Affiliation:
1. Sports Business Research Academy, Switzerland
Abstract
This chapter explores uses and gratifications of watching “The Last Dance,” a sports documentary series that premiered in 2020 on ESPN and Netflix about Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls basketball team. The study examines the influence of uses and gratifications on brand-user imagery fit and the intention to watch a Chicago Bulls game after having seen the show. Primary data was collected through a self-administered online questionnaire from people that had been watching “The Last Dance.” Results were computed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results suggest that the realistic nature of the story and characters portrayed in “The Last Dance,” the relaxation experienced from watching the show, and social interaction with other viewers influence the intention to watch a Chicago Bulls game when mediated through brand-user imagery fit. These are new findings to the respective field of study and contribute towards the understanding for producing similar documentaries.