Understanding Customer Engagement in Participant Sports

The study investigated customer engagement in participant sports, defining the investments made by sports participants in their chosen sport as customer engagement. Marathons served as the choice of sport, prompted by increased competition and declining participation rates in such sports. Furthermore, the global physical inactivity pandemic added importance to the need for increasing physical activity. Five antecedents to customer engagement emerged: socialization, competition, mental well-being, health and fitness, and weight. Notably, marathon participants displayed emotional and behavioral engagement exclusively. The resultant impacts of customer engagement in participant sports encompassed word-of-mouth promotion and the expressed intention to participate again.