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Starting in the 2017-2018 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will become the first major U.S. sports league to put corporate sponsors on their jerseys. This is a monumental move in the course of sports history, as it will have a major impact on the fans. Teams, as well as

Starting in the 2017-2018 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will become the first major U.S. sports league to put corporate sponsors on their jerseys. This is a monumental move in the course of sports history, as it will have a major impact on the fans. Teams, as well as the league, must walk a line and make sure they are not seen as selling out for more revenue. Even though one of the reasons for allowing teams to sell space on jerseys is for revenue generation, it is also meant to help the NBA increase its exposure and become a global brand that is accepting to corporate investment. To understand how this will play out in the NBA, this report will look at the history of jersey sponsorship in Europe and the United States. Studying how jersey sponsorships have affected fans, teams, and leagues in the past will allow for a better understanding of the new jersey sponsorship market that the NBA is creating. Having a complete grasp on how jersey sponsorship markets in Europe and the U.S. will allow for better predictions on how the market for a major U.S. league will be. As of April 21, 2017, six teams have agreed to deals that involve a corporate sponsor patch on the team jerseys. These teams are from a variety of different markets and have varying level of recent and historical success. This small sample of teams with current deals can be compared to the early deals in other leagues. Some trends can be identified within the current deals based on the monetary investment certain teams are receiving from brands. The partnerships also all have other components to them as well as good brand alignment between the team and the sponsor. To value the remaining 24 teams, a formula was produced that would consider the team's current exposure in the marketplace. Through studying the history of other jersey sponsorship markets, a team's exposure is very important to brands and can allow a team to command a larger dollar amount. A formula was derived to relatively determine the value each team from the point of view of a brand mulling the decision to purchase an NBA jersey patch. Understanding the value of exposure to brands, the formula consisted of five variables that fully encompass how a team gains and maintains its exposure. A survey was also conducted in order to understand the fan in the local area. Our survey sample consisted of students of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. In this survey, we could understand how students felt about certain brands and whether a partnership involving their favorite team could sway their purchase intentions. The survey gave an inside look on some NBA fans and how they feel towards corporate partnerships with teams.
ContributorsSantora, Spencer Dean (Co-author) / Scheetz, Ryan (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The landscape of professional sporting venues within the United States is changing. From 1990-2018, within the four main American professional sports leagues, 20 new NHL arenas, 24 new NBA arenas, 22 new NFL stadiums, and 26 new MLB stadiums were built. As the industry morphs, a handful of new initiatives

The landscape of professional sporting venues within the United States is changing. From 1990-2018, within the four main American professional sports leagues, 20 new NHL arenas, 24 new NBA arenas, 22 new NFL stadiums, and 26 new MLB stadiums were built. As the industry morphs, a handful of new initiatives are being worked into the construct of these venues including increased commercial areas for shopping and restaurants and sharing of the venues between two organizations in an attempt to increase the overall utilization of the spaces. Additionally, in Detroit, San Francisco and Atlanta, where new stadiums and arenas were just recently introduced, the municipalities are using the venues to catalyze further growth and development within the city. However, these trends, while innovative, are tethered to high prices.
This thesis seeks to analyze the changes in how current stadiums are being funded, the public’s reaction to and perception of those financing plans and what the future might hold. Research showed that tax dollars are increasingly unpopular and that teams are moving away from using public money to fund sports venues. Gathered for this report, survey data of 815 Arizona State University students supported anecdotal evidence that people within a community are relatively unhappy with the idea of their money being used to partially subsidize wealthy sports organizations’ infrastructure. Altogether, recent evidence suggests that multi-use facilities funded in majority by private wealth are more popular and generate greater economic impact for the municipality than earlier in history, when heavily subsidized venues allowed teams to take advantage of local government and created fan mistrust. Additionally, sporting organizations can increase value to their consumer by incorporating additional commercial properties into the venue and by collaborating with the public regarding the financing structure of the venue.
ContributorsCwiakala, Alec (Co-author) / Kleen, Brendon (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The landscape of professional sporting venues within the United States is changing. From 1990-2018, within the four main American professional sports leagues, 20 new NHL arenas, 24 new NBA arenas, 22 new NFL stadiums, and 26 new MLB stadiums were built. As the industry morphs, a handful of new initiatives

