ABSTRACT
The concept of motivation refers to the forces that initiate, direct and sustain human behaviour (Iso-Ahola, 1999). That is, it reflects the desire of an individual to satisfy personal needs and achieve personal goals. Motivation is an important psychological construct because it is often associated with positive behavioural outcomes. According to Vallerand (2001), such outcomes can be categorized into three types: 1) cognitive; 2) affective; and 3) behavioural. Learning, concentration and attention are examples of cognitive outcomes. In such cases in a sporting context, motivated individuals are prone to seeking information that complements their favourite sport behaviour (e.g. spend time on the internet, participate in sport blogs or read magazines and newspapers). They are also more likely to be focused when trying to learn a sport activity (e.g. participating in tennis classes). Affective outcomes include increased interest, satisfaction and enjoyment, improved mood and reduced anxiety. Also in relation to sport, highly motivated individuals are more likely to feel the psychological benefits of sport and leisure consumption than the less motivated ones (e.g. improved mood after watching a sport game, or reduced anxiety after attending a yoga class). Behavioural consequences relate to the development of consumer loyalty, which can be expressed as either current sport consumption (e.g. attending many games, participating in sports often, spending a lot of time on the internet or becoming a specialized sport consumer), or future sport consumption (i.e. intending to attend sport games, participate in sports, become a
member of a health club etc.). The development of positive word-of-mouth is also a part of positive behavioural consequences.
