Practitioners of risky sports: A quantitative examination

The consumption of risky sports continues to grow. Risky sports include act ivities such as skydiving, deep-sea diving, and parachuting that entail a h igh level of physical risk. To date, most studies of risky sports have tend ed to be more qualitative than quantitative and were based on participant o bservation. The research described here builds on earlier research by integ rating the frameworks within which risky sports' consumption have been docu mented-drama, danger neutralization and peer identification, and extraordin ary experiences-into an empirically testable model. The model is tested on the basis of responses from 72 individuals, who have been active in sports such as deep-sea diving, parachuting, and rock or mountain climbing. Substa ntial empirical support is found for the integrated, drama- and extraordina ry-based frames of reference. The findings are used to generate managerial implications, a topic mostly neglected in previous research. (C) 1999 Elsev ier Science Inc.