Nels Popp, Chris Greenwell, Adam R. Cocco, and Nate Bonney

Abstract

Product prices convey important messages to consumers. Low prices project affordability, while higher prices indicate greater perceived quality. The current study examines the relationship between ticket price and attendance within NCAA Division I women’s college basketball. Advertised single game ticket prices, along with 10 control variables, were collected for 975 games played during the 2021‒2022 season. Both highest and lowest ticket prices were significantly related to attendance but in opposite directions. The lowest ticket prices had a negative relationship with attendance, meaning as price went down, attendance was higher. The highest ticket prices, however, had a positive relationship with attendance. Marketers of women’s sport, who are often working for properties that are at a different stage in the product lifecycle than many men’s sports, must balance these perspectives when growing product popularity and maximizing revenue.

Keywords: attendance demand, women’s college basketball, pricing, consumer behavior

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.341.032025.01

Koo Yul Kim, Colin López, and Yo Han Lee

Abstract

The exponential growth of the secondary ticket market is primarily driven by proliferation of secondary ticket market companies (i.e., ticket resale platforms). With these different ticket resale platforms exhibiting varying levels of reputation, the role of reputation has become increasingly pivotal, influencing consumers’ decision making in the ticket purchase process. Utilizing signaling theory as a theoretical framework, this study employs a multi-study experimental design to examine the impact of reputation on consumers’ purchase decisions under different pricing conditions (e.g., partitioned pricing, drip pricing, and different levels of service fees). The findings suggest that reputation has a positive impact on purchase intention in the secondary ticket market. However, the impact of different pricing strategies on purchase intention is negligible.

Keywords: secondary market, sport ticket, reputation, drip pricing, partitioned pricing, service fees, purchase intention

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.341.032025.02

Deukmook Bae and Stephen L. Shapiro

Abstract 

Demand-based ticket pricing strategies have replaced the traditional cost-based approach in professional sports. As comparisons with constantly changing prices can potentially elicit negative consumer responses, the importance of reference prices as standards for judging price fairness is being raised. Guided by selective accessibility model, this research investigated the relative effects of two types of reference prices: internal reference price (IRP) and external reference price (ERP). Furthermore, the present study examines how a sport consumer’s self-construal interacts with the comparative references in shaping a sense of price fairness. Two experiments revealed that sport consumers are more sensitive to ERP than IRP, but such a differential influence depends on their level of self-construal. These results extend the body of knowledge in sport consumer behavior, self-construal, and selective accessibility model. Additionally, the results of this study also provide empirical evidence for sport marketers to develop optimized pricing strategies tailored to distinctive consumer segments.

Keywords: ticket pricing, consumer behavior, reference price, self-construal, price fairness

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.341.032025.03

Derek Walton

Abstract

As sports consumers seek alternative means of sports consumption through virtual reality (VR) experiences, this study seeks to understand how VR-induced psychological response affects consumer cognitive processing specific to sponsorship messaging. To achieve this, the medium of sport consumption was manipulated (i.e., 2D digital broadcast vs. VR) in which spectator telepresence, brand recall, and brand recognition of sponsorship messaging were compared. A significant MANOVA result was obtained (Wilks’ Lambda = .54, F(3, 62) = 17.49, p < .001, n2 = .46), and a between-subjects analysis indicated that VR sport broadcast consumption had a significant effect on spectator brand recall and telepresence rates. Findings suggest marketing VR as a more immersive (i.e., interactive and vivid) digital experience for those seeking to spectate sport remotely yet support the ideas of the limited capacity model of mediated message processing in that VR impedes one’s ability to recall brand messaging.

Keywords: virtual reality, VR, model of mediated message processing, telepresence, brand awareness

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.341.032025.04

Bingxu Cheng, Do Young Pyun, and Serhat Yilmaz

Abstract

Despite the popular investigation of brand equity in team sport and domestic markets, few studies have provided insight into sport brand equity at a league level and in international markets. This paper is dedicated to the development and empirical validation of a brand equity measurement scale tailored for the Premier League in the Chinese market. A multidimensional measurement model for the league’s brand equity was conceptualized. Using two sample sets from Chinese consumers of the league, the proposed measurement scale was tested by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. As a result, a sound measurement scale comprising four brand equity dimensions, underpinning by 24 items, was proposed. This paper extends existing knowledge by presenting empirical support for the measurement model for brand equity of the Premier League in the Chinese market.

Keywords: brand equity, scale development, Premier League, Chinese market

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.341.032025.05

Akira Asada and Christopher M. McLeod

Abstract

Employer branding has recently begun to attract attention in sport management to explain unique branding efforts by sports leagues. Although previous research has discussed its effectiveness in athlete recruitment and retention, little is known about how employer branding affects consumers. In this study, we conceptualized a sports league’s employer branding as a psychological contract between the league and athletes and examined how consumers react to the formation and breach of such a contract. Our experimental studies suggested that sports leagues can improve their credibility and consumers’ attitudes toward them by promising favorable working conditions to their players. However, consumers can also perceive certain league behaviors as breaches of psychological contracts that hurt the league’s credibility and worsen consumers’ attitudes toward the league. These results contribute to the sport marketing literature by illustrating effective branding techniques whereby sports leagues can promote their positive employer brand image and attract consumers.

Keywords: employer brand, league branding, league credibility, spectator sports

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.341.032025.06