The Mediating Effect of Spectator Satisfaction in the Relationship between Affective Reaction and Intention to Attend Future Games: Comparison of Three Models

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential mediating effect of spectator satisfaction in the relationship between affective reaction and intention to attend games through model comparisons. In order to accomplish the purpose of this study, three different models (direct effect, partial mediation, and fully mediation) were developed and tested. Total 261 questionnaires were disseminated and returned. Among them, nine questionnaires were discarded because they were not applicable. There were 252 usable questionnaires. Data were analyzed with frequency analysis, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling using SPSS 18.0 version and AMOS 18.0. The results of this study revealed that the fully mediated model was better because it was more parsimonious although both the partially mediated model and fully mediated model were not different. The fully mediated model indicated that spectators who exhibited more positive affective reaction to the team were more likely to be a great correspondence with intention to attend a game, which was fully mediated by spectator satisfaction.