What Determines User-Generated Content Creation of College Football? A Big-Data Analysis of Structural Influences

in International Journal of Sport Communication
Grace Yan * , 1 , Dustin Steller * , 2 , Nicholas M. Watanabe * , 1 , and Nels Popp * , 3
View More View Less
  • 1 University of South Carolina, USA
  • 2 University of Missouri
  • 3 University of North Carolina, USA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2017-0113
Keywords:
content generation; social media; users
In Print:
Volume 11: Issue 2
Pages:
219–240
Restricted access

Purchase article

USD  $24.95

Student 1 year online subscription

USD  $64.00

1 year online subscription

USD  $86.00

Student 2 year online subscription

USD  $122.00

2 year online subscription

USD  $162.00
Subscribe to this Journal

  • Purchase article

    USD  $24.95

  • Student 1 year online subscription

    USD  $64.00

  • 1 year online subscription

    USD  $86.00

  • Student 2 year online subscription

    USD  $122.00

  • 2 year online subscription

    USD  $162.00

The question of how and why users engage in sport digital communication endures. In this study, structuration theory is employed to examine how social-media users exercise preferences in the creation of content as they respond to a variety of macrolevel factors pertaining to college football—the type of game, team strength, conference membership, market characteristics, etc. Through hierarchical regression analysis, the results indicate that the presence and timing of college football games, as well as team strength and game outcome, are significant determinants for the patterns of online content generation. As such, the study advances the theoretical, methodological, and managerial inquiry of user-generated content on sport social-media platforms through a Big Data analytics approach.

Yan and Watanabe are with Dept. of Sport and Entertainment Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Steller is a graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. Popp is with the Dept. of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.

Yan (chengyan@mailbox.sc.edu) is corresponding author.

International Journal of Sport Communication

Cover International Journal of Sport Communication

  • Clavio, G. (2011). Social media and the college football audience. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 4 , 309–325.

  • Clavio, G., & Frederick, E. (2014). Sharing is caring: An exploration of motivations for social sharing and locational social media usage among sport fans. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 6(2), 86–90.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Clavio, G., & Kian, T.M. (2010). Uses and gratifications of a retired female athlete’s Twitter followers. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3(4), 485–500. doi:10.1123/ijsc.3.4.485

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Clavio, G., & Walsh, P. (2014). Dimensions of social media utilization among college sport fans. Communication & Sport, 2(3), 261–281. doi:10.1177/2167479513480355

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Coates, D., & Humphreys, B.R. (2007). Ticket prices, concessions and attendance at professional sporting events. International Journal of Sport Finance, 2(3), 161.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Cooper, R. (1996). The status and future of audience duplication research: An assessment of ratings-based theories of audience behavior. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 40 , 96–111. doi:10.1080/08838159609364335

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Cooper, R., & Tang, T. (2009). Predicting audience exposure to television in today’s media environment: An empirical integration of active-audience and structural theories. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(3), 400–418. doi:10.1080/08838150903102204

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Durham, M., & Kellner, D. (2001). Media and cultural studies: Key works. London, UK: Blackwell.

  • Falls, G.A., & Natke, P.A. (2014). College football attendance: A panel study of the Football Bowl Subdivision. Applied Economics, 46(10), 1093–1107. doi:10.1080/00036846.2013.866208

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Feddersen, A., Humphreys, B.R., & Soebbing, B.P. (2017). Sentiment bias and asset prices: Evidence from sports betting markets and social media. Economic Inquiry, 55(2), 1119–1129. doi:10.1111/ecin.12404

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Filo, K., Lock, D., & Karg, A. (2015). Sport and social media research: A review. Sport Management Review, 18(2), 166–181. doi:10.1016/j.smr.2014.11.001

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Frederick, E.L., Hambrick, M.E., & Clavio, G.E. (2014). Bypass and broadcast: Utilizing parasocial interaction to examine @NHL communication on Twitter during the 2012–2013 lockout. Journal of Sports Media, 9(2), 25–44.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gauntlett, D. (2009). Media studies 2.0: A response. Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 1(1), 147–157.

  • George, G., Osinga, E., Lavie, D., & Scott, B. (2016). Big data and data science methods for management research. Academy of Management Journal, 59(5), 1493–1507. doi:10.5465/amj.2016.4005

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Geurin-Eagleman, A.N. (2015). Online communities among international masters gymnastics participants: A uses and gratifications analysis. International Journal of Sport Communication, 8(3), 313–329. doi:10.1123/IJSC.2015-0045

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. Berkeley: University of California Press.

  • Grimshaw, S.D., Sabin, R.P., & Willes, K.M. (2013). Analysis of the NCAA men’s final four TV audience. Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, 9(2), 115–126. doi:10.1515/jqas-2013-0015

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Groza, M.D. (2010). NCAA conference realignment and football game day attendance. Managerial and Decision Economics, 31(8), 517–529.

