Conceptualizing a Framework to Study Consumer Experience of Artistic Entertainment During Live Sport Events

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework based on the Stimulus – Organism – Response (S-O-R) paradigm to facilitate the understanding of sports consumers’ artistic entertainment experiences during live sporting events. Based on a comprehensive literature review, artistic activities and programs in sporting events were recognized in three categories, including game-induced, atmosphere-induced, and event-induced artistic entertainments. Further analyses revealed how sport artistic entertainments (SAE), as an external stimulus at a sporting event, could interact with people’s intrinsic emotional, entertainment, and aesthetic needs and function together to affect spectators' cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. Discussions are centered on the theoretical and practical implications, providing directions for future studies when adopting the framework to conduct empirical investigations.