In order for teams to promote community-based management, it is essential for teams to exist as a public organization that revitalize of community. Given that place attachment was essential for the formation of communities, this study aim to clarify the effects of fan level and spectator satisfaction on place attachment was examined with the focus on difference of fans residences. Using a sample of fans (n=229), a hypothetical model was set up based on findings from previous studies and social identity theory and tested through structural equation modeling. Results revealed that fan level has a significant affected on service satisfaction and game satisfaction, and service satisfaction has a significant affected on place attachment. Significant indirect effects were also found in the effect of fan level on place attachment through service satisfaction. Furthermore, the results showed no significant differences in these effects between residences.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the changes in psychological attitudes toward a specific J. LEAGUE club before, after, and three months after the implementation of eSports. The focus is on changes in psychological attitudes toward a specific club when a specific J. LEAGUE club is used in soccer-type eSports. The experiment was conducted using the soccer game “FIFA 18”. In the experiment, a league of 6 players was created, and each player played one game per day (10 minutes) for 5 days per week (excluding holidays), for a total of 10 games over a 2-week period. All participants were instructed to use the same J. LEAGUE club during the two-week league. A pre-survey was conducted before the experiment began, followed by the 2-week league matches, and a post-survey was conducted after the league matches were completed. The survey was administered again three months after the experiment was completed. The analysis used a one-way analysis of variance with correspondence to check for significant differences, and multiple comparisons were done to check for significant portions. The results of this study showed that psychological attitudes toward the club were significantly higher after the implementation of eSports oppose to before. In addition, no significant differences were found between after the implementation of eSports and 3 months after the implementation of eSports for all items except for the intention to watch the game. The results of this study suggest that repeated implementation of eSports may strengthen and help maintain psychological attitudes toward a particular J. LEAGUE club over time.

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Japanese newspaper companies expect “complementary effect” and “synergistic effects” when performing event projects. In some cases this has not happened. In addition, with sales in the doldrums, doubts are being raised about the event business, which is putting pressure on profits, and the nature of the event business is being questioned. However, we have found no research on media events in recent years, and we examined this question through an individual case analysis of the “Trans–America Walk 2001”. As a result of the verification of “complementary and synergistic effects,” it was determined that the effect was not commensurate with the amount of money invested. However, it is judged that the project linked to the Internet had high expectations, given that newspaper circulation was at a low ebb at the time. In addition, newspaper companies have the dual roles of being “private enterprises” and “public institutions of society”. However, it is difficult for newspaper companies to be commercialistic because of its position as a public institution of society. Therefore, it was necessary to emphasize the publicness of the event. On the other hand, there were advantages to being a public institution of society at the time. That is, it was possible to obtain preferential treatment in the legal system. However, event projects that do not generate revenue tend to be discontinued. There is a need for a serious outlook on the negative effects that might result from the financial crisis of the newspapers that have long supported sports culture.

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This study aimed to clarify the perceptions of recreational runners from their regular running activities to participating in running events. An interview survey was conducted on 12 men and women ranging in age between 20s to 40s who have continued running at least once a week for over a year. The focus was on motivations, continuation factors, running difficulties, event participation motives, and participation intentions. It used the SCAT analysis for content extraction and the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) for interpretation. It was found that “the presence of others” was cited as a trigger for starting regular running activities, indicating that “external regulation” among extrinsic motivations was involved. Regarding the factors for continuation, “the acquisition of effects and benefits” such as stress relief was the main factor, and it is considered that “identified regulation” was involved. In terms of competition participation, “the presence of others” also became a motivation, with “external regulation” influencing, but the intention to participate mentioned “verification of running ability” and “enjoyment as leisure.” This might suggest that psychological needs related to “competence,” “autonomy,” and “relatedness” are fulfilled. Thus, it is considered that the internalization of extrinsic motivations occurs in each process from the regular running activities of recreational runners to participating in running events. It suggests this cycle is linked to the establishment of running activities and the promotion of competition participation among recreational runners. Additionally, it highlighted the potential constraint of running ability in longer races like half or full marathons, emphasizing the importance of facilitating participation in events suited to abilities developed through regular activities, such as 5km or 10km events, for future initiatives.

