Analyzing motivational factors of action sports participants

Hyewon Park

Action sports is a movement which has been growing rapidly since it was introduced in the 1970s (Howe, 1998). However, there has been little research done on action sports participants. In particular, the reason why consumers participate in action sports has not yet been investigated although the number of participants and spectators of action sports is rapidly growing. Since motivation is a significant determinant of sport participation behavior, it is essential for the sport marketer to understand psychological needs and motivations of action sport participants. The purpose of this study is to analyze motivational factors of people who become involved in action sports. The researchers modified and applied the scale of sports participant motivation developed by McDonald, Milne and Hong (2002). The original scale includes 41 items which represent 13 motivational factors (i.e., achievement, competition, social facilitation, skill mastery, physical fitness, risk-taking, affiliation, aesthetics, aggression, value development, self-esteem, self-actualization, and stress release). A total of 253 samples were included in the current study. The researcher collected the cases at the X Game IX and LG FMX (Freestyle Motocross) World Championships held in the Northwest region of the U. S. A series of ANOVA and MANOVA tests were employed for data analyses. The results suggest that action sport participants have a high level of motivation in fun/enjoyment and trend/imitation which are two more structures added to the original 13 scales. The analysis of the data also revealed that motivation of action sport participants vary across gender and past experience. This study will advance the knowledge base of consumer motivation research in the field of sport marketing and provides leaders in the action sport industry with meaningful implications. Ultimately, the result of present study will support practioners in the action sports industry in predicting the trend of action sports consumer behavior. Further, present study may lead to utilize the motives found for sports marketers and managers. Accordingly, sport marketers in action sports could highlight their targeted promotion with present study ideas.

Analyzing motivational factors of action sports participants

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