Sport Tourists’ Team Identification and Revisit Intention: Looking at the Relationship through a Nostalgic Lens

Abstract

This study explored the relationships among sport tourists’ team identification, sport nostalgia, and revisit intention. In addressing the research goal, survey data were collected from 487 sport tourists to professional baseball games in South Korea, which were then analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results revealed that team identification positively affected sport nostalgia, and sport nostalgia had a positive effect on revisit intention. Further analysis showed team identification had an indirect influence on revisit intention, suggesting full mediation by sport nostalgia. This study provides greater insights into how sport tourists’ team identification contributes to sport nostalgia and how the two constructs collectively influence revisit intention. The findings can be used in developing more effective marketing strategies in sport tourism.