Sport Commitment and Purchase Intentions of Intercollegiate Boxing Coaches and Participants

The current study analyzed the sport commitment and purchase intentions of club level intercollegiate boxers and coaches. Participants at United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association ( USIBA) member institutions ( N = 155) completed an online survey answering questions regarding their sport commitment and future equipment purchase intentions. Multivariate analysis discovered significant sport commitment differences among boxers and coaches, Wilk\u27s Lambda =.838, F ( 7, 125) = 3.46,

The Impact of Rivalry Antecedents on Mediated Demand for an Individual Sport

In contrast to research examining the social-psychological aspects of how sport fans perceive rivalry games in team sports, far less is known regarding the impact rivalries have on mediated consumer demand, a marketing outcome of interest to sport researchers and practitioners. Guided by economic demand theory, the current study developed a model to empirically examine the impact of Tyler and Cobbs\u27 (2015) rivalry antecedents (conflict, peer, bias) on fan interest for an individual sport. The three-dimensional framework provided the foundation for the selection of thirteen rivalry-related variables, in addition to control determinants established from prior literature. Results from the estimation indicate rivalry conflict is the primary driver of demand for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view buys, while peer and bias are less influential dimensions. Short-term performance similarities (recent winning percentage) and long-term performance dissimilarities (historical winning percentage) among the main and co-main event fighters are significant to generating increased buyrates. Organizational marketing activities (i.e., event poster - defining moment) were the strongest overall predictor of pay-per-view buys. Conceptual discussion and practical implications are provided, including recommendations for future research

Examining Differences among Primary and Secondary Rivals: Are Fan Perceptions, Behavioral, and Consumption Intentions Influenced by Degree of Rivalry?

The current study investigated how the relevance of a rival influences perceptions and behavioral intentions toward the rival and favorite team. In particular, fans of intercollegiate athletics reported their (1) perceptions of a rival team, (2) willingness to consider committing anonymous acts of aggression toward rival participants and fans, and (3) likelihood to consume their favorite team when playing either a primary and secondary rival team. Results indicated that fans were less likely to support their primary rival when playing another team than when their secondary rival was playing another team, believed fans of the primary rival team behaved more poorly than fans of the secondary rival, and experience more satisfaction when their favorite team defeated the primary rival than the secondary rival. Additionally, fans were more willing to consider committing anonymous acts of aggression toward participants and fans of the primary rival than the secondary rival, and were more likely to wear favorite team merchandise and read about the favorite team when they played a primary rival compared to a secondary rival. Discussion focuses on implications and applications for marketing practitioners

Naming-rights Sponsorship Outcomes and the Role of Fan Connections to College Campuses and Stadia

Despite the immense focus on revenue generation in college sport, only a small number of NCAA Division I institutions have come to agreements with naming-rights sponsors for their football stadia (Popp, Eddy, & McEvoy, 2015). The key underlying issue is that many institutions are concerned about the effect a corporately-named football stadium will have on key stakeholders, and whether this commercialization will be seen as an attack on tradition (Bentubo, 2007). However, fans’ attitudes toward naming rights relative to their perceptions of tradition and their attachment to college football stadiums are two areas which have received some attention in the literature, but are still not well understood (Chen & Zhang, 2012; Eddy, 2014). While constructs such as team identification, attitudes toward sponsorship, and attitudes toward commercialism have received regular attention in the sponsorship literature, the attention to fan’s perceptions toward tradition, team history, and the stadium itself has been more scattered (Cornwell, Weeks, & Roy, 2005; Walraven, Koning, & van Bottenburg, 2012). The same can be said of the more general consumer behavior literature, although Boyle and Magnusson (2007) did find that a team’s history and venue contributed to fans’ social identity formation. Lee, Lee, Seo, and Green (2012) also found that the stronger the sense of home (or place attachment) amongst fans, then the greater their satisfaction with the stadium experience. Shifting the focus to naming-rights sponsorships, Eddy (2014) and Woisetschlager, Haselhoff, and Backhaus (2014) found that as fans felt more strongly about tradition, they tended to exhibit more negative feelings toward naming-rights sponsorships. On the relationship between sponsorship outcomes and fans’ connection to the stadium, Chen and Zhang (2012) examined what they called stadium identification (based loosely upon team identification), Eddy (2014) included the stadium as part of a team’s tradition, and Delia (2014) briefly discussed the Carrier Dome as a landmark. Collectively, these studies loosely agree that the stronger a fan’s connection to their favorite team’s home stadium, the more negative they are towards the idea of naming-rights sponsorships. However, it has been acknowledged that more research is needed on the role that the stadium plays in the processing of a naming-rights sponsorship (Chen & Zhang, 2012; Eddy, 2014). The purpose of this presentation is to propose two conceptual models to better explain the efficacy of naming-rights sponsorships in college sport settings; one for settings where the stadium currently bears a corporate name, and one for those facilities that do not have a naming partner. Theoretically, these models will provide frameworks for deeper understanding of fans’ attitudes toward tradition/history in college sports and fans’ attitudes toward naming-rights sponsorship, and could further distinguish naming-rights sponsorships as a distinct sub-area of study within sponsorship research. From an industry standpoint, it is expected that future empirical findings that utilize these frameworks will help practitioners better understand how fans perceive stadiums, the importance of the stadium as a way of connecting with their favorite teams, and the role that connection plays in fans’ processing of naming-rights agreements. Additionally, findings could provide evidence that college athletic administrators can use in evaluating the feasibility of future naming opportunities

