Matching Items (42)
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- All Subjects: Baseball
- All Subjects: Social Media
- Creators: Eaton, John
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
The history of baseball in California extends back, long before the first MLB teams relocated to the West Coast. Beginning in the mid-1850s as a result of the large population influx that occurred because of the California Gold Rush, baseball served as a popular form of entertainment in the Golden State for nearly a century before the MLB's westward expansion, starting out as an amateur form of recreation, yet evolving to ultimately become a professional sport, led by the Pacific Coast League (PCL), an organization that fulfilled the same role as the MLB in the Eastern United States. The PCL enjoyed several decades of prosperity, with teams located throughout California and in Washington. One of the league's more successful teams was the Los Angeles Angels. In existence since 1903, the Angels became one of the more popular teams within the PCL and were regularly contenders to win the pennant. In 1956, after multiple attempts to have the city build a new stadium for his team, Walter O'Malley, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers began considering the possibility of relocating the team to a new state. After a series of negotiations, the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles where they began the 1958 season, while the New York Giants relocated to San Francisco. This move ultimately proved to be the downfall of the PCL, which was unable to compete with the new MLB teams. The various ball clubs that made up the PCL soon moved to other states east of California and the league was demoted to AAA status. In the following years, the success brought on by the Dodgers' move to the West Coast became evident and the American League soon decided to create a new franchise in Los Angeles. A name that would harken back to the glory years of the PCL was chosen and the new team was designated the "Los Angeles Angels." Throughout the Angels' history, they have attempted to compete directly with the Dodgers and establish their own fan base, however due to the difficulty in standing out when located so close to the wildly popular Dodgers, the team was unable to establish a successful and unique team identity for the majority of its history. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different changes the Angels have made over time, a study was conducted to evaluate perceptions between the two teams. The findings indicated a preference towards the Angels among participants from the United States, especially those familiar with the MLB and its structure. In contrast, the Dodgers proved to be more popular among participants who were originally from other countries. People who preferred the Angels also appeared to be more competitive than those who indicated a preference for the Dodgers. From these results it appears that the Angels have been successful in their quest to rival the Dodgers and establish their own substantial fan base. However it also seems that the Dodgers may have more international fans, as well as a large number of fans from the United States who tend to be more casual.
ContributorsMonaghan, Joshua Timothy (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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
AZMagicPlayers.com is a website dedicated to the promotion of the Wizards of the Coast-trading card game Magic: the Gathering in Arizona. This paper details the business model that helps sustain the website and how that business model is designed specifically to help build the community and ultimately fulfill the mission statement of AZMagicPlayers.com.
ContributorsAbong, Jason (Co-author) / Abong, Jeffrey (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Olsen, Douglas (Committee member) / Regalado, Marco (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The way in which we communicate has forever changed. In person interactions are slowly being replaced by digital experiences that we share with other users. Even after the Covid-19 crisis, some companies will continue to have employees work remotely. This will further push our worlds in being shaped by the actions that occur online. As this continues, it will become increasingly important that we pay attention to the online communities that we create. Communities that reside on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and more will continue to grow in prevalence in our day to day lives. We have seen how communities can organize and have real world impacts through their interactions with each other. R/Wallstreetbets is an online community on Reddit that caused the price of multiple stocks to skyrocket by all agreeing to buy as a collective group. This gained national attention and it was focused on how an online community was able to manipulate the market, but what was even more intriguing is how it represents the future of communication. It is easy to forget that the interactions we have online are with real people on the other side of their username and profile photo. We are consistently conversing with strangers as we leave comments on posts and reply to certain users. It is incredible that we are able to network with just about any user that is on a social platform. Despite this incredible ability to connect, we live in a world that is also divided and polarized. This is a result of using platforms that create filter bubbles and work to gain your attention to sell advertisements. These sites are largely unfocused and play host to both viral videos and social justice awareness. This thesis is focused on proving the concept of a new platform’s ability to resolve these issues. In this paper I will describe to you the problems that have arisen due to large social media companies, my proposal for a platform dedicated to resolving these problems, and the validity and testing of this proposed platform.
ContributorsHurner, Nathan (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Giles, Brett (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to cover the multiple aspects of Major League Baseball Expansion from 30 to 32 teams. The thesis can be divided into two parts with the first being the preparation and consideration for expansion, and the second half is about the execution and implementation of adding two expansion teams to the league.
