Despite being recognized as a global entertainment phenomenon, the nature of esports has been a subject of ongoing debate due to its content attributes and the controversial impact it has on individuals’ physical and mental well-being. We contend that the fundamental source of contention lies within the inherent content attributes of esports. Drawing on uses and gratification theory (UG) and cognitive appraisal theory, the purpose of the current study was to explore how esports content attributes and viewers’ individual characteristics (esports involvement) influence the viewer’s experience (flow experience) and well-being (happiness and vitality). The results of a latent moderated structural equations (LMS) modeling analysis using a total of 539 viewers revealed that entertainment, reliability, and diversity significantly influenced flow experience, which in turn influenced viewers’ happiness and vitality. Esports involvement was found to have moderating effects on the relationship between reliability and usefulness attributes and flow experience. The findings of this research provide important contributions to the literature and have implications for sport marketing managers.

Given that participating in or spectating sports events plays a vital role in enhancing individuals’ mental health, understanding the key factors that promote continued participation and attendance in sports events is of significant theoretical and practical importance within the context of sports tourism. From this perspective, the service quality of sports events and the image of the host destination have been identified as major determinants of sustained engagement among sports tourists. However, a review of the literature reveals that findings on the influence of sports event service quality and host destination image on the behavioral intentions of sports tourists have been inconsistent. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to employ a meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) approach to synthesize data from 39 independent studies comprising 16,335 participants, which were collected up to 30 September 2024, thereby providing generalizable conclusions. The results indicate that, first, host destination image is the most critical factor in enhancing visitor satisfaction. Additionally, the service quality of sports events significantly influences visitor satisfaction, which in turn impacts their future behavioral intentions. Second, tourist satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between event service quality and behavioral intentions, and it partially mediates the relationship between host destination image and behavioral intentions. Third, under the moderating effect of event scale (small scale vs. mega scale), host destination image and physical environment quality are more important in small-scale sports events than in mega-scale sports events. Furthermore, under the moderating effect of cultural context (Eastern vs. Western), service quality dimensions are more influential in Western cultural settings, whereas host destination image is more important in Eastern cultural settings. The significance of this study lies in its integration of previously disparate findings into a unified model, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships among the variables. The results provide broad implications for future academic research and practical insights for sports tourism practitioners.

Alderfer’s ERG (i.e., existence, relatedness, and growth) theory of motivation (1969) was adopted in this study to analyze individuals’ motivations for engaging in esports. This study investigated the relatively new field of esports viewership and participation by concentrating on the motivating factors behind esports consumption to establish whether esports viewership and participation are distinct markets that stand alone or are comparable to or complement each other for consumption. The study was conducted using qualitative methods consisting of semistructured focus-group interviews. The transcript was coded using open, axial, and selective coding to develop themes fitting within the ERG theory. The current study found similarities and unique findings in esports participation and consumption motivation factors under the ERG groups. Practical applications are proposed for employing the results of the study to further marketing and development efforts in this field.

Crises are unavoidable in the sport world, and their relationship with reputation is inextricable. Protecting its reputation is a top priority for a sport organization in a crisis; thus, developing a valid and reliable instrument should be a precedent. In this study, Rasch analysis was applied to evaluate a 10-item Organizational Reputation Scale (ORP), extensively used in general and sport communication research, but whose development was made under classical test theory. This traditional method has several limitations (i.e., item and sample dependencies, nonaddictive features of ordinal data, and item category functioning). The main purposes of the study were to calibrate ORP items and evaluate their category functions. A total of 373 sport fans responded to the ORP on a 5-point Likert scale. Several analytic steps were applied to provide psychometric properties of each item in the ORP. The findings provided evidence that supports the unidimensional structure of the ORP with eight items. All items and a person’s ability exhibited satisfactory levels of variability along the continuum. The 5-category rating scale in Likert format functioned properly. As a better alternative to classical test theory, Rasch analysis provided information about the practicality of each ORP item in measuring individuals’ perceptual level of an organization’s reputation within a sport setting. Our study proposed some insights for enhancing each item’s quality and encouraging future scholars to make informed decisions when using the ORP.

The Association between Maternal Folate Status and Childhood Obesity-Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysiPURPOSE: Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in fetal growth and lifelong health outcomes. Folate is an essential methyl donor in the epigenetic programming of offspring. This review and meta-analysis was conducted to compile the evidence reported thus far to identify associations between maternal folate status and childhood obesity.METHODS: A keyword/reference search was performed in EBSCOhost and Web of Science databases. A CMA program was used for a meta-analysis to estimate the pooled effect of maternal folate status on childhood obesity in offspring and to examine the influence of moderating variables on the overall effect.RESULTS: Better maternal folate intake was associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity: the overall effect size (ES; Hedges’ g) was 0.168 (95% CI=0.075 to 0.260, p<.001; small effects; cf., Cohen’s criteria). Moderator analysis revealed that the ≥Q statistic for the age group was statistically significant (Qb=4.730, df=1. p=.030; heterogeneity of ES). In offspring 7 years, the ES was 0.277 (95% CI=0.151, 0.404) and 0.089 (95% CI=-0.025, 0.202), respectively. The study design was a statistically significant variable (Qb=4.310, df=1. p=.038; heterogeneity of ES). In cohort studies, ES was 0.251 (95% CI=0.135, 0.367), whereas in randomized controlled trial group, ES was 0.062 (95% CI=-0.073, 0.197).CONCLUSIONS: Maternal folate intake significantly affects childhood obesity, and the effect of maternal folate status is stronger inchildren younger than 7 years.

Youth sports provides the foundation for successful dynamics and organization within a sports ecosystem. Thus, it is necessary to explore the experiences of youth who either drop out of or persist in a sport. The study’s main goal is to provide empirical evidence of the validity and reliability of the modified Youth Experiences Survey for Sport (MYES-S), which assesses the personal experiences of youths in sports activities using the multidimensional Rasch model. The present study is a first-of-its-kind attempt to introduce a multidimensional Rasch measurement approach into the sports psychology field while still addressing the limitations of the classical test theory approach. A total of 1,199 athletes from ninth through 12th grade participated in the survey. The findings support a six-dimensional model of the MYES-S. The person separation reliability estimates for each dimension were close to the acceptable range. Most student-athletes’ logit scores were above the range of the item endorsibilities except in cognitive skill (CS); thus, more items need to be added to better capture the youth experience in sports. Future research directions include addressing differential functioning items across gender and race groups and having more appropriate response categories. The significance of this study lies in its potential to contribute to the investigation and the calibration of the MYES-S to provide practical and meaningful guidance to sports psychology researchers and practitioners vis-à-vis the understanding of the youth sports experience.