Self and Product Image Congruency among Male and Female Minor League Ice Hockey Spectators: Implications for Women’s Consumption of Professional Men’s Sports

Abstract

Women’s increased interest in and consumption of professional men’s sports have made women a viable target market for men’s sports (Shank, 1999). However, since males comprise the majority of the consumer base for men’s sports, the challenge for men’s sport organizations is to identify the factors that may influence sport consumption among males and females differently. The objective of this paper was to examine image congruency among male and female spectators (n=120) in attendance at a minor league men’s ice hockey event. Image congruency refers to the match or consistency between consumers’ self-images and their images of products they are consuming (Sirgy, 1986). The results revealed differences in the selfimages, product images, and (consequently) level of image congruency experienced between males and females with the overall event. The results also revealed a need for differentiated sport marketing strategies targeted to male and female consumers.