999; Armstrong, 2001; Dixon, 2002; Funk, Mahony, & Ridinger, 2002; Funk, Ridinger & Moorman, 2003; Kerstetter & Kovich, 1997). Empirical evidence based on data obtained from both men's sports fans and women's sports fans is scant (Fink, Trail, & Anderson, 2002; James & Ridinger, 2002; Kahle, Duncan, Dalakas, & Aiken, 2001). The purpose of the present research is to extend our understanding of gender differences by responding to the following three questions: 1) Do different motives exist for consumers attending women's compared to men's college basketball games? 2) If so, do these motives differ by gender of the consumer? 3) Can unique attributes of women's basketball be identified to explain psychological and behavioral outcomes? This paper explores the intrinsic differences between men and women within a subset of leisure consumption sport spectating. Specifically, this study focuses on college basketball fans. " . recent branding efforts by the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee is based on the belief that there are unique attributes to the women's game . "