Impacts of Self-construal Level on Sport Consumer Response to Athlete Scandals: Cross-cultural Approach

Abstract

PURPOSE This study aimed to test the impact of sport consumers‘ self-construal levels on their responses toward an athlete scandal by conducting a cross-cultural experimental study. In particular, it focused on sport consumers’ subsequent responses toward an athlete scandal, such as the perceived target of responsibility and perceived the main agent for the public apology. METHODS Participants (total=151; KOREA=75, USA=76) were selected for a cross-national comparative study. MANCOVA and Descriptive Statistical Analysis were conducted using the SPSS Windows program version 26.0 to validate the research hypothesis. RESULTS The results indicate that sport consumers’ responses to an athlete scandal vary across the countries. Participants from Korea reported perceived responsibility to the athlete, team, and league. Conversely, those from the United States reported perceived responsibility only to the athlete. CONCLUSIONS There are cultural differences in sport consumers’ subsequent perceptions of an athlete scandal. The present study's findings are expected to provide stakeholders such as teams and leagues with practical implications to understand better sport consumers’ responses to athlete scandals in the globalized sports industry.

Keywords

• self-construal
• individualism
• collectivism
• athlete scandal
• cultural difference