著者

渡辺 泰弘

出版者

日本地域学会

雑誌

地域学研究 (ISSN:02876256)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.52, no.2, pp.329-346, 2022 (Released:2023-03-10)

参考文献数

59

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Hiroshima is one city in Japan with a high level of sport spectatorship. When cities with sport-related resources recognize the importance of building place attachment among local residents through sport teams as a community bonding resource, activities to attract more event attendees or local residents using their professional sport teams activities can be encouraged. In addition, psychologically, local residents develop a strong bond with local sport teams based on their accumulated experiences. Generally speaking, some findings confirm that team image is a critical factor leading to place attachment. However, studies that verify these findings are lacking. This study was conducted in two major professional sport settings:professional baseball and professional basketball. First, data was collected from spectators attending a home game of the professional basketball team, the Hiroshima Dragonflies. From the 330 questionnaires distributed, 292 usable questionnaires were collected, data for 248 respondents excluding 44 out-of-prefecture residents were used. For the baseball sample, data was collected from spectators attending a professional baseball game at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium. Questionnaires were distributed to individuals in the stadium at the end of the game. From the 1,000 questionnaires distributed, 241 usable questionnaires were collected, data for 188 respondents excluding 53 out-of-prefecture residents were used. Findings revealed that both teams showed place attachment affects the quality of team image. For the Dragonflies, high and low team identification were shown to affect place attachment. For the Carp, the interactions between team image and team identification significantly affected place attachment, with lower team identification increasing place attachment more than a positive team image. The results suggest that improving team image may increase place attachment among spectators with low team identification. From the standpoint of a regional sports team that claims to be community-based, there is a need for two-way direct and indirect exchanges that deepen ties through social contribution activities and other initiatives to connect with the community, as well as proactive acceptance of support and assistance activities from local residents. In conclusion, (1) team image is related to place attachment, and (2) team identification may play a role as a moderating variable for enhancing place attachment due to unique team attributes.JEL Classifications:L83, Z29, M31, R11, D91