Abstract
The real sport of quidditch was recently adapted from the fictional sport of the same namesake in the Harry Potter (HP) franchise. Quidditch is played at hundreds of locations across the USA and around the world. Considering the lack of marketing research on non-traditional, co-ed sports and the innovative nature of quidditch, the purpose of this research was to conduct a qualitative, grounded theory study (Strauss and Corbin, 1990) on the athletes and determine how involvement and identification is associated with these individuals becoming a viable niche market within the sports industry. Five factors led towards a desire to partake in quidditch and become involved and identified with the sport: identification with Harry Potter, camaraderie and friendship, desire to have fun, desire to try something new, and desire to get in shape.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 180-197 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Grounded theory
- Harry Potter
- Niche sport
- Non-traditional sport
- Player motivation
- Psychosocial involvement
- Quidditch
- Social identification
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Strategy and Management
- Management Science and Operations Research
- Marketing