Examining the Effects of Involvement Profiles and Specialization on Loyalty to a Respective Tennis Club

Very little research has examined the effects of involvement profiles on sport consumers’ loyalty to a particular sport club. Up to now, no research has identified the direct effect of specialization on loyalty and the moderating effect of specialization on the link between satisfaction and loyalty. This study attempted to fill these gaps in the literature and to investigate the effects of individual dimensions of involvement profiles in creating tennis club members’ loyalty through their satisfaction. This study also intended to investigate the direct and indirect effects of club members’ levels of specialization on loyalty to a particular club. This study used a causal model approach and proposed a conceptual model after an extensive review of the literature. It is based on a sample of 186 amateur tennis players in Korea. The current study used confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model to analyze and confirm the conceptual model proposed in this research. Findings indicated that involvement profiles (attraction, self-expression, and centrality) are positively related to the respondents’ satisfaction, which in turn is positively related to loyalty. Furthermore, while specialization is negatively related to loyalty, it positively moderates the link between satisfaction and loyalty.