Gender Gap in Motivation for Watching Sports: Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

There are significant gender differences in sports consumption for a long time, which are not only reflected in participation behavior, but also reflected in the structural division of motivation for watching games. This study uses a mixed research method (questionnaire survey and in-depth interview) to empirically examine the gender differentiation characteristics of Hong Kong university students 'motivation to watch sports games and the moderating effect of artificial intelligence technology. Quantitative analysis showed that male's excitement motivation was significantly stronger than female's, while female's aesthetic motivation scored higher. Artificial intelligence systematically strengthens the existing motivation differences through the triple mechanism of internal event collection generation, experience customization and AI explanation: men rely on technology to deepen competitive analysis, while women are limited by algorithm bias to expand aesthetic experience. The study reveals that current sports AI technology has not yet become a bridge to bridge the gender gap, but has become a technical carrier to replicate the traditional gender cognitive framework. Based on this, this paper proposes an intervention path of technology ethics, and calls for the construction of a gender-balanced algorithm design framework to promote sports consumption equity.