General game support programs associated with professional team sports

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop the scale of General Game Support Programs (GGSP) to assess service quality factors associated with professional team sports, which was completed through four steps: (a) formulation of a theoretical framework, (b) development of a preliminary scale, (c) exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and (d) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Participants (N = 453) were residents in four southeastern United States metropolitan areas where one or more professional team sports were franchised at the time this survey was conducted. To qualify for participation in the study, an individual must have also attended at least one professional team sport event within the previous 12 months. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, on-site observations of professional sports events, interview of administrators of professional sports teams, and a test of content validity, a preliminary GGSP was developed. The data were split into two halves, one for EFA and the other for CFA. Consequently, 15 items were retained under three factors: Game Amenities, Ticket Service, and Venue Quality. This three-factor model displayed good psychometric properties. Findings of this study have reinforced the importance of these event service factors in the planning, preparation, and operation of a professional sport event.