Title: The influence of expectancies on sport consumer behaviour: from BIRGing to COFFing

Authors: Jonathan A. Jensen; James O. Evans; Brian A. Turner

Addresses: Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 308 Woollen Gym, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-8700, USA ' University of North Alabama, 311 Flowers Hall, Florence, AL 35632-0001, USA ' Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, A250 PAES Building, 305 Annie & John Glenn Ave., Columbus, OH 43210-1234, USA

Abstract: This study makes a novel contribution to the consumer behaviour literature by confirming the influence of expectations on the propensity of sport consumers to engage in BIRGing behaviours. Notably, while many researchers have measured behaviour via self-reported surveys, this study breaks new ground in its analysis of actual consumer behaviour. Consistent with expectancy theory, results revealed that study participants who expected a win were more than twice as likely to BIRG, and the effect of expectations on behaviour was not moderated by the outcome of the game. An analysis of participants who expected a loss provides the first empirical support in the sport consumer behaviour literature for the theory of COFFing (i.e., 'cutting off future failure'). Given the need to protect their ego from future damage, those who did not expect to win were 50.5% less likely to BIRG, representing an important theoretical contribution to the literature.

Keywords: consumer behaviour; expectancy theory; BIRGing; COFFing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2023.130432

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2023 Vol.23 No.1/2, pp.80 - 98

Accepted: 05 Apr 2022
Published online: 20 Apr 2023 *