ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
From sports UGC to wanting to watch live: does seeing others in user-generated photos change spectating intentions?
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Abstract
Introduction: Social media has become a core arena for contemporary sports marketing, where sports-related user-generated content increasingly shapes how fans perceive events and form engagement intentions. Among sports UGC, stadium photos shared by ordinary users are especially prevalent. However, limited research has examined how visual cues within these images influence spectators' intentions to attend or watch live sports events. Addressing this gap, the present research investigates whether human presence in sports-related user-generated photos changes spectators' intentions and through which psychological mechanism this effect occurs. Methods: Drawing on self-referencing and mental simulation theories, this research proposes that human presence in sports UGC facilitates viewers' imagination of being at the event, thereby enhancing spectating intentions. Across three experiments using authentic sports-related user-generated images, the study examined the direct effect of human presence on spectating intention, the mediating role of mental simulation, and the moderating role of stadium context. Results: Study 1 showed that sports UGC photos containing people generated significantly stronger spectating intentions than photos without people. Study 2 demonstrated that this effect was mediated by mental simulation, indicating that human presence increased spectating intentions by enabling viewers to mentally simulate the live sports experience. Study 3 further revealed the moderating role of stadium context. The indirect effect of human presence through mental simulation was stronger in fan-oriented contexts that emphasized social interaction and shared emotions than in competition-oriented contexts that focused on athletic performance. Discussion: By tracing a psychological pathway from scrolling through sports UGC to wanting to watch live sports, this research advances understanding of visual engagement and fan behavior in the evolving sports marketing landscape. The findings offer actionable insights for sports marketers, event organizers, and digital platforms seeking to leverage user-generated imagery to enhance fan engagement and drive live sports consumption.
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