For years, Commissioner Rob Manfred has hinted and brought about the idea of adding two more teams to Major League Baseball (Mitchell). The growth of the game is of utmost importance, and they have made many changes to try to expand the growth of fans the past few years particularly catered to new and young fans. New rules like a pitch clock and mound visit limitations are examples of in game changes made to speed up the game, but they have also experimented with spring training and regular season games internationally or at new venues. In just the past decade, games have been played or planned (due to COVID-19 cancellations) in Monterrey, Mexico City, London, Tokyo, San Juan, Montreal, Las Vegas, Williamsport, and even Iowa. With the exception of the Williamsport Little League Classic and the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, all these locations had games to see what the atmosphere and logistics would be like with expansion in mind as a possibility in the future. With this in mind, this thesis will analyze and come to a conclusion on the following cities for the best fits for expansion: Monterrey, Mexico City, San Juan, Vancouver, Montreal, Las Vegas, Portland, Nashville, Raleigh, and San Antonio.
For years, Commissioner Rob Manfred has hinted and brought about the idea of adding two more teams to Major League Baseball (Mitchell). The growth of the game is of utmost importance, and they have made many changes to try to expand the growth of fans the past few years particularly catered to new and young fans. New rules like a pitch clock and mound visit limitations are examples of in game changes made to speed up the game, but they have also experimented with spring training and regular season games internationally or at new venues. In just the past decade, games have been played or planned (due to COVID-19 cancellations) in Monterrey, Mexico City, London, Tokyo, San Juan, Montreal, Las Vegas, Williamsport, and even Iowa. With the exception of the Williamsport Little League Classic and the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, all these locations had games to see what the atmosphere and logistics would be like with expansion in mind as a possibility in the future. With this in mind, this thesis will analyze and come to a conclusion on the following cities for the best fits for expansion: Monterrey, Mexico City, San Juan, Vancouver, Montreal, Las Vegas, Portland, Nashville, Raleigh, and San Antonio.
ContributorsLieberman, Jake Robert (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Women’s financial literacy and its translation into financial capability is becoming a pressing issue as women are living longer than men, while experiencing shorter employment periods, and lower incomes and benefits (Weir & Willis, 2000). More alarming is the lack of access to credible and trustworthy educational resources for women. Through a detailed analysis of the players in the women’s financial wellness sphere, many resource gaps were found to be present. Across prominent platforms, these issues were found (1) content was incorrectly conveyed to viewers, (2) presentation of the information was complex and/or confusing, and (3) the content was not visually appealing nor engaging.
In an environment of increasing connectivity due to the advent of 3G and 4G networks, and the increase in the number of users subscribing to social media platforms, it is an opportune time to utilize social media as an educational platform. With that being said, the goal of this project, the Sisterhood of Money (SOM), is to inform and educate women about essential financial topics. Using a variety of social media platforms such as Instagram, SOM intends to educate viewers with the help of aesthetically pleasing content that is engaging, informative, and easily digestible.
In an environment of increasing connectivity due to the advent of 3G and 4G networks, and the increase in the number of users subscribing to social media platforms, it is an opportune time to utilize social media as an educational platform. With that being said, the goal of this project, the Sisterhood of Money (SOM), is to inform and educate women about essential financial topics. Using a variety of social media platforms such as Instagram, SOM intends to educate viewers with the help of aesthetically pleasing content that is engaging, informative, and easily digestible.
ContributorsDeGravina, Gabrielle (Author) / Michael, Mokwa (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The rise in social media usage has sparked a new marketing strategy for brands and entrepreneurs known as influencing. Influencers use marketing tactics to persuade their social media followers to purchase a certain brand. For this thesis, we will be focusing on micro influencers who are defined as people that began as a regular, everyday person and became known for their knowledge about some specialist niche with a range of 10,000-500,000 followers.
To conduct research, we developed a survey that was distributed and taken by students at Arizona State University. The goal of surveying college students was to understand how young people who regularly use social media are persuaded by micro-influencers. To gain more insight, we interviewed three local micro-influencers that we discovered through Instagram and research. The goal of these interviews was to discover tactics that micro-influencers use when posting to market sponsored products. Additionally, we hoped to uncover a pattern that micro-influencers use when building their social media following. Ultimately, we developed a six-step guide from our research that aspiring micro-influencers can follow to strategize their rise as a social media micro-influencer. We also discuss the social media app TikTok, which we believe will be heavily used by influencers and micro-influencers in the future.
