Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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Description
In a season that spans 162 games over the course of six months, MLB teams that travel more face additional fatigue and jetlag from travel. This factor could negatively impact them on the field. To explore this issue, I tested the significance of different variables by creating four models, which compared travel with a team's ability to win games as well as its ability to hit home runs. Based on these models, it appears as though changing time zones does not affect the outcome of games. However, these results did indicate that visiting teams with a greater time zone advantage over their opponent are less likely to hit a home run in a game.
ContributorsAronson, Sean Matthew (Author) / MacFie, Brian (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to outline the importance of setting an inclusive organizational culture within a professional baseball franchise, with a network of teams ranging from Rookie Leagues to Major League Baseball. In addition, the purpose of this research is to assess the current state of culture throughout Major League Baseball organizations to determine the most appropriate approach to culture for an MLB franchise, showing evidence for culture as a competitive advantage. Through qualitative research through the form of interviews (n=8), former players at the MiLB and MLB levels (n=3), player development staff (n=3), and directors of international scouting (n=2) provided insight into professional baseball culture in the United States (U.S.), its successes, and its shortcomings.
ContributorsSher, Jake (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Major League Baseball (MLB) is home to the oldest sports fans out of the top major sports with 50% of their viewers 55 or older (Paul, 2017). To try and reverse this trend, the MLB has been experimenting with advanced technology to create various ticket programs that appeal to younger people; one of them being the Summer Pass. The pass has allowed casual and die-hard fan groups to purchase a monthly/season long subscription to attend as many home games for one flat rate. While current fans praise the concept of the Summer Pass, teams need to find a way to expand their fan base by influencing young, non-sport fans to start showing up to games. It is imperative for teams to expand their fan base by converting non-fans to fans, especially to a younger generation because of the customer lifetime value (CLV) they can bring to the team. According to Qualtrics, CLV is a measurement of how valuable a customer is to your company with an unlimited time span as opposed to just the first purchase (Qualtrics, 2019). Converting non-fans to fans at a younger age will improve the fan base by maintaining a stream of loyal fans. The Arizona Diamondbacks are fortunate enough to play in a city next to one of the largest college’s in the nation. Unfortunately, college students attending Arizona State University aren’t baseball fans. The Student Pass could be a cheap, efficient way to influence college students to attend Diamondbacks games in their free time.
To see what will influence people who aren’t fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks to start attending games, data was collected from students attending Arizona State University and they were categorized into different clusters based on their fan status. These clusters were analyzed based on the different levels of fandom each student identified as. The analysis found that students who aren’t sports fans are disinterested in purchasing the Student Pass to attend Diamondbacks games. Including Student Pass bundles with either a t-shirt, food credit voucher, or collectible/bobblehead will not influence their decision to attend Arizona Diamondbacks games. Implications of this study provide the next possible steps for the Arizona Diamondbacks and other MLB teams to use alternative measures that could potentially influence non-fans to attend games in hopes of them becoming a fan.
With hopes of increasing attendance rates through college students, a survey was created to target students at Arizona State University to determine how aware students are of the D-Backs Student Pass; and to offer a solution of how to increase attendance by penetrating Generation Z. The results from this study are intended to identify the different fan types at Arizona State University. A summary of key findings says:
1. Including ticket bundles as options for the Student Pass will not influence non-sports or Diamondbacks fans to attend games
2. Diehard Devin are willing to spend more on ticket bundles than the other fan groups that attend Diamondbacks games
3. The most popular ticket option is a $2 ticket to a Friday game
To see what will influence people who aren’t fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks to start attending games, data was collected from students attending Arizona State University and they were categorized into different clusters based on their fan status. These clusters were analyzed based on the different levels of fandom each student identified as. The analysis found that students who aren’t sports fans are disinterested in purchasing the Student Pass to attend Diamondbacks games. Including Student Pass bundles with either a t-shirt, food credit voucher, or collectible/bobblehead will not influence their decision to attend Arizona Diamondbacks games. Implications of this study provide the next possible steps for the Arizona Diamondbacks and other MLB teams to use alternative measures that could potentially influence non-fans to attend games in hopes of them becoming a fan.
With hopes of increasing attendance rates through college students, a survey was created to target students at Arizona State University to determine how aware students are of the D-Backs Student Pass; and to offer a solution of how to increase attendance by penetrating Generation Z. The results from this study are intended to identify the different fan types at Arizona State University. A summary of key findings says:
1. Including ticket bundles as options for the Student Pass will not influence non-sports or Diamondbacks fans to attend games
2. Diehard Devin are willing to spend more on ticket bundles than the other fan groups that attend Diamondbacks games
3. The most popular ticket option is a $2 ticket to a Friday game
ContributorsBurton, Amani (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
An analysis of Major League Baseball (MLB) attendance drivers and fan segmentation strategies to identify ways in which teams can attract fans. Core elements of drivers and fan segments are identified then practically applied to three modern MLB franchises. The thesis concludes with recommendations for each of the chosen franchises, as well as, for MLB as a whole, outlining how the league and teams can more effectively serve their fanbase and improve attendance.
