新冠肺炎疫情下美國職業籃球聯盟球迷觀賞行為之研究

Abstract

近年職業運動因網路科技發達，從過去著重屬地主義的主場經營，逐漸轉向為非在地的全球市場經營，2020年新冠肺炎疫情爆發迫使運動賽事閉館進行，更加速職業運動去疆域化的發展方向。球迷支持行動的方式也從過去買票進場到遠距觀賞賽事轉播，在此變化下球迷行為的影響機制值得學者關注。本研究目的是以美國職業籃球聯盟 與微軟合作的Microsoft Teams使用者為對象，驗證科技準備接受模式在球迷透過Microsoft Teams中的Together Mode功能觀賞賽事的情境中之適配程度，並進一步加入社會臨場感探討各變項對使用意圖之解釋力。研究工具包含科技準備接受模式量表、社會臨場感與人口統計變項組成的問卷，於Amazon Mturk網路平台發放，蒐集效問卷499份。資料處理分析以描述性統計、驗證性因素分析、結構方程式、階層迴歸分析等方法進行。研究結果：(1) 使用Microsoft Teams以男性居多、年齡集中於21-40 歲、服務業及科技業佔大多數。(2) 科技準備接受模式在球迷使用Microsoft Teams觀賞賽事的情境中具備良好的適配程度。(3) 除科技準備度對知有用性無顯著影響效果，其他科技準備接受模式路徑皆達顯著正向影響。(4) 科技準備度之樂觀性、創新性、社會臨場感、認知有用性、認知易用性，均能顯著解釋球迷使用意圖。除了驗證科技準備接受模式在職業運動情境的適用性，探討球迷在新冠肺炎疫情下以虛擬觀眾形式觀賞賽事之考量，建議職業運動結合科技產品的目標市場應著重科技準備度特性，產品開發、行銷上也應首先著重身歷其境、實際有用的功能，以提高球迷使用意圖，提出相關理論及實務意涵。

With the rapid growth of the internet technology, professional sports have gradually shifted from franchise to international market. The COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 has forced challenging decisions for the sports-event industry. Most of sport events have been canceled or held behind closed door. Sport fans has also changed their behaviors from buying tickets to watching live broadcast on internet. The purpose of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding about fan behavior by using Together Mode in Microsoft Teams App in NBA events. The research tool included a questionnaire consisting of a TRAM, social presence scale and demographic variables, which were distributed on the Amazon Mturk web platform and a total of 499 valid responses were collected. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, SEM technique and hierarchical regression analysis were used to examine the research model. The results of this study reveals that: (1) Most Microsoft Teams users were male, aged between 21-40 years old, and concentrated in service and technology industry. (2) The TRAM model has good fit in the situation of fans using Microsoft Teams to watch NBA games. (3) There’re significant positive relationships between all factors of TRAM, except for the path of technology readiness to perceived usefulness. (4) The optimism, innovation, social presence, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use can all significantly explain the using intention. Therefore, we can adopt TRAM model on the professional sports field to discuss how virtual audience works in watching sports events. It’s suggested that the target market of professional sports should focus on features of technological readiness, and product development should focus on practical functions to increase fans’ using intention, and relevant theoretical and practical implications are discussed.