To conduct research, we developed a survey that was distributed and taken by students at Arizona State University. The goal of surveying college students was to understand how young people who regularly use social media are persuaded by micro-influencers. To gain more insight, we interviewed three local micro-influencers that we discovered through Instagram and research. The goal of these interviews was to discover tactics that micro-influencers use when posting to market sponsored products. Additionally, we hoped to uncover a pattern that micro-influencers use when building their social media following. Ultimately, we developed a six-step guide from our research that aspiring micro-influencers can follow to strategize their rise as a social media micro-influencer. We also discuss the social media app TikTok, which we believe will be heavily used by influencers and micro-influencers in the future.
ContributorsPangburn, Morgan Lane (Co-author) / Harazim, Genevieve (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The sports industry is unlike any other in that it connects individuals and consumers from destinations around the world with one common interest. That commonality can be as specific as a favorite player, team, league, or sport. All in all, it bands together entire communities with their passion for the game. American sports leagues such as the National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and many more, have all revolutionized the way that businesses view marketing though a user friendly, interactive, marketing tool with a universal reach.
ContributorsMarker, Sierra Kamalani Akiko (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Accurately assessing Major League Baseball player value is at the core of consistent success for any MLB organization. Effectively targeting players in trades and strategically spending available funds in the free agent market are of increasing importance as MLB salaries rise. In a sport where it takes 162 games to separate contenders, any advantage in identifying talent can be the difference between winning and losing. This paper draws team batting data from the past seven MLB seasons and runs a multi-variable regression to measure the run value of each individual batting outcome. If teams can more accurately measure the offensive value a player produces, they can more optimally spend their finances. Our regression results suggest that previously used statistics such as wOBA and OPS neglect outcome that have significant effects: baserunning ability and out type. Further contract analysis on four free-agent signing from 2018-2019 free agent class illustrate that teams often over and underestimate player value and could benefit greatly with more accurate player evaluation.
ContributorsGildea, Matthew E (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Everyone has a story to tell. Marketing nowadays is less about what is being made and more about how it is being told. Integrate an exciting or interesting story with sports and that is the ultimate storytelling experience. Social media has completely changed the game for professional teams when it comes to how teams are telling their digital stories and engaging with fans. Entire social media teams exist in these organizations, which is something that did not exist not too long ago. The rise in fans experiencing and viewing social media platforms is altering how teams engage, connect, and communicate with fans.
When it comes to my story, I wanted to make sure I told one that was interesting, relevant and worthwhile. I felt lost for quite some time in regards to what direction I wanted to take with my thesis. After meeting with Dan Moriarty and Kevin Brilliant of the Chicago Bulls during an outreach trip with the Sports Business Association, I knew I wanted to gain more insight into how teams are telling their digital stories and connecting with their fans. I wanted to learn more about how teams across the country are playing the game of social media and what strategies they put into place to be impactful and successful. I wanted to learn the value teams found in social media and how social media impacts the organizations as a whole, specifically in revenue generation. Most importantly, I wanted to learn how teams are engaging with fans and how social media has changed the world of sports. This research includes insights from various individuals in the industry as well as survey data from W. P. Carey students. The accumulation of this thesis has resulted in a closer look into social media in the sports industry and how teams are measuring success in the digital space.
When it comes to my story, I wanted to make sure I told one that was interesting, relevant and worthwhile. I felt lost for quite some time in regards to what direction I wanted to take with my thesis. After meeting with Dan Moriarty and Kevin Brilliant of the Chicago Bulls during an outreach trip with the Sports Business Association, I knew I wanted to gain more insight into how teams are telling their digital stories and connecting with their fans. I wanted to learn more about how teams across the country are playing the game of social media and what strategies they put into place to be impactful and successful. I wanted to learn the value teams found in social media and how social media impacts the organizations as a whole, specifically in revenue generation. Most importantly, I wanted to learn how teams are engaging with fans and how social media has changed the world of sports. This research includes insights from various individuals in the industry as well as survey data from W. P. Carey students. The accumulation of this thesis has resulted in a closer look into social media in the sports industry and how teams are measuring success in the digital space.
ContributorsMaguire, Allison Marie (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05