The landscape of professional sporting venues within the United States is changing. From 1990-2018, within the four main American professional sports leagues, 20 new NHL arenas, 24 new NBA arenas, 22 new NFL stadiums, and 26 new MLB stadiums were built. As the industry morphs, a handful of new initiatives are being worked into the construct of these venues including increased commercial areas for shopping and restaurants and sharing of the venues between two organizations in an attempt to increase the overall utilization of the spaces. Additionally, in Detroit, San Francisco and Atlanta, where new stadiums and arenas were just recently introduced, the municipalities are using the venues to catalyze further growth and development within the city. However, these trends, while innovative, are tethered to high prices.
This thesis seeks to analyze the changes in how current stadiums are being funded, the public’s reaction to and perception of those financing plans and what the future might hold. Research showed that tax dollars are increasingly unpopular and teams are moving away from using public money to fund sports venues. Gathered for this report, survey data of 815 Arizona State University students supported anecdotal evidence that people within a community are relatively unhappy with the idea of their money being used to partially subsidize wealthy sports organizations’ infrastructure. Altogether, recent evidence suggests that multi-use facilities funded in majority by private wealth are more popular and generate greater economic impact for the municipality than earlier in history, when heavily subsidized venues allowed teams to take advantage of local government and created fan mistrust.
ContributorsKleen, Brendon (Co-author) / Cwiakala, Alec (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
General Motors is a well-established American company within the automotive industry. However, the industry is always evolving as new technologies, such as self-driving cars are introduced. This technology is predicted to have an impact on the current industry and change the way the world views transportation. General Motors cannot sit

General Motors is a well-established American company within the automotive industry. However, the industry is always evolving as new technologies, such as self-driving cars are introduced. This technology is predicted to have an impact on the current industry and change the way the world views transportation. General Motors cannot sit by as the technology is implemented if it wishes to continue to do well. Companies like Kodak made this mistake as the industry switched from film to digital photography. Kodak was too slow to react to the change and continued to develop and sell film-based products long after the technology became obsolete, which resulted in the eventual breakdown of the company. General Motors has already taken several steps in the right direction by purchasing Cruise Automation and allowing them to operate independently from the corporate brand. Overall, general public perception of this new technology is cautious, and most probably aren't ready for the high price that these self-driving vehicles will bring. Ride-sharing companies are the first adopters of this technology since they are able to pay the premium prices and can handle the testing of the vehicles. Private consumers cannot buy fully autonomous vehicles but can currently purchase vehicles with semi-autonomous capabilities, such as the Tesla Model S. These semi-autonomous vehicles come with a price that most consumers cannot afford resulting in low adoption rates. However, General Motors can resolve this slow adoption rate among private consumers by developing a new brand within its corporate portfolio under the name, Cruise, to develop, market, and sell self-driving vehicles to ride-sharing companies and commercial shipping companies. This brand will start out by exclusively selling to commercial entities before eventually expanding into the private consumer segment as costs become less prohibitive and adoption rates accelerate. This solution is designed to cement General Motors' position within the automotive industry and establish it as the go-to company for every self-driving need. This relationship developed between the company and the consumer will limit competitors and create a long, financially successful life for General Motors.
ContributorsKalmbach, Albert Christian (Author) / Arrfelt, Mathias (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The National Basketball Association is the world's most recognized professional basketball league. Athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have transcended from being high school standouts to global icons, but their careers might not have panned out the same way if they weren't allowed to declare for the draft

