More than a Game: Gender Differences in Spectator Motivation, Team Identification, and Price Sensitivity Among Professional Sport Fans

The professional baseball industry in South Korea has undergone remarkable growth in recent years, with female spectators now accounting for most of the total attendance. However, female spectators’ consumption behavior remains insufficiently examined. This study analyzed gender differences in spectator motivation, team identification, and ticket price sensitivity among South Korean professional baseball fans. From September to October 2025, adults aged 20 years or older who had regularly attended professional sports events within the preceding three years voluntarily completed an online questionnaire. Based on a quantitative research design with convenience sampling, 375 responses were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis with reliability assessment, one-way multivariate analysis of variance, the Price Sensitivity Meter (PSM) technique, and Mann–Whitney U tests. Significant gender differences were identified for escape and knowledge motivations, with female spectators scoring higher than male spectators on both dimensions. Although no significant gender differences were found regarding ticket price sensitivity, the PSM-derived price points were effectively identical for male and female spectators, indicating self-reported acceptable price thresholds comparable to those of male spectators. These findings provide empirically grounded insights into the evolving role of female spectators as active consumers and offer practical implications for gender-sensitive marketing and pricing strategies in professional baseball.