Perceptions and General Knowledge of Online Social Networking Activity of University Student-Athletes and Non-Student-Athletes

The current study investigated differences between student-athletes and non-student-athletes regarding online social networking (OSN) usage. In particular, types of usage, perceptions of monitoring, and knowledge and perceptions of inappropriate online behavior were examined. Participants were student-athletes and non-student-athletes at a mid-sized university in the Rocky Mountain Region, who were asked their perceptions regarding OSN. Results of independent samples t-tests revealed student-athletes felt that students in general were more knowledgeable of the dangers associated with OSN than were non-studentathletes. Further, student-athletes found provocative pictures posted on OSN profiles to be more acceptable than did non-student-athletes. Also, monitoring of online profiles by supervisory figures was considered less acceptable to student-athletes than non-studentathletes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

A Qualitative Exploration of Ticket-Pricing Decisions in Intercollegiate Athletics

Ticket sales represent a significant revenue stream for NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision athletic departments, yet little is known about how administrators determine prices for those tickets. Utilizing strategic planning as the primary framework and supplemented by stakeholder theory, this study examines ticket-pricing decisions from the viewpoint of athletic administrators with various departmental responsibilities to better understand the role of ticket pricing in intercollegiate sport. Twenty athletic administrators, representing two Power 5 and two Group of 5 institutions, were interviewed about their experiences with ticket pricing. In addition to common pricing objectives related to revenue, patronage, and operations, administrators also suggested attendance-oriented pricing objectives unique to college sport pricing theory. However, findings suggest no well-defined organizational objective for ticket pricing exists within the departments sampled. The factors athletic administrators consider when contemplating pricing decisions can be categorized into seven areas: (a) scheduling, (b) research, (c) team performance, (d) stakeholders, (e) discrimination, (f) fan experience, and (g) competitive comparisons

Athletic Ticket Pricing in the Collegiate Environment: An Agenda for Research

s pressure mounts for intercollegiate athletic departments to be more selfsufficient, administrators must respond by increasing generated revenues. Despite the importance of ticket sales in this endeavor, however, little is known about the underlying ticket pricing structures and policies used by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions. Of the limited existing scholarship focused on managerial pricing decisions in the field of sport management, only professional sports settings have been addressed. Given the unique operational differences between professional and intercollegiate sport, this paper is designed to establish a foundation from which to build future research concerning the pricing of college sport tickets. The frameworks of stakeholder theory and institutional theory are proposed to ground future study in an attempt to strengthen our understanding of the process and behavior of price setting in intercollegiate athletics

Athletic Ticket Pricing in the Collegiate Environment: An Agenda for Research

As pressure mounts for intercollegiate athletic departments to be more selfsufficient, administrators must respond by increasing generated revenues. Despite the importance of ticket sales in this endeavor, however, little is known about the underlying ticket pricing structures and policies used by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions. Of the limited existing scholarship focused on managerial pricing decisions in the field of sport management, only professional sports settings have been addressed. Given the unique operational differences between professional and intercollegiate sport, this paper is designed to establish a foundation from which to build future research concerning the pricing of college sport tickets. The frameworks of stakeholder theory and institutional theory are proposed to ground future study in an attempt to strengthen our understanding of the process and behavior of price setting in intercollegiate athletics

Assessing the role of stakeholder relationships in the promotion of a major event on social media

In 2016, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hosted an event for the first time at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The McGregor-Alveraz fight card held three championship fights which was another first in the UFC. During the weeks before the fight, the UFC relied heavily on league and fighters to engage with fans through social media to promote the event. Therefore, this study employed a relationship marketing framework to examine consumer engagement on social media. The research focused on UFC 205, one of the most high-profile Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events in history. After examining the Twitter activity surrounding UFC 205, it was found that both groups focus primarily on disseminating content that highlights group experience and information sharing. However, promotional content was retweeted most frequently by followers. The UFC is considered a leader in social media marketing among professional sport leagues, so the study holds important implications for sport marketers across numerous industry sectors Keywords: Social Media, Brand Ambassadors, Marketing, Event Promotion, eWOM DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/92-06 Publication date: February 28th 202