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HRD 880 Presentation
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Fan Motivation as a Marketing Strategy in Collegiate Athletics
By: Dagan Rainey
Clemson University
HRD-880
Introduction
• Topic: – Fan Motivation
• Why I chose this topic:– Working for IPTAY at
Clemson University
– Desire to get inside the head of our customer base, the fans, so that we can better accommodate them
Sports and the Struggling U.S. Economy
• The sporting industry has been a very successful business for many years yielding billions of dollars
• Due to the current U.S. economy every business is being affected
• People are stretching each dollar they make• Every sport is affected differently
– The 3 major sports (football, basketball, and baseball) are still putting up good numbers but many other sports are not.
• Football and basketball are generally the only two sports that generate revenue for collegiate athletic departments
– In 2008, NCAA Football Bowl Game attendance broke records even with the struggling economy
Economic Impact on Collegiate Athletics
• Travel expenses:– University of Pittsburg AD Steve
Pederson stated that “On average, travel accounts for 50% of our teams’ budgets
– The cost of travel to NCAA Championship games increased over 8 million dollars from 2007 to 2008
• Fundraising: – OSU Alumni T. Boone Pickens
donated $165 million to OSU athletics in 2006
• In 2009, Pickens’ company has suffered a loss of over $1 billion
• Puts an immediate stop to stadium plans
Argument 1• The majority of fans/spectators in the United States are motivated by three
main motives (eustress, group affiliation, and entertainment) because of several research studies conducted by Murray State University
– Murray State University researchers were provided a grant to determine what motivates fans to come to games
– Participants were given the Sport Fan Motivation Scale, developed by Daniel L Wann, to determine what factors motivate people the most in supporting their teams
– The SFMS scale observes eight fan motives, including: • eustress (i.e., the need for positive stress) • self-esteem (i.e.,the desire to maintain a positive self concept
through team success)• escape (i.e., sport as a diversion) • entertainment • economic (i.e., gambling) • aesthetic (i.e., sport as an art form) • group affiliation (i.e., belongingness needs) • family needs (i.e., opportunities to spend time with one's family)
– Results:• Eustress, group affiliation, and entertainment all scored high
percentages from fans
Argument 2• Fans can be motivated differently depending on what type of sporting
event they are watching because each sport provides different types of motives according to research conducted by Daniel L.Wann.
– Wann conducted a study in 2008 to examine sport type differences in the eight fan motives: eustress, self-esteem, escape, entertainment, economic, aesthetic, group affiliation, and family needs
– Participants consisted of 1,372 college students that were sports fans. Each participant was given a questionnaire asking their level of interest in the 13 major sports.
– Results:• Each sport has its own style and people are drawn to a
particular sport because of how it interest them personally; therefore, fans can be motivated differently depending on what type of sporting event they are watching
Argument 3• Of the three types of fans, (locals, casual attendees, and fans that
specifically travel to attend an event) the fans who specifically travel to attend athletic events will be motivated higher than the other types of fans because they are able to identify themselves more with the athletic event according to research conducted by Ryan Snelgrove
– Snelgrove, a professor at the University of Windsor conducted a study that compared the fan motivation, leisure motivation, and identification with the subculture of athletics at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
– Fans were given questionnaires to determine if they are casual fans, local fans, or traveling fans.
– Results:• Indicated that traveling fans are more likely to identify
themselves with the athletic organization they support than the other two fan types
Argument 4• There is a difference between fans and spectators because
spectators generally watch and observe sporting events while fans are actively engaged and enthused by the event according to research by the sport management program at Iowa State University
– Sport Management professors at Iowa State University conducted research to determine the differences in motivations between spectators and fans, and utilized these results to indicate how athletic organizations show appeal to both types of consumers
– 861 spectators at four intercollegiate football games were given questionnaires that included two different measuring scales, the Motivation Scale for Sports Consumption and the Point of Attachment Index
– Results: • These results indicated that spectators and fans are motivated in very
different ways. The fans were attending the games because they wanted to see their team win and they actually wanted to be apart of that success. The spectator is more interested in the quality of the game. They appreciate the skill and aesthetic qualities of the game
Argument 5
• Gender plays a role on what type of fan a consumer is and how they are motivated because males and females both look at sports differently according to research from the University of Oregon
– This study was conducted to see differences in motivations in women’s sports and male sports
– One survey was given to a group of women’s basketball fans and another survey was given to men’s basketball fans to be compared to one another
– Results: • Women’s basketball fans were 57% female, and they scored
high on the values: self respect, warm relationship with others, and fun and enjoyment with life.
• Men’s basketball fans were 72% male, and they scored high on the values sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment
Summary
• U.S. Economy is causing problems for all businesses
• In order for the college athletics to continue to generate revenue, it is important to focus on the fans and how they are motivated
• Literature review supports 5 main arguments about fan motivation
• Marketing strategies can be developed to better accommodate the different types of fans in this world
