The purpose of this study was to examine how audience emotions are formed while viewing a sports entertainment program and how these emotions transition into empathy, thereby identifying the underlying structural process. YouTube comments on ‘The Wonder Coach’ were analyzed using semantic network analysis and CONCOR-based content analysis. The results revealed four key dimensions: perceived authenticity, expanded understanding of volleyball, attention to players’ performance and development, and audience discourse on production elements. Empathy was grounded in perceived authenticity emerging from athletic performance and was shaped by relational dynamics between the coach and players, growth narratives, and game contexts. These emotional processes also led to increased understanding of and interest in the sport. In conclusion, emotion formation and its transition to empathy in sports entertainment are structured through performance contexts and relational narratives, explaining the sustained appeal of sports entertainment programs.
Yoon et al. (Thu,) studied this question.