Extended model of sport spectator goal-directed behavior: The role of event prestige in nonmajor sport events

Although the importance of destinations' image has been explored in the extant literature, little is known about the influence of event prestige on spectators' intention to attend recurring sport events, especially in the case of nonmajor international events. Given the situation, the current study incorporated spectators' perception of event prestige on the basis of the Model of Goal-directed Behavior (MGB) as a research framework to investigate their behavioral intention to attend nonmajor sport events. An on-site survey was conducted for spectators (N = 371) who attended the 2016 William Jones Cup Tournament held in Taipei, Taiwan. The results revealed that attitude, subjective norm, positive anticipated emotion, negative anticipated emotion, and perceived behavioral control played significant roles in influencing spectators' desire to attend sport events. Moreover, event prestige and desire have significant influences on spectators' intention. Theoretical and practical implications of the study results were discussed.