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Essentially, bamboo arrows are used in Japanese archery. Along with bamboo arrows, duralumin (aluminum alloy) arrows are widely used at present. An arrow fitted to a string is shot by restoring force of bow. Usually the end of an arrow is projecting outward to the target from the trunk of bow at a moment of shooting, however, sometimes the tip of arrow is moved into inside of the trunk of bow (referred as Hikikomi). That rarely happens when the archer draws the string beyond the appropriate length, or the archer uses a not suitable short arrow. In the situation mentioned above, the arrow is affected by the strong axial compressive load, and the archer is exposed to danger. In this study, buckling fracture behavior of duralumin arrows was experimentally investigated under static and dynamic loading conditions. Two types of arrows were examined. The first was the arrow used for over 98 N strength of the bow (here called arrow A), and the second was used for over 147 N (here called arrow B). As a result, arrows A and B were buckled under both loading conditions, and after they were cut into exact halves. Fractured surfaces formed a sharp metal edge and broken pieces flied asunder just before the archers face. This accident is extremely dangerous to the archer and also to other people around the archer. The buckling load was 50 N in arrow A, and 65 N in arrow B, respectively. These buckling loads were quite low in comparison with the strength of bow used for these arrows, 98 N and 147 N, respectively. Consequently, Hikikomi should be absolutely avoided in Japanese kyudo (Japanese martial art of archery).

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of members that influence the value of group lesson. The study focused on participants in group lesson at commercial tennis clubs. Analysis was conducted from the two following investigations. 【Investigation 1】: Investigated member characteristics that influence the value of group lesson through interview surveys with coaches who had experience in providing group lesson at commercial tennis clubs. 【Investigation 2】: Based on the results of Investigation 1, a statistical verification of the characteristics of members that influence the value of group lesson was performed. First, a measurement scale for members taking group lesson to evaluate other members taking the same group lesson was created. A multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the influence of evaluations of class members on the overall evaluation of the group lesson students were taking. An exploratory factor analysis, was performed on four factors, “Humanity”, “Lesson Approach/Attitude”, “Playing Skills”, and “Facilitation”. As a result of multiple regression analysis, the adjusted R-squared was .200, confirming that the evaluation of class members has a certain degree of explanatory power on the overall evaluation of the program. Statistical significance was confirmed for “Humanity”, “Lesson Approach/Attitude”, and “Playing Skills” for the overall evaluation. Therefore, these factors were confirmed to be important member characteristics that influence other members’ overall evaluation of the group lesson.

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In recent years, the economic scale of the professional soccer industry has been expanding and rapidly growing. The professional soccer business mainly provides spectator products for “watching sports,” and the main sources of revenue for teams are ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and marketing income. Historically, research on soccer teams’ competition has often focused on cultural, sociological, and historical perspectives, but studies focusing on the competition and strategies of professional soccer businesses are scarce. This study analyzes the competitive landscape and business strategies of top European professional soccer teams, specifically through the cases of Manchester City and Manchester United, from the perspective of competitive strategy theory. First, based on the strategic group map analysis method and K-means statistical analysis, the structure within the Premier League was examined. It was verified that there are three strategic groups within the Premier League, and that both Manchester United and Manchester City belong to the same strategic group. Next, through the Five Forces analysis and consideration of historical backgrounds, it was revealed that Manchester City holds the position of an emerging elite club team, while Manchester United holds the position of an established elite club team. Through the analysis of their management situations and strategies, it was found that Manchester United focuses on expanding commercial revenue through branding strategy and know-how, while Manchester City, as an emerging club team, avoids competing on the same playing field where established elite clubs like Manchester United hold an advantage. Additionally, combining the results of the management situation and strategy analysis with the results of the cluster analysis, the homogeneous strategic aspects of both club teams were identified. Both clubs adopt strategies to win competitions in England and Europe and to expand revenues from match days, broadcasting rights, and commercials through global soccer business operations.

