Profiling public viewing and South African viewers during the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Abstract

The study forms part of a more comprehensive investigation that focused on profiling and determining sport consumer behaviour during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Marketing theories inform the typology of sport consumers with differential analyses based on the interrelated needs, stemming from the intellectual, psychological and sociocultural denominators. A total of 567 research participants who were recruited to complete questionnaires at fan parks and public viewing sites were South Africans with 65 holding dual citizenship. Sport consumer behaviour and “fan equity” were informed by national identity, gender, age and educational levels. A minority (n=165, 29.1%) could be classified as sport tourists indicating that they would travel to other provinces to attend matches. Most respondents preferred public viewing areas due to the cost factor, accessibility, festive atmosphere and celebrating with other members of an identifiable subculture. First, second and third choices of teams indicate nationality (women and older men), highly successful teams (mostly men) and star players, especially from the Premier Soccer League (SA), European clubs or Brazil (mostly younger men and highly educated respondents) as motivating factors in supporting a team. Support for South Africa being the host country was negligible (ranging from 18.8% to 22.2%), compared to other motivating factors. Event-related experiences that created excitement and the ‘Basking Reflective Glory’ (BIRG) effect were key motivating factors for fan support and identification. Keywords: FIFA