Understanding athlete experiences in 3×3 basketball: a latent class analysis of service quality and satisfaction profiles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v83.119695Keywords:
3x3 basketball, service quality, athlete satisfaction, latent profile analysis, sport participationAbstract
Introduction: The rapid global expansion of 3×3 basketball has transformed the sport into one of the most accessible and socially engaging forms of urban recreation. Despite its increasing popularity and inclusion in the Olympic Games, limited research has examined how participants evaluate their experiences in organized 3×3 basketball tournaments and whether distinct groups of athletes can be identified according to their perceptions of service quality and satisfaction.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify latent athlete profiles based on perceptions of satisfaction, facilities, personnel, responsiveness, reliability, and participation outcomes in 3×3 basketball tournaments. Additionally, the study examined whether demographic and experiential characteristics, including age, years of team participation, coaching experience, and years of involvement in basketball, predicted membership in the identified profiles.
Methodology: A total of 300 athletes participating in official 3×3 basketball tournaments across Greece completed validated questionnaires assessing service quality and satisfaction dimensions. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was employed to identify homogeneous participant profiles, while demographic and experiential variables were incorporated as covariates.
Results: The findings revealed three distinct athlete profiles. The first profile, labelled Low Evaluation of 3×3 (44.97%), was characterized by low levels of satisfaction and unfavorable evaluations across all service quality dimensions. The second profile, Moderate Evaluation of 3×3 (31.44%), demonstrated moderate perceptions across all variables. The third profile, High Evaluation of 3×3 (23.59%), reported consistently high levels of satisfaction, service quality perceptions, and participation outcomes. Among the examined covariates, only coaching experience significantly predicted profile membership, whereas age, years of team participation, and years of involvement in basketball were not significant predictors.
Discussion: The study provides novel evidence regarding the heterogeneous nature of athlete experiences in 3×3 basketball and highlights the usefulness of person-centered analytical approaches in sport management research.
Conclusion: The findings offer practical implications for event organizers, sport federations, and local authorities seeking to enhance participant experiences, increase satisfaction, and strengthen long-term engagement in urban sport events.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Dimitrios Stavropoulou, Georgia Stavropoulou, Panteleimon Bakirtzoglou, Apostolia Ntovoli, Evangelos Kontaxakis, Afroditi Lola
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