Factor Structure and Validation of Nationalism in Sport Scale

This study aimed at assessing factor structure and validity of Nationalism Scale as fan motivation in sport.  The statistical population consisted of spectators present in the third week of World Volleyball League in Iran in 2016. 320 questionnaires were distributed randomly among the research population. Bogdanov (2005) Nationalism Scale with 16 items and 3 factors was used in the 7-point Likert Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for data analysis. Results approved the three-factor structure of the original Nationalism Scale as fan motivation in Iranian society which formed the nationalism construct in the second order factor analysis. Also, results revealed that the model had a good fit (RMSEA=0.080, GFI=0.91, NFI=0.91, CFI=0.94, χ2/df=2.88). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for factors and whole Nationalism Scale was higher than 0.70 that indicated the acceptable reliability and appropriateness of this scale in Iranian population. In general, Nationalism Scale has a similar structure to its original version and shows a valid and reliable scale of nationalism. In general, psychometric evidence obtained from confirmatory factor analysis and reliability of the research instrument indicated the adequacy of Nationalism Scale in sport environments in order to assess the causes or factors affecting the attendance of sport fans.