Consuming Extreme Sports

This book explores the consumption behaviour of 'extreme' athletes from a quantitative perspective. Extreme sports are a multi-billion-dollar industry. The behaviour of athletes who participate in them differs from the majority of consumers in that they voluntarily seek out risky and dangerous situations that other consumers actively avoid. It has therefore been suggested that these consumer-athletes may have a unique psychology in this regard.

The book adopts a novel approach based on established psychological theories concerning the behaviour of extreme individuals, applying and translating them into marketing research and practice. It discusses how specific psychological drivers impact the consumption behaviour of consumer-athletes and a variety of marketing-relevant outcomes.

By demonstrating that extreme consumers are characterized by a unique psychology that leads them to act and think differently, this book offers scholars deeper insights into consumer behaviour, while also helping practitioners target this lucrative marketing segment more effectively.

1. Introduction. - 2. The Extreme Sports Phenomenon: Dust to Glory. - 3. Psychological Perspectives On Extreme Sport Participants. - 4. Live (and Spend?) to Tell. An Investigation of Drivers of Consumer Upgrading in Extreme Sports. - 5. Thrill Me! Advertising Effectiveness in Extreme vs Traditional Sports. - 6. The Heat is (Always) On? Extreme Personalities and Extreme Sporting Event Revisit Intentions. - 7. Conclusion.