The Social Values of Fans for Men's versus Women's University Basketball

Abstract

This study considers motivations and attitudes of sports fans by assessing their values. The results of two university surveys, one distributed to a group of women's basketball fans and the other to a group of men's basketball fans in the United States, are compared and contrasted based on demographic profiles, consumer behavior patterns, customer satisfaction levels, and social values. The List of Values (LOV) (Kahle, 1983) is an integral part of the surveys, and is used to categorize social values of sports attendees based on their responses.

The article discusses the primary value segments observed in women's and men's basketball fans and whether the survey groups represent two distinct markets.. Further, it considers marketing implications for both groups of fans. In short, sports marketers should consider the psychological basis of fan behavior as a viable consideration when planning sports marketing campaigns. Value chains, developed by correlating personal or group value segments to various attitudes, activities, beliefs, and purchasing habits, provide the basis for developing advertising and communication programs that personalize meanings at several levels of abstraction. Further, efforts to measure advertising or communication effectiveness may be improved by assessing how successfully ads tied their messages to the personal or group values of the target market.

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