211 Journal of Sport Management, 2010, 24, 211-237 © 2010 Human Kinetics, Inc. Sport Stadium Atmosphere: Formative and Reflective Indicators for Operationalizing the Construct Sebastian Uhrich and Martin Benkenstein University of Rostock This article reports the findings of an investigation into the atmosphere in sta- diums during live team sports. Experiencing this special atmosphere represents an essential part of the total service provided by the organizers of sport events. However, existing research into the concept of atmosphere focuses on the retail environment. Our first step was therefore to define sport stadium atmosphere as a theoretical construct, drawing on theories from environmental psychology. We then developed a mimic (multiple indicator-multiple cause) model to measure the construct. To specify the mimic model, we generated and selected formative measures by means of a delphi study (N = 20), qualitative expert interviews (N = 44), and an indicator sort task (N = 34). The results indicate that various physi- cal and social aspects of the stadium environment are causal indicators of sport stadium atmosphere. Following this, we conducted phenomenological interviews with spectators at sport events (N = 5) to identify typical affective responses to stadium environment (representing the reflective indicators of the mimic model). These interviews revealed that fans’ experience of stadium environment is char- acterized by high levels of arousal and pleasure. In addition to our findings, the mimic model developed in this study represents a useful tool for future research into sport stadium atmosphere. The importance of the physical and social environment in the consumption of live sport events is widely recognized (Tombs & McColl-Kennedy, 2003; Wakefield & Blodgett, 1999; Wakefield & Sloan, 1995; Westerbeek & Shilbury, 1999). According to the literature on sport marketing, the special atmosphere in sport stadiums is one of the most important reasons why people attend events (Bauer, Sauer, & Exler, 2005; Holt, 1995; Pfaff, 2002; Wochnowski, 1996). However, previous research into the phenomenon of atmosphere has almost exclusively focused on retail stores (Turley & Milliman, 2000). This research has provided empirical evidence for the fact that the store atmosphere exerts a considerable influence on several variables relevant for marketing–e.g., length Uhrich and Benkenstein are with the Institute of Marketing and Services Research, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.