KOREASCHOLAR

From the standpoint of developing a transformative service to create improvements in collective wellbeing (Anderson & Ostrom, 2015), evidence of a sport–resilience relationship is gradually accumulating in the literature (Kim et al., 2022). Sport management and social science scholars are making considerable efforts to understand how sport entities with transformative services can contribute to consumer resilience—an intervention through a sport consumption experience that affects people’s abilities to cope with adversity (Inoue et al., 2022; MacIntosh et al., 2020). However, little is known about the sport industry and spatial consumer behavior in terms of consumer resilience. Although previous researchers have identified a macro-level association between sport industry and community resilience from a bird's eye view (Kim et al., 2021), it could not determine how and where sport industry at a macro level can be related to individual-level resilience through metaphors of Consumer Desire. Specifically, the spatial patterns of sport consumption (i.e., consumer spatial behavior) can be a result of sport consumer behavior affected by spatial context upon heterogeneous features of sport industry across regions (Kim et al., 2021) in the environment–behavior paradigm (Olsson & Gale, 1968). The macrolevel clustering of the sport industry in a region (environment) can be a community resource to provide individuals with the opportunity for sport consumption (behavior), which promotes the micro-level psychosocial factors for sport consumer resilience (Inoue et al., 2022). Furthermore, recent work illustrates heterogeneous spatial interaction at the regional level of the sport industry and individual-level sport consumption (Kim et al., 2022), suggesting the elaboration of cross-level spatial interaction models (Kim et al., 2021). Accordingly, in this study we aim to not only (a) determine spatially heterogeneous interactions in the association between sport industry and consumer spatial behavior in affecting consumer resilience, but also (b) identify what effect spatial interaction has on cross-level relationships. Using data focused on a multiscale-based nested geographic structure (e.g., individual-level consumption by zip code, county, state, and nation) that could elucidate the sport consumer spatial behavior, We collected multiple types of data from Florida, including the location quotient of the main seven sport industries (e.g., sport facilities) and socioeconomic factors (e.g., social vulnerability) at the county level from secondary sources. In addition, we acquired individual-level data from Qualtrics panels (1,107 Florida residents) to measure sport consumer spatial behavior (e.g., location-based sport consumption experience) and consumer resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. To address spatial interaction and heterogeneity, we used a comprehensive analytical model for global and local spatial analysis, including a spatial multilevel mediation (SMM) model and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model. As a result of the SMM model, the county-level cluster of sport facilities affected individual-level participatory sport consumption, which enhanced consumer resilience (cross-level interaction effect). However, considerable spatial non-stationarity appeared in the spatial interaction, indicating interregional interactions in the cross-level effects within a county. The results of MGWR indicated significant spatially heterogeneous patterns in the association between the cluster of sport facilities and participatory sport consumption. That is, it was clarified that the spatial heterogeneous effects of the clustering of sport facilities on sport consumer spatial behavior are associated with consumer resilience. This empirical interdisciplinary work, including sport management, geography, and consumer psychology, advances knowledge of consumer spatial behavior and resilience by demonstrating heterogeneous spatial interactions. Practically, the current study calls for spatial management planning and strategy in sport industry for enhancing consumer resilience through spatial sport consumption, considering spatially varying patterns.

• Changwook Kim(Brock University, Canada)
• Seongjin Yoo(The State University of New York at Cortland, United States)
• Min-Jun Kim(Shin Han, University, South Korea)
• Sejin Ko(Kyung Hee University, South Korea)
• Jeounghak Lee(Kyung Hee University, South Korea)