Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6
Description
In order to establish sustainable parity in competition year over year, all four major professional sports organizations in the United States have established a first-year draft with an order decided or influenced by their Win-Loss record the previous year. The assumption is that this draft structure should keep all teams competitive. Rather, there is an overwhelming shift to analytical problem-solving that suggests building a winning team requires a period of losing and collecting young talent. The separation has become so apparent that it has been referred to as, “Twelve teams a-tanking.” (Boras, 2018) The trend was so pronounced this last season that the seven worst teams that held their own pick all lost by more than 15 points in the span of two days.(Sheinin, 2018) This leaves the ratio of games with a 15 point or more point differential to that of less than 15 points was 8:9 on the date described by Sheinin, as opposed to the usual ratio of 2:5 for the rest of the season. This stretch of games occurred during a pivotal time in the season and should have garnered high interest for entertainment as teams grapple for playoff position heading into the post season. Instead, viewers were treated to seven blow-out games. In this thesis, the effects of tanking will be studied as it pertains to the NBA, as a whole, losing attendance in multiple aspects. This applies directly to the value of sponsorships in the NBA. In short, this thesis will answer three of questions; (1) How does expected point spread, which is highly affected by tanking, affect NBA attendance, of all teams, down the stretch of games? (2) How can the NBA protect its sponsors from the effects of tanking? (3) How can NBA sponsors protect themselves from the effects of tanking?
ContributorsThomas, Isaiah (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
In 2017, the last full year before the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States, over $4.8 billion was legally gambled on sports in Nevada alone. This number pales in comparison to the estimated $150 billion that is gambled illegally on sports in the United States every year (Liptak, Draper). These numbers have continually grown year-over-year as the interest and demand in sports gambling has steadily increased. This trend will continue s states begin to legalize sports gambling and gambling operators set-up shop, allowing hundreds of thousands of people who had never placed a bet because of its limited access to now be able to do so. As fans begin to place legal bets on sporting events, there will be three types of fans who place bets: those who will never place a bet on a game involving their favorite team, those who will bet on games involving their favorite team but never against their favorite team, and those who will place bets on games involving and against their favorite team. This project explores how the modern sports fan will be impacted by the widespread legalization of sports gambling throughout the United States of America. As fans are able to place legal sports bets through their phones, computers, or at local sportsbooks and casinos, it will be interesting to see if the loyalty they have towards their favorite team remains as strong as ever or becomes divided between their favorite team and sports bets.
ContributorsGoldstein, Matthew (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The NBA has shown to have immense popularity on social media, but has struggled recently in traditional TV viewership. Research has shown that NBA fans skew young, as the youngest fan base of the four major North American sports leagues, and that the fandom of NBA teams can be highly volatile. Research has also shown that sports fans are inclined to cheer for and identify with the team who is not favored to win in a game that they are unfamiliar with. This study aims to understand NBA fan loyalty that leads to fans tuning into NBA broadcasts, and the factors that influence both player and team loyalty among fans. By understanding what factors lead to an NBA fan watching a game on TV, there will be an increase in the number of fans who are consistent viewers of games. The question being asked is: Are NBA fans more inclined to watch games because of their favorite team or their favorite players, and what factors influence their loyalty to team and their loyalty to player?
Based on research conducted on social media usage and fan identification, an online survey was created and distributed. Respondents who identified as NBA fans answered questions regarding social media usage, live sports TV viewership, and more questions regarding presumptive factors leading to NBA game TV viewership. Analysis of the responses found that loyalty to team was a bigger factor than loyalty to player in getting NBA fans to watch games on TV. Results also indicated that loyalty to team increased based on an increase in live sports TV viewership per week, loyalty to player increased based on an increase in national TV NBA game viewership, and die-hard fans are more likely to watch NBA games for their favorite team and players than casual fans. Based on these results, it is recommended that the NBA markets their games towards casual fans, with player-focused marketing for their national TV games.
Based on research conducted on social media usage and fan identification, an online survey was created and distributed. Respondents who identified as NBA fans answered questions regarding social media usage, live sports TV viewership, and more questions regarding presumptive factors leading to NBA game TV viewership. Analysis of the responses found that loyalty to team was a bigger factor than loyalty to player in getting NBA fans to watch games on TV. Results also indicated that loyalty to team increased based on an increase in live sports TV viewership per week, loyalty to player increased based on an increase in national TV NBA game viewership, and die-hard fans are more likely to watch NBA games for their favorite team and players than casual fans. Based on these results, it is recommended that the NBA markets their games towards casual fans, with player-focused marketing for their national TV games.
