Involvement with the equipment component of sport: Links to recreational commitment

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the involvement many sports participants have with relevant sports equipment. A structural model is presented which proposes a positive relationship between equipment involvement and recreational commitment. The model also identifies several possible outcomes of equipment involvement such as product spending levels and opinion leadership regarding the equipment. The model is tested using LJSREL analysis for a sample of recreational runners. Results confirm that both equipment involvement and recreational commitment are multidimensional constructs. Amount of running experience was found to be negatively related to perceptions of equipment importance, whereas psychological commitment to running had a positive effect. Behavioral commitment was not significantly associated with the perceived importance of running equipment, although there was a postive link with equipment knowledge. Equipment involvement was found to be a significant predictor of spending levels and opinion leadership.