The National Basketball Association is the world's most recognized professional basketball league. Athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have transcended from being high school standouts to global icons, but their careers might not have panned out the same way if they weren't allowed to declare for the draft immediately upon graduating high school. In 2005, the NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed to implement an age limit for athletes declaring for the NBA Draft. Although this was supposed to reduce the quantity of younger players declaring for the draft, the rule has been ineffective as the average age of lottery picks, also known as the first 14 picks of the draft, has decreased since the rule's implementation. Adam Silver, the current commissioner of the NBA, has been vocal about potentially raising the minimum draft-eligible age once more because of NBA team executives calling recent draft picks unfit for the NBA. The purpose of this research is to examine if lottery picks are indeed "NBA ready" upon being drafted, and if there is a correlation between the age at which they are drafted, the pick at which they were selected, the length of their career, and their career success. Various statistical analysis techniques are utilized, such as the calculation of R-squared values and correlation coefficients, and the usage of t-tests and multiple regressions. Box score statistics such as minutes per game, points per game, rebounds, and assists as well as advanced metrics such as player efficiency rating, win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player were the focal point of this study. Players drafted with lottery selections from the 1985-2016 drafts had their career statistics compiled and examined for this analysis in order to adequately conduct the regressions. The results indicate that although lottery picks are having a decreasing immediate impact upon being drafted, the younger an athlete is drafted, the more long-term success they can expect to achieve in the NBA.
ContributorsKender, Mitchell Edward (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Over the past several decades, analytics have become more and more prevalent in the game of baseball. Statistics are used in nearly every facet of the game. Each team develops its own processes, hoping to gain a competitive advantage over the rest of the league. One area of the game

Over the past several decades, analytics have become more and more prevalent in the game of baseball. Statistics are used in nearly every facet of the game. Each team develops its own processes, hoping to gain a competitive advantage over the rest of the league. One area of the game that has struggled to produce definitive analytics is amateur scouting. This project seeks to resolve this problem through the creation of a new statistic, Valued Plate Appearance Index (VPI). The problem is identified through analysis that was performed to determine whether any correlation exists between performances at the country's top amateur baseball league, the Cape Cod League, and performances in Major League Baseball. After several stats were analyzed, almost no correlation was determined between the two. This essentially means that teams have no way to statistically analyze Cape Cod League performance and project future statistics. An inherent contextual error in these amateur statistics prevents them from correlating. The project seeks to close that contextual gap and create concrete, encompassing values to illustrate a player's offensive performance in the Cape League. To solve for this problem, data was collected from the 2017 CCBL season. In addition to VPI, Valued Plate Appearance Approach (VPA) and Valued Plate Appearance Result (VPR) were created to better depict a player's all-around performance in each plate appearance. VPA values the quality of a player's approach in each plate appearance. VPR values the quality of the contact result, excluding factors out of the hitter's control. This statistic isolates player performance as well as eliminates luck that cannot normally be taken into account. This paper results in the segmentation of players from the 2017 CCBL into four different groups, which project how they will perform as they transition into professional baseball. These groups and the creation of these statistics could be essential tools in the evaluation and projection of amateur players by Major League clubs for years to come.
ContributorsLothrop, Joseph Kent (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
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Description
Professional sports organizations in the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), and National Hockey League (NHL) are constantly searching for ways they can improve fan experience at their respective events. Many organizations have chosen to build a new stadium to attract fans and recruit

Professional sports organizations in the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), and National Hockey League (NHL) are constantly searching for ways they can improve fan experience at their respective events. Many organizations have chosen to build a new stadium to attract fans and recruit players to play for their organization. The struggle for fan attention and fan spend is being played out on a daily basis. As revenue models have shifted more towards targeted advertising, delivered via new social and digital mediums, local organizations have focused on improving the at-game experience to maintain consistent revenue streams. The features these stadia include have varied from the comical, to the social, to the behind-the-scenes side of sports. This thesis project will examine all the characteristics of professional sports stadia and compile a report of the features organizations should include if they decide to build their own new facility. The problem that this thesis identified was that hockey arenas do not have a true "calling card" aspect to their facility, and this thesis will examine what can make these facilities more unique. At the end of this thesis, the research was used to construct a destination facility for a NHL team based on fan preferences, sponsor effectiveness, and design that reflects the region in which the stadium is located. Hockey organizations and venues need to entice their fans to attend events at their facility as opposed to staying at home to watch their events on television in order to generate more revenue at the facility.
ContributorsLatham, Nicholas Ryan (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The purpose of this research was to determine whether there was a brand impact on athletes that chose to engage in political activism. This was investigated through research into examples of athlete activism in history and in the modern era as well as with a questionnaire distributed to marketing students

