The purpose of the current study was to assess local residents' psychological support prior to hosting a mega-sporting event and to report preliminary results as to which factors of support affect local residents' attitudes toward hosting future mega-sporting events, using the case of the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis. This study provides a theoretical model to examine local residents' psychological support factors using structural equation modeling, which helps the understanding of local residents in the process of supporting the hosting of mega-sporting events in the future. The results of this study indicate that the perceptions of positive outcomes from the event have the strongest relationship to feelings toward hosting future events. Therefore, governing bodies of the host community and the event should rely most heavily on the positive outcomes. While the negative factors were not as strongly related, they were still significant indicators of feelings toward future events. The part of the plans pertaining to growing community support should include ways that the negative impacts might be mitigated.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among four variables: brand personality traits, prestige of a sporting event, brand identification, and individuals' intention to return to volunteer for future sporting events. Five personality traits were included in the study: sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. A proposed conceptual model was developed and tested with a sample of volunteers at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Two hundred twenty-four individuals participated in a self-administered questionnaire during the event. Results from structural equation model analysis showed that three brand personality dimensions-sincerity, competence, and sophistication-were associated with individuals' prestige of the sporting event. Furthermore, event prestige positively influenced brand identification, which had a positive impact on volunteers' intention to return for volunteering.

The current study was to test how the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) can apply to continuance intention of mobile sports apps. As a result of survey procedures and after eliminating incomplete questionnaires, a total of 267 responses (N=267) of college students who encompasses the greatest proportion of mobile technology devices users were garnered for main analysis. The results of proposed model testing indicate that social utility (i.e., information of sports), entertainment (i.e., escape from routine), and effort expectancy (i.e., easiness to use) are important factors influencing continuance intention of mobile sports apps. This proposed test of the modified UTAUTmay contribute to develop theoretical and conceptual model in sports related technology users’ motivation and satisfaction literatures. Further theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

Many members of the LGBT community have viewed the Gay Games as an opportunity to challenge dominant ideologies concerning sexuality and sport participation. Members of the mass media, however, play a potentially important role in how the event is perceived by the general public. Therefore, the primary purpose of the current study was to examine how the Gay Games have been framed in newspaper coverage. A total of 646 articles published in the United States covering the eight Gay Games events held during the 32-year period of 1980 to 2012 were analyzed in terms of three aspects of framing: (1) the types of issues highlighted, (2) the sources of information cited, and (3) the manner in which either episodic or thematic narratives were employed. The results of the current study revealed that issues of identity and optimism were most commonly highlighted, LGBT participants were most frequently cited as sources of information, and thematic framing was most commonly employed in newspaper coverage of the Gay Games.

No abstract