Co-destruction of value by spectators: the case of silent protests

Research question: This exploratory paper aims to introduce the concept of value co-destruction in the field of sport management and research. We asked whether all groups of spectators at a sport stadium experienced value co-destruction in the same way. Moreover, we analysed how the prior expectations of the various stadium spectator groups influenced their experience of value. Our definition of value co-destruction comprises not only an actual decline in value experienced, but also the negative deviation from the expected enhancement of well-being. Research methods: Value co-destruction was investigated at two German Bundesliga football games during the 2012/2013 season. Spectators of both games deliberately refused to cheer. As a result, the entire stadium remained silent for 12 minutes at the beginning of each game. We conducted qualitative interviews with different types of spectators. This allowed us to measure value co-destruction at the individual level, in line with service-dominant logic. Spectators were interviewed either before or after the game, or during half-time. Results and Findings: Our results show that value co-destruction is one of many different possible outcomes of the interaction between actors in a sport stadium. Like co-creation, co-destruction mainly depends on the value expectation: interactions in the stadium that co-create value for one actor can co-destroy value for another. Our findings indicate that this holds true specifically for stadium atmosphere as one of the most important value dimensions of spectators. Implications: For sport management practice, we thus recommend assessing the positive or negative value effect of the interaction processes that contribute to stadium atmosphere individually for each actor.