Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

With as rapid a growth that Esports has had and its current introduction to the public mainstream, there is yet to be sufficient studies and research compiled to fully develop the profile of an Esport consumer. While companies such as Neilson and others have begun scratching the surface of the Esport community, there is much that is relatively unknown. Consumer behavior patterns of traditional sports has been defined for years, however as the billion dollar a year industry that Esports is, Esport consumer behavior is still taking shape. This thesis will attempt to build upon previous studies conducted by former Arizona State University students to continue to define the Esport consumer. Through quantitative research conducted via an online survey consisting of demographic, behavioral, and psychographic questions, the stereotype of an Esport consumer will be dissolved to reveal their true nature. This study will prove to be an iteration among the previous research by -<br/>• Developing a functional segmentation of Esport consumers, which will allow for marketers within the industry to better understand their audience in their attempts to persuade/incentivize<br/>• Understanding and dissecting the scale of influence that content creators (those who play Esports for the purpose of entertaining through various platforms) and competitive Esport athletes have on certain segmentations of consumers<br/>• Discovering the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on certain segmentations in regards to their time spent playing themselves<br/><br/> After compiling results from this questionnaire, marketers that are both endemic and non-endemic brands seeking to partner within the Esports space will have a better understanding of their audience and how to connect with them.

This project looked at how certain factors impacted how likely consumers were to buy tickets to NCAA Division I FBS Football games, otherwise known as FBS Football games. It first analyzed prior research into sports ticket sales to identify factors that generally impact ticket sales for sports in general that could be feasibly analyzed using a sample of college students. From this, four factors were chosen to be analyzed. These factors were fan loyalty, price sensitivity, opposing team quality, and home team quality. After collecting data from intro level marketing students and performing a statistical analysis of the data, it was concluded that all four factors impacted the likelihood of an individual buying a ticket to an FBS Football game.

An examination upon the historical evolution of the quarterback reveals that there were three foundational cycles leading up to 2007 which established the model for the mobile quarterback in the NFL. These were especially marked by exceptional quarterbacks breaking molds and pioneering African American quarterbacks overcoming racial stigma. Since 2007, there has been a steady trend of mobile quarterbacks replacing pocket passers, especially among playoff teams. Using k-means clustering, three different categories of quarterbacks were established: pocket passers, scramblers, and dual-threats. After evaluating various player metrics describing quarterback mobility, using yards per game, run-to-pass ratio, scramble rate, and designed run rate on third down produced the best model. This yielded an accurate prediction of covariance and a good overall fit. Teams with dual-threat quarterbacks had more success than other quarterback types on third-and-medium for dropbacks, third-and-long for designed runs, and explosive plays (plays which gain 20+ yards) on designed runs, passes, and quarterback scrambles. An examination into the schematic tendencies using film reveals that mobile quarterbacks allow the offense to have more freedom in its play calling and reduces the margin of error for defenses. Alongside the NFL’s increased focus on the concept of positionless football, this provides the framework for what this thesis calls the “Slashback Offense,” in which the offense utilizes a young, athletic quarterback in multiple positions in conjunction with a mobile starting quarterback. This can enhance option plays, establish the threat of another passer, and reduce the physical burden on the starting quarterback.