| The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework and valid and reliable scale measuring the perceived risk associated with attending a collegiate football game by current or potential spectators, and to examine the impact of perceived risk factors on behavioral intentions regarding future sport consumption. A questionnaire measuring perceived risk and behavioral intentions regarding future sport consumption behaviors was developed and administered to research participants, with 711 questionnaires utilized for data analyses. The data set was randomly split into two halves: one for exploratory factor analyses, and the other for confirmatory factor analyses and a test of the structural relationships among these sets of variables. Results of the factor analyses generated a five-factor model for perceived risk including Psychosocial Risk, Physical Risk, Time Risk, Performance Risk, and Financial Risk and a two-factor model for Behavioral Intentions, consisting of Sustained Consumption and Merchandise Consumption. Both the perceived risk scale and behavioral intentions scale displayed good psychometric properties in terms of validity and reliability. In the structural relationship analyses, Time Risk, Physical Risk, and Performance Risk were found to be significantly related to Sustained Consumption. Furthermore, Time Risk, Financial Risk, Physical Risk, and Performance Risk were found to be significantly related to Merchandise Consumption. The findings of this study support the multi-dimensional nature of perceived risk and behavioral intentions and highlight the importance of perceived risk as a potential constraint for sport consumers and spectators. Gaining an in-depth understanding of the risks spectators perceive regarding game attendance will enable sport marketers to better allocate their resources toward reducing perceived risk and the potential negative influence it may have on future attendance. |
