Abstract
Most researches on sports spectators have concentrated on how to increase spectating frequencies and they have conducted surveys only on sports spectators. The potential spectator market was reported to be 39.3%, which is equivalent to the actual Japan’ s spectators’ market. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research on potential spectators. In the Behavioral Science domain one of the most effective models is the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change (TTM) , which can be applied to various behaviors. The present study examined the application of the TTM to sports spectating behavior, especially in the case of several ball games held in a top sports league. In particular, questionnaires were administered to adults aged 20-69 to assess the reliability and validity of the stages of change for the sports spectating behavior scale. In study I, (reliability test) , data collected from 166 adults through the internet showed a good reliability among the 2-week test-retest [Kappa Index (κ) =.67] . Then, in study II, (validity test) , the relationship between the stages of behavioral changes of sports spectating and the degree of self-reported sports spectating behavior (the annual length of spectating time, intention of spectating) was investigated among adults in A city. The results revealed that sports spectating behavior significantly differentiated among the stages of change. Specifically, participants in the post-adoption stages (preparation, action, and maintenance) reported a significantly greater amount of annual sports spectating time compared to those in pre-adoption stages (pre-contemplation and contemplation) . Moreover, participants in pre-contemplation stages reported a significantly lower score in intention of spectating compared to those in other stages. The TTM, originally developed for various behaviors such as healthy and unhealthy ones, can be generalized for use in evaluating sports spectating behavior.
