What is sport service quality and how should it be specified?
Nicholas D. TheodorakisPurpose
Despite its extensive use, the conceptual foundations and operationalization of service quality in sport remain insufficiently clarified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to delineate the specific evaluative judgments that constitute sport service quality and clarify the construct boundaries separating service quality from related evaluative constructs.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical review of 85 empirical studies in sport service quality research examined how the construct has been conceptualized, operationalized, and modeled in prior sport management and marketing literature. Studies were coded based on their definitions, measurement approaches, and model specifications.
Findings
The review reveals that the label “service quality” has been used to refer to three distinct evaluative objects: attribute-level performance perceptions, transaction-specific overall quality judgments, and cumulative global attitudes, without consistently distinguishing among them. Controllable service system elements are also frequently mixed with core sport product evaluations, blurring construct boundaries. Advancing sport service quality theory therefore requires sharper theoretical specification of the judgment object, its temporal scope, and the boundaries of the evaluative construct.
Originality/value
This study contributes to sport management and marketing literature by proposing a conceptual framework that distinguishes among attribute-level evaluations, transaction-specific overall service quality judgments, and cumulative global attitudes. By grounding service quality within the controllable service delivery system, the proposed framework establishes a clearer basis for the conceptualization and operationalization of service quality in sport.