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Since 2018, the J. League has actively promoted “SHAREN” as an initiative to address social issues through collaboration and cooperation with various stakeholders.The purpose of this study is to visualize the social impact of “SHAREN” and accumulate knowledge to increase its social impact. This study aimed to visualize the social impact of the “Future Challenge Project 2022,” implemented in conjunction with the home games of the J. League club “Zweigen Kanazawa” in 2022, by calculating the Social Return on Investment (SROI) value. The SROI value was calculated through a series of steps: 1) selecting stakeholders, 2) validating inputs and calculating costs, 3) confirming outputs and outcomes, 4) converting outcomes into monetary values, 5) calculating SROI values. Data was collected from telephone and email interviews with stakeholders, content on various media such as websites, SNS and newspapers where initiatives were published, and participant observation. Validation was ensured through triangulation by co-researchers. As a result, SROI values were calculated in two patterns: ‘4.93’ and ‘2.36’. This study suggests that the way in which stakeholders interact with J. League clubs may impact the social outcomes of community contribution activities conducted by J. League clubs. The SROI calculation process yielded the following three new findings: 1) Social impact was generated not only on the event day but also during the preparation process； 2) It was possible to confirm outcomes and impacts (creation of common value = CSV) that can be shared by multiple stakeholders； and 3) Multiple simulation patterns allowed to investigate the factors causing fluctuations in SROI values.

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Over The Top (OTT) sports streaming is primally subscription-based. However, the ability to deliver streaming to viewers for free is one of the essential elements for the popularization of sports. The purpose of this study is to clarify the current status of OTT’s free delivery sports streaming (OTT-FDSS) in 2023, and to examine the possibility of OTT-FDSS for the future. This study examines the United States; the five major sports and women’s professional sports and in Japan; TVer and Sports Bull all of which were confirmed to provide OTT-FDSS. We collected contents of streaming that can be viewed for free on OTT in 2023. In the United States, there were no OTT-FDSS of the five major sports, two of the nine women’s professional sports had OTT-FDSS, the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) had OTT-FDSS for which Twitter owned the broadcasting rights, and the WPL (Women’s Premier League Rugby) had OTT-FDSS on its official YouTube site. In Japan, TVer offered streaming of major content in the form of simultaneous distribution with terrestrial broadcasting, and Sports Bull offered OTT-FDSS, focusing on high school student competitions and sports for which broadcasting rights fees were not expected to be expensive. Sports Bull offered both live and missed content for free. OTT-FDSS was either distributing while earning revenue through advertising and pay-per-miss distribution, receiving video from terrestrial broadcasters for distribution, or using inexpensive distribution platforms by companies, athletic organizations, and leagues themselves, which hold the distribution rights. The following three measures are indispensable for the increase of OTT-FDSS: (1) a certain amount of revenue can be expected from a combination of advertising revenue and pay-for-views, (2) establishment of video acquisition channels for distributors, and (3) distribution by leagues and athletic organizations using tools such as YouTube and their own networks (D2C).

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The purpose of this study is to examine how regional clubs develop strategies to attract customers by conducting a case study of Fagiano Okayama, a club team in the J. League. It is team which increased the number of spectators despite not having a large management base, through interviews with the club’s match management staff. The aim is to derive knowledge that will help J. League regional clubs increase the number of spectators. Mr. A, a club staff member who was in charge of attracting customers, was interviewed about Fagiano Okayama, which has a higher average number of spectators than other regional clubs in the same category and is steadily increasing the number of spectators year by year. Fagiano Okayama’s was examined to determine customer attraction strategy based on the interview content and club internal documents. It became clear that Fagiano Okayama conducts audience analysis for each home game, dividing spectators into segments according to frequency of attendance. They developed strategies to attract spectators for each game, season, or throughout the year. Regional clubs are at a disadvantage compared to parent company-based clubs in terms of financial strength. Therefore, it is necessary for regional clubs, which are expected to spend less money on match operations, to analyze the club-specific factors that determine the number of spectators, clarify the determinants, and enable focused countermeasures. In addition, Fagiano Okayama divided its customer base into stages and implemented countermeasures for each customer class, indicating that segmentation based on spectator frequency may be useful.

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