The ultimate escape: escapism, sports fan passion and procrastination across two cultures

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine escapism as the explanatory mechanism that can account for distinct outcomes of harmonious and obsessive sports fan passion among US and Chinese fans. Design/methodology/approach The study uses cross-cultural data collected among sports fans in the USA and China. Using structural equation modeling and PROCESS model, the authors test the mediating role of escapism and the moderating role of indulgence on the relationships between sports fan passion and procrastination. Findings The authors found that positive escapism mediates the relationship between harmonious sports fan passion and procrastination, whereas negative escapism mediates the relationship between obsessive sports fan passion and procrastination. While individual-level indulgence was not a significant moderator, post hoc analyses revealed that the interaction of indulgence and uncertainty avoidance played a moderating role. Research limitations/implications The use of sports fan samples from both the USA and China enables a cross-cultural comparison of the proposed model, thereby extending the model’s generalizability. By advancing the dual model of escapism, the authors hope to stimulate a research dialogue that identifies more nuanced (both positive and negative) predictors and outcomes of passion for an activity and escapism in the broader context of other passion-inducing activities (e.g., Internet use, work, etc.). Practical implications Marketers promoting sports events can use this study's results to highlight the benefits of harmonious sports fan passion in terms of positive escapism and reduced procrastination. Organizations promoting sports fandom need to also be aware that sports fans can have obsessive passion for sports that can lead to procrastination. Therefore, it is important to be vigilant and distinguish between “healthy” and “unhealthy” passion early to avoid “unhealthy” passion turning into negative escapism and by extension, procrastination. Social implications Socially responsible marketers should understand a potential negative effect that obsessive sports fan passion may entail and prevent or minimize its negative consequences. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explains why sports fan passion can(not) be associated with procrastination. It does so by using the dual escapism as the explanatory mechanism linking harmonious and obsessive sports fan passion and procrastination.

Running to get “lost”? Two types of escapism in recreational running and their relations to exercise dependence and subjective well-being

“…Three decades ago, Baumeister (1991) emphasized the motivational powers of escapism, but the term has mostly been a rara avis in the landscape of motivational sciences. In fact, it does not seem to have been empirically explored in relation to exercise or sport engagement at all, only in the consumption of sport as entertainment ( Astakhova et al, 2022 ). In contrast, the interest in escapism as a distinct form of motivation has escalated in other areas.…”

Fan responses to ownership change in the English Premier League: Motivated ignorance, social creativity and social competition at Newcastle United F.C.

“…The idea of fandom as escape has received previous attention (e.g. Wann, 1995), and it seems that elements of negative escapism (Astakhova et al, 2022) may motivate fans to be ignorant of the issues related to the Saudi regime. Whilst positive escapism refers to activities that are short term, temporary breaks from stressful situations (Rojek, 1993), negative escapism involves the creation of an illusion that the unpleasant reality from which the fan is escaping no longer exists (Astakhova et al, 2022).…”

“…Wann, 1995), and it seems that elements of negative escapism (Astakhova et al, 2022) may motivate fans to be ignorant of the issues related to the Saudi regime. Whilst positive escapism refers to activities that are short term, temporary breaks from stressful situations (Rojek, 1993), negative escapism involves the creation of an illusion that the unpleasant reality from which the fan is escaping no longer exists (Astakhova et al, 2022). It could be argued that ignorance of the issues related to the Saudi takeover could be an example of negative escape, whereby fans maintain their sense of identification through denial of any abuses in much the same way that, for example, fans of the banned cyclist Lance Armstrong maintained their sense of identification by insisting that no doping offences had actually taken place, despite strong evidence to the contrary (Jones, 2017).…”

Passion Amid the Pandemic: Applying a Person‐Centered Approach to Examine Cross‐Domain Multi‐Passion Profiles during a Crisis

“…Guided by WFB theories (Ashforth et al, 2000; Clark, 2000), we demonstrate that individuals are not only able to combine their passionate activities from work and non‐work domains, but also do so in a meaningful way that reflects their individual preferences (segmentation versus integration) and situational constraints. In doing so, we go beyond extant passion research that has predominantly examined one's harmonious versus obsessive passion for a single activity (e.g., Astakhova, 2015; Astakhova et al, 2022; Naydanova and Beal, 2016), and demonstrate the varied and nuanced ways in which individuals can co‐host multiple passions. These include (a) being passionate about activities in two domains (i.e., work and non‐work); (b) having same‐ and/or different‐form passion across domains ; and (c) being ambidextrously passionate, that is, having both harmonious and obsessive passion within one domain .…”