The downside of being irrelevant and aloof: Exploring why individuals do not attend sport

► We explore reasons that individuals choose not to attend sport. ► Open-ended questionnaire responses illustrated team-based values and characteristics underpinning non-attendance. ► Non-attendance was associated with apathetic or disidentified cognitive responses. ► Data were used to develop a conceptual model displaying perceptions of sporting teams on a spectrum ranging from positive through to neutral (apathetic) and negative (disidentified) ones.Understanding what influences an individual to transition from awareness that a sport team exists to attraction to that team is of critical importance in the management and development of consumer bases. Determining the factors that prevent individuals at a stage of awareness from becoming attracted is of equal importance. In this paper we use a social identity approach to explore reasons for non-attendance. Qualitative data were gathered from a mixed-method online survey administered to registered participants in a large football (soccer) association in New South Wales. The questionnaire included an open-ended question allowing individuals who had not attended a match during the previous 12 months to elaborate on the reasons that they did not attend. The seventy-five individuals who responded to this open-ended question comprise the sample for this research. Data highlighted that cognitive apathy and disidentification were both salient cognitive responses associated with individuals who did not attend. Furthermore, club values and characteristics were shown to influence team-based perceptions. The findings present implications for sport teams to overcome cognitive apathy and disidentification through organisation-initiated efforts to disseminate information and promote the team, as well as efforts to align team characteristics and values with consumer perceptions.