  • Gujarati, D.N. (2009). Basic econometrics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

  • Hall, A.E. (2015). Entertainment-oriented gratifications of sports media: Contributors to suspense, hedonic enjoyment, and appreciation. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59(2), 259–277. doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1029124

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hall, S. (1980). Encoding/decoding. In S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, & P. Willis (Eds.), Culture, media, language (pp. 128–138). London, UK: Hutchinson.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Haugh, B.R., & Watkins, B. (2016). Tag me, tweet me if you want to reach me: An investigation into how sports fans use social media. International Journal of Sport Communication, 9(3), 278–293. doi:10.1123/ijsc.2016-0044

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hutchins, B. (2016). Tales of the digital sublime: Tracing the relationship between big data and professional sport. Convergence, 22(5), 494–509. doi:10.1177/1354856515587163

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Jensen, J.A., Ervin, S.M., & Dittmore, S.W. (2014). Exploring the factors affecting popularity in social media: A case study of Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches. International Journal of Sport Communication, 7(2), 261–278. doi:10.1123/IJSC.2014-0008

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kaplan, A.M., & Haenlein, M. (2011). The early bird catches the news: Nine things you should know about micro-blogging. Business Horizons, 54(2), 105–113. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2010.09.004

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Katz, E. (1987). Communication research since Lazarsfeld. Public Opinion Quarterly, 51 , 25–45. doi:10.1093/poq/51.4_PART_2.S25

  • Kim, S.J., & Viswanathan, V. (2015). The role of individual and structural factors in explaining television channel choice and duration. International Journal of Communication, 9(21), 72–93.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2014). Choice and preference in media use: Advances in selective exposure theory and research. London, UK: Routledge.

  • Lanham, R. (2006). The economics of attention: Style and substance in the age of information. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

  • Mason, C.H., & Perreault, W.D., Jr. (1991). Collinearity, power, and interpretation of multiple regression analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(3), 268–280. doi:10.2307/3172863

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Pérez, L. (2013). What drives the number of new Twitter followers? An economic note and a case study of professional soccer teams. Economics Bulletin, 33(3), 1941–1947.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Popp, N., McEvoy, C., & Watanabe, N. (2017). Do college athletics marketers convert social media growth into ticket sales? International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 18(2), 212–227. doi:10.1108/IJSMS-05-2017-090

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Price, D.I., & Sen, K.C. (2003). The demand for game day attendance in college football: An analysis of the 1997 Division 1-A season. Managerial and Decision Economics, 24(1), 35–46. doi:10.1002/mde.1100

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Roberts, C., & Emmons, B. (2016). Twitter in the press box: How a new technology affects game-day routines of print-focused sports journalists. International Journal of Sport Communication, 9(1), 97–115. doi:10.1123/ijsc.2015-0113

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ruggiero, T. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3–37. doi:10.1207/S15327825MCS0301_02

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Taneja, H., Webster, J.G., Malthouse, E.C., & Ksiazek, T.B. (2012). Media consumption across platforms: Identifying user-defined repertoires. New Media & Society, 14(6), 951–968. doi:10.1177/1461444811436146

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Van Dijck, J. (2009). Users like you? Theorizing agency in user-generated content. Media, Culture & Society, 31(1), 41–58. doi:10.1177/0163443708098245

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

  • Velasquez, A., & LaRose, R. (2015). Social media for social change: Social media political efficacy and activism in student activist groups. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59(3), 456–474. doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1054998

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Watanabe, N.M., Yan, G., & Soebbing, B.P. (2015). Major League Baseball and Twitter usage: The economics of social media use. Journal of Sport Management, 29(6), 619–632. doi:10.1123/JSM.2014-0229

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Watanabe, N.M., Yan, G., & Soebbing, B.P. (2016). Consumer interest in Major League Baseball: An analytical modeling of Twitter. Journal of Sport Management, 30(2), 207–220. doi:10.1123/jsm.2015-0121

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Watanabe, N.M., Yan, G., Soebbing, B.P., & Pegoraro, A. (2017). Is there economic discrimination on sport social media? An analysis of Major League Baseball. Journal of Sport Management, 31(4), 374–386. doi:10.1123/jsm.2016-0244

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Webster, J.G. (1998). The audience. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 42(2), 190–207. doi:10.1080/08838159809364443

  • Webster, J.G. (2011). The duality of media: A structurational theory of public attention. Communication Theory, 21(1), 43–66. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01375.x

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Webster, J.G. (2014). The marketplace of attention: How audiences take shape in a digital age. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

  • Webster, J.G. (2017). Three myths of digital media. Convergence, 23(4), 352–361. doi:10.1177/1354856517700385

  • Webster, J.G., & Ksiazek, T.B. (2012). The dynamics of audience fragmentation: Public attention in an age of digital media. Journal of Communication, 62(1), 39–56. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01616.x

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Webster, J.G., & Wakshlag, J. (1983). A theory of television program choice. Communication Research, 10 , 430–446. doi:10.1177/009365083010004002

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wenner, L. (2015). Communication and sport, where art thou? Epistemological reflections on the moment and field(s) of play. Communication and Sport, 3(3), 247–260. doi:10.1177/2167479515584781

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1009 834 182
Full Text Views 27 11 0
PDF Downloads 9 4 0