This study aims to explore the determinants that shape the intentions of sports business managers to accept or object to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within their organizations. This research addresses the gap in the management field regarding AI adoption in the sports industry, a sector undergoing rapid technological transformation but lacking empirical insights into managerial decision-making in this area.
The research adopts a quantitative approach using data collected from 200 sports business managers. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect data based on the Artificial Intelligence Device Use Acceptance (AIDUA) model. A structural equation modelling approach was applied to analyse the relationships between key constructs influencing AI acceptance.
The results indicate that both the social environment’s opinions and sports managers’ hedonic motivation are positively associated with their performance expectations of AI technologies. Furthermore, the perceived anthropomorphic characteristics of AI devices are positively related to both performance and effort expectations. Notably, only performance expectations significantly predict managers’ attitudes toward the usefulness and practicality of AI, which in turn positively influence AI acceptance and negatively influence managers’ objection to its use.
This study provides novel empirical evidence on the psychological and contextual factors shaping AI adoption decisions among sports business managers. It extends the application of the AIDUA model to the sports management context, enriching the theoretical understanding of how emotional, social and cognitive evaluations converge in managerial decisions. Moreover, it offers novel insights that can inform strategic and policy-level initiatives to foster AI implementation in the sports industry.