ContributorsBogoshian, Matthew William (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The National Hockey League is the highest league of hockey in the world. They have the highest attendance percentage out of the four major sports in North America (National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball). However, the NHL is lacking insurmountably in the media rights revenue space compared to these other three major sports leagues in the United States. This paper is designed to find innovative solutions to remedy this problem, by incorporating the new Puck and Player Tracking technology into the television and streaming broadcasts. We first identified the core values of fans and their consumption habits and behaviors. We obtained an interview with the Senior Hockey Writer for ESPN, Greg Wyshynski, on the development and implementation of Puck and Player Tracking technology. From there, we created a survey to gauge the consumer perception of the Puck and Player Tracking technology, which allowed us to perform analytical tests to determine the best possible implementation strategy for the PPT technology into broadcasts. Using statistical testing methods, we identified that survey respondents found the least invasive augmented broadcast element was a small, gray puck trail displayed on the ice. From these findings, we proposed that the ideal implementation of the Puck and Player Tracking technology into television broadcasts should feature this element in all future traditional NHL television broadcasts and the player statistical broadcast should be offered as a second screen streamed broadcast. This implementation, compounded with other factors in the upcoming NHL media rights negotiations, creates a more valuable television product, which in turn will lead to a more competitive media rights deal.
ContributorsDiluchio, Ryan Patrick (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Sports have always incited an emotional response in fans unlike anything else and creates a special relationship between fans and their favorite sports team. However, in the current age, attendance numbers have started to fall, due to games being available on multiple platforms for viewers to watch in their own homes, along with the increased competition in the entertainment industry. Teams are seeking new ways to leverage that relationship with their fans in order to draw fans into their games. This study will look at the history of fandom and reasons why people remain loyal to “their team” year after year. In turn, fan loyalty and increased attendance translates to increased revenue for teams across all sports. As part of this study, existing literature was reviewed covering the following areas of fandom: fan loyalty, memory association, and team actions that will impact fans. This research will aid in developing hypotheses to test on why fans remain fans and how their fan dedication develops. A questionnaire was then developed to find the reason why a fan is so dedicated to their favorite team. Respondents are asked to self- identify as a fan type in order to quantify the label of “fan” and build a deeper analysis within the questions being asked. The three fan options are diehard, casual and social fans. The following analysis explored why people are fans and what factors influence their level of fan loyalty. From that, recommendations were developed for professional sports teams to take advantage of the factors found in the analysis. The hope is that they will be able to translate psychological factors and an emotional connection into a concrete strategy to drive ticket sales and revenue.
ContributorsTassinari, Isabella (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
As a relatively new industry in the sports business world, much on Esports consumer behavior patterns remain unexplored. Previous studies have aimed to provide a clear and coherent picture of different Esports fan demographics, understand consumption habits and psychological tendencies of these groups, and forecast financial and statistical trends for the Esports industry in the future. This thesis works to elaborate on these previous studies through quantitative research via a comprehensive online questionnaire. This research is focused on investigating three topics of interest within the consumer behavior realm of the Esports industry. First, to provide a meaningful and useful segmentation of fans within the industry, offering potential sponsors a closer look at how to approach each segment with future advertising and/or messaging. Second, to monitor how the playing habits of gamers impact what content and which creators they choose to stream online. Third, to explore the level of influence (through sponsorships, messaging, etc.) video game content creators and Esports athletes have on particular types of consumers.
With the data gathered from this research, both endemic and non-endemic brands looking to enter the Esports sponsorship space will be able to make informed decisions on which marketing decisions make the most sense financially and demographically. Furthermore, brands will be able to use this data to ensure a clear and consistent message across all platforms in future marketing campaigns.
With the data gathered from this research, both endemic and non-endemic brands looking to enter the Esports sponsorship space will be able to make informed decisions on which marketing decisions make the most sense financially and demographically. Furthermore, brands will be able to use this data to ensure a clear and consistent message across all platforms in future marketing campaigns.
ContributorsIngram, Meg (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05