The purpose of this research was to determine whether there was a brand impact on athletes that chose to engage in political activism. This was investigated through research into examples of athlete activism in history and in the modern era as well as with a questionnaire distributed to marketing students at Arizona State University. The research suggests that there is no predictable impact to athlete brand from engaging in politics. Throughout history and in modern times there are examples of athlete's careers getting damaged because of their political involvement as well a instances where the athlete's brand is undamaged by their actions. The primary research results suggest that while the population preferred that sports and politics remain separate, they also believe that athletes have the right to speak out on political issues and engage in protest, and that doing so does not weaken the brand image of the athletes. The information in this research can be used by athletes to determine how their political actions may be received and by companies deciding how sponsoring a politically active athlete may affect their own brand.
ContributorsKeeslar, Alisia Marie (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The concept of branding has been around for centuries, but personal branding is a relatively new concept that has been defined and executed by many public figures. With the rise of technological advancements like social media, professional athletes have ample opportunities to connect with consumers outside of their respective court.

The concept of branding has been around for centuries, but personal branding is a relatively new concept that has been defined and executed by many public figures. With the rise of technological advancements like social media, professional athletes have ample opportunities to connect with consumers outside of their respective court. Our thesis team conducted research with Dr. John Eaton and Professor Daniel McIntosh to analyze how athletes’ actions and behaviors affect consumers’ opinions about their brand.
We developed multiple surveys that were distributed to Marketing & Business Performance (MKT 300) students at Arizona State University and AWS Mechanical Turk Workers. The goal of obtaining information from both college students and paid survey-takers was to compile a diverse set of opinions regarding how consumers react to athletes’ social media and public behavior. This led us to analyze how consumers interact with athletes on social media platforms based on the sport they play and consequences of their actions. After examining our consumer research, interviewing executives in the legal background, and talking to some of the university’s top-prospective athletes to gain different viewpoints, we created consumer and athlete categories.
We established six main consumer categories and six main athlete social media strategy personas in order to create social media strategy recommendations. With this information, athletes have the opportunity to develop well-thought out social media strategies that are more tailored to their fan base(s). Athletes must be cognizant of how the content on their social media accounts and their public actions will affect consumers’ perceptions about who they are and their personal brand.
ContributorsRishwain, Demetra Nicole (Co-author) / Delgado, Samantha (Co-author) / Sminkey, Marie (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
My thesis is designed to provide information about the spending habits and return on investment of
certain fan segmentations of Phoenix valley residents, at the WM Open. In 2012, Professor Michael
Mokwa, Professor John Eaton, and Professor Bradley Fay of the Department of Marketing at Arizona
State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business,

My thesis is designed to provide information about the spending habits and return on investment of
certain fan segmentations of Phoenix valley residents, at the WM Open. In 2012, Professor Michael
Mokwa, Professor John Eaton, and Professor Bradley Fay of the Department of Marketing at Arizona
State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, conducted an Economic Impact Study and a Study
regarding Attendance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It was a joint research study with the
ASU W.P. Carey School of Business and the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research, and
the studies were designed to 1) demonstrate the overall economic impact of the tournament on the
Phoenix area, and 2) identify the specific market segments and audience of the Waste Management
Phoenix Open. I used this study as base research to conduct further analysis of the fan segmentation of the
Waste Management Open. I completed two projects: an ‘Initial Project’, and a ‘Secondary Project’, which
analyzed different aspects of fan groups and average fan spending figures.

***

The goal of this report is to draw upon the fan clusters (outlined in the initial report) to further
characterize the six unique groups of Phoenix valley residents, calculate out how much revenue each fan
group is responsible for generating, and link the potential return on the investment of WM Open
advertising. This study added the average spending figures (collected by the ASU 2012 Economic impact
study (Mokwa, Eaton, Fay 2012)) and habits to the established market segments. With further analysis, it
was possible to link the advertisement efforts and determine if the current advertising and marketing
strategy fits the different fan segments that attended the tournament. The analysis includes the average
spending of each fan segmentation, critique of the current marketing and advertising efforts, and an
overall study of the WMPO marketing model using the 2016 Advertising and Marketing report along with
sales figures from Communication Links.
ContributorsRischitelli, Anna Catherine (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12