{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T13:50:54Z","timestamp":1772632254695,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772582400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Comput. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into sports communication presents a fundamental tension between technological efficiency and humanistic values.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To understand the mechanisms of audience adoption, this study applies the media affordance framework to investigate the factors shaping audience acceptance of AI in sports. A comprehensive questionnaire survey was conducted and collected 526 valid responses from sports viewers across mainland China.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Multiple linear regression analysis reveals that content credibility and cross-scenario adaptability are the most two significant positive predictors of audience acceptance. Conversely, the perceived ethical risks of technology act as a powerful inhibitor. Further analysis uncovers significant group differences: younger, \u201cdigital native\u201d audiences and students exhibit greater skepticism, whereas mid-career professionals and sports industry insiders demonstrate higher levels of acceptance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>All the above content collectively suggest that audience acceptance is a complex negotiation between the perceived utility of AI and its ethical implications. On this basis, this study extends the application of media affordance theory and provides an empirical basis for a multi-stakeholder collaborative framework to foster human-AI synergy in the evolving sports media landscape.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcomp.2026.1717794","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T06:57:49Z","timestamp":1772607469000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Is AI a game changer or a spoilsport? 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