Abstract
The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying the factors affecting the attraction of sports fans in Iran with an emphasis on the capacities of the metaverse. This study is of a mixed type (qualitative-quantitative) and is applied in terms of purpose. In the qualitative part, data were collected using the grounded theory method and semi-structured interviews with 12 experts in the field of sports management and technology and analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. In the quantitative part, the statistical population included managers and experts in public relations and media in the Ministry of Sports and Youth and sports federations, of which 66 people were randomly selected and 59 researcher-made questionnaires were analyzed. Quantitative data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in SPSS and PLS software. The findings of the qualitative part led to the extraction of 41 concepts that were classified into six main factors including interactions, emotional factors, technical factors, supports, framing and monitoring and evaluation. The quantitative results also confirmed the good fit of the proposed conceptual model (GOF=0.71). Accordingly, attracting sports fans in Iran depends on simultaneous attention to the technological, social, and emotional dimensions of the metaverse, as well as the creation of supportive infrastructures and continuous evaluation systems. The findings of this study can be used as a roadmap for sports managers and policymakers in the country in strategically utilizing emerging technologies to attract, retain, and develop sports fans.
Keywords: Fan Engagement; Metaverse; Technology; Digital Transformation