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This research investigates whether conditioning (the systematic pairing of celebrity endorsers with sporting events) produces positive attitudes towards sporting events. It also investigates whether using celebrities who are highly congruent with a sporting event leads to a stronger conditioning effect. The results demonstrate that individuals exposed to the systematic pairing of a sporting event with a celebrity did develop a more favourable attitude towards the event than individuals in the control condition. Moreover, the pairing of a celebrity with a sporting event was more effective in forming a positive attitude towards the sporting event when congruence was high.

The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) experienced a rapid decline in attendance after the mid 1990s. In this study, market demand analysis is used to discover the causes of variation in CPBL attendance from 1990 to 2008. The ordinary least squares (OLS) is employed for model estimation. From this model, empirical evidence reveals that a homogenous sport substitute, Taiwan Major League (TML), the Major League Baseball (MLB) effect and game-fixing scandals in CPBL negatively influence CPBL attendance. Additionally, real income is found to negatively affect CPBL attendance, making CPBL games an inferior product. The proposed model accounts for approximately 91% of variation in CPBL attendance between 1990 and 2008.

The aim of this paper is to use a new approach of performance evaluation, grey relation analysis (GRA), which is a concept borrowed from the study of industry and is increasingly applied to commerce. GRA is used to evaluate the relative performance of three of Australia's major banks The result of the study indicates that although the sample size is small and the distribution of data is unknown, GRA can still be successfully used in evaluating bank performance. In addition, this paper compares the GRA results with the financial statement analysis and shows that the same result can be obtained.

Influencers in physical activity and sports have gained significant prominence in promoting health and well-being via digital social networks. This research investigates the impact of athlete influencers on sports perceptions, with a focus on korfball. Using korfball as a representative sport minimizes biases, allowing a nuanced exploration of athlete-generated content’s direct influence on viewer attitudes.

A questionnaire survey with 319 respondents explores variables like athlete attitude, attractive appearance, social media profile attitude, emotional engagement toward korfball, korfball perception, korfball interest and general sports attitude. Structural equation modeling analysis examines relationships among these variables.

The study delves into the complex interplay among athlete attitude, social media attitude and emotional engagement toward sports, emphasizing the pivotal role of authenticity in fostering deeper connections. Contrary to expectations, athlete attractiveness did not significantly influence viewer priorities, signaling a notable shift towards valuing authenticity and performance. Furthermore, the research explores how general sports attitudes moderate relationships between sports perceptions and interest, offering critical insights for sports sociology and marketing.

This study innovates by focusing on korfball, emphasizing authenticity over attractiveness and providing insights into the evolving dynamics of sports marketing and consumer behavior in the digital age. This research evidences the profound impact of the digital age on sports engagement, laying a foundation for future studies and practical applications in sports sociology, marketing and consumer behavior.