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The 1987 NFL players’ strike provided a rare opportunity to evaluate the importance of viewing gratifications in the development of audience reactions to a major sports labor conflict. Viewers of professional football were studied in two groups: 183 adult males interviewed by telephone and 187 male university students. Active viewing gratifications were, in general, related to strike saliency and post‐strike viewing, while passive gratifications were not. However, general background and foreground variables, particularly race and support for labor unions, were more strongly related to support for the players than the owners.
James R. Walker (Fri,) studied this question.