Authors
Erianne A. Weight – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Matt R. Huml – Texas Tech University
Lea Zagorin – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Avinash Chandran – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nels Popp – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Abstract
Psychic income is the emotional and psychological benefit residents perceive they receive from a local sports team or event. The measurement of psychic income has previously been measured only in relation to major sporting events. This study examined the psychic income that residents of Chapel Hill, North Carolina receive from the university athletics department. A modified collegiate version of the Scale of Psychic Income (Kim & Walker, 2012) was tested in application to the college town setting of Chapel Hill, NC. Results indicated fan identity and perceived economic impact were significant predictors of psychic income, and participants who are single and have completed a higher level of education were more likely to report higher levels of psychic income than their counterparts. This study fills an important gap in the literature relative to the measurement of non-economic benefits intercollegiate athletics can provide a college community.
