I'm not playing anymore: developing a model of why consumers stop playing social sport

Abstract

While a diverse range of programs and sports marketing research has been undertaken to explain the effects of participation in sport in general, little research has addressed how to increase sport participation rates and even less attention has been given to why participants choose to stop participating in social sport. This paper begins to address this gap by building a conceptual model identifying the psychological stages of a person’s participation in sport, specifically looking at why people stop participating. The model draws from a number of multi-disciplinary models utlising relevant constructs from each. Drawing on concepts from psychological, cultural and social frameworks the proposed model focuses specifically on why people choose to stop participating in social sport and proposes a more comprehensive examination and hence a better understanding of this important area.