*Television Research: *Television Viewing

A total of 286 subleCts was ptesented with a series of motivations an 4 asked to evaluate the relative.importance of each in theirs exposure/avoidance decisions about watching sports programs on televisiop. The j188 sports viewers assessed the importance.of each motivation for the4r viewing of baseball, hockey, footballr.and tennis. The 98 noinviewers, who watched televised sports less than once a monthr.received a shArter list of motivations that assessed their reasons for avoiding tlevised sports. Mottvation items ranked as`important for one sport knded to be rated Similarly for the other sports. The-most importer:It motivations leading to exposure to televiSed eForts appeared to be identification with the participants and n(Odsor vicarious success. Less importatt motivations were informatidn needs, sociexchange, and those aspects of emotional release inherent in spectatorship. There appeared tO be four undetlying dimensions of motivations for viewing televised sports: to thri11 in victory, to ',let looser', to learn.about the playefs.and the game, and to pass time. Motivations for avoiding televised sports centered,around more satisfying alternatives to televised sports and lack of tine for indulging in such viiming. (Author/RL