Knowing similarities and differences between sport participants and spectators can be advantageous for sport marketers as it may allow sport organizations to increase their consumer base beyond their traditional consumers. Therefore, the present study is aimed at examining similarities and differences of consumer motivation for both playing and watching sports. Using a sample of soccer consumers who both play and watch soccer (N = 237), the study found that for the most part, motivations for playing and watching soccer were different. However, affiliation was found to predict commitment to both playing and watching for highly involved individuals. Similarly, stress reduction was found to predict commitment to both playing and watching for lesser involved individuals. These findings help marketers in the soccer industry determine how spectator sport can be marketed to sport participants, and likewise how participant sport can be marketed to spectators.
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