Structures of Attachment in Professional Sports Fans: A Case Study of Oisix Niigata Albirex Baseball Club

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the points of attachment held by fans of Oisix Niigata Albirex Baseball Club (Albirex BC).A questionnaire survey was conducted on spectators at the regular home game of the club, and 245 samples were extracted. As a result of exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis, three factors: attachment to the club, to baseball, and to community, were derived. The fact that the points of attachment held by Albirex BC fans were consisted by only three factors reflects the club’s management philosophy and its achievements, but it also suggests that there is a possibility that these factors will change by the expansion of the club’s management scale and the market matures in the future.