ContributorsBrown, Jake (Author) / Mozilo, Dominick (Co-author) / Pleskovitch, Jack (Co-author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
This thesis explores data-driven engagement strategies for the ASU Baseball team to implement in order to increase student attendance at their home games, held at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, given that all general students have a financial buy-in to their collegiate athletic programs. Developing a loyal fan base is essential to a team’s overall success, leading to an increased sense of pride and passion for on-field heroism. Our research team's focus was on analyzing the brand positioning of the Sun Devil Baseball program to determine what opportunities exist within the program. Our methods included collecting secondary data and conducting primary research via a Qualtrics survey administered to undergraduate students on ASU’s campus. The survey results were then used to propose data-driven engagement strategies covering various aspects of campus life in order to provide a well-designed value proposition. Additionally, we used findings from our secondary data to evolve our recommendations past student attendance and into overall presence as well. Through conducting research of different histories, examining the current situation, then identifying an opportunity to grow along with a plan of action, this creative project will cover multiple key areas of a student brand report.
ContributorsBerge, Nicole (Author) / Personale, Caitlin (Co-author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
This thesis aims to develop a new way to value players for all teams in the MLB, despite the financial disparity. Displayed in the rest of this paper, is a player valuation model created around each team's salary level, focusing on player’s offensive output. The model functions in a way that values players by their ability to help their team score runs and win games by setting parameters for salary expectations based on player performance. This allows for small market MLB teams, like the Cleveland Guardians, to build a roster of players around their specific salary limit, specifically to score the maximum runs and win games. On the contrary, the model also works for big market teams, like the Los Angeles Dodger, allowing them to project their larger salary limit to players and build their ideal roster as well.
ContributorsPearce, Eric (Author) / Lewis, Spencer (Co-author) / Licon, Lawrence (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
This thesis looks at youth baseball pitchers’ perceptions of the risks and benefits of a weighted baseball and long toss training program. The literature review is a supplement to the thesis by examining the effects of weighted baseball and long toss training programs on a youth pitcher’s arm health and career longevity. Prior research in this topic details the risks and benefits of these programs. The research survey conducted for this thesis aimed to supplement the prior research by giving insight into the perceptions of these young athletes towards weighted baseball and long toss training programs.
ContributorsKranstuber, William (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
An analysis of Major League Baseball (MLB) attendance drivers and fan segmentation strategies to identify ways in which teams can attract fans. Core elements of drivers and fan segmentation are identified then practically applied to three modern MLB franchises. The thesis concludes with recommendations for each of the chosen franchises, as well as, for MLB as a whole, outlining how the league and teams can more effectively serve their fanbase and improve attendance.
ContributorsMozilo, Dominick (Author) / Brown, Jake (Co-author) / Pleskovitch, Jack (Co-author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
An analysis of Major League Baseball (MLB) attendance drivers and fan segmentation strategies to identify ways in which teams can attract fans. Core elements of drivers and fan segments are identified then practically applied to three modern MLB franchises. The thesis concludes with recommendations for each of the chosen franchises, as well as, for MLB as a whole, outlining how the league and teams can more effectively serve their fanbase and improve attendance.
ContributorsPleskovitch, Jack (Author) / Brown, Jake (Co-author) / Mozilo, Dominick (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
This thesis explores data-driven engagement strategies for the ASU Baseball team to implement in order to increase student attendance at their home games, held at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, given that all general students have a financial buy-in to their collegiate athletic programs. Developing a loyal fan base is essential to a team’s overall success, leading to an increased sense of pride and passion for on-field heroism. Our research team's focus was on analyzing the brand positioning of the Sun Devil Baseball program to determine what opportunities exist within the program. Our methods included collecting secondary data and conducting primary research via a Qualtrics survey administered to undergraduate students on ASU’s campus. The survey results were then used to propose data-driven engagement strategies covering various aspects of campus life in order to provide a well-designed value proposition. Additionally, we used findings from our secondary data to evolve our recommendations past student attendance and into overall presence as well. Through conducting research of different histories, examining the current situation, then identifying an opportunity to grow along with a plan of action, this creative project will cover multiple key areas of a student brand report.
ContributorsPersonale, Caitlin (Author) / Berge, Nicole (Co-author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2022-05