Reported attendance for most sport events is based on tickets disseminated, not actual number of spectators who physically enter the venue. Yet nearly all live sport event demand studies are based on reported attendance rather than the actual attendance. The current study examines multiple measures of home game attendance for NCAA Division I college football programs as reported from both game box scores and post-event scanned ticket audits provided to The Wall Street Journal. Regression models are utilized to examine factors that have a statistically significant relationship with three different measures of attendance: (a) reported attendance, (b) actual attendance, and (c) total number of ticket holder no-shows. Several independent variables, included demographic factors, measures of game attractiveness, and residual preferences, demonstrated such relationships with each measure of attendance when examining ticket usage data from 595 game dates during the 2017 season.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.321.032023.01

A growing number of sport consumer behavior scholars have been employing experimental methods, especially because experiments allow researchers to gain a better understanding of causal inferences by examining controlled conditions. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to offer the current state of the adoption of experimental methods in sport consumer behavior research and (2) to discuss and highlight best practices that scholars can use when considering experimental designs. More specifically, we discuss methodological gaps existing in sport consumer behavior research by reviewing published sport consumer behavior articles in a content analysis. We also provide considerations to improve validity of empirical findings and outline the characteristics of well-designed experiments and how they can help advance theory development in the field. Ultimately, we offer practical recommendations and guidance to researchers wishing to use experiments in a wide array of research topics within sport consumer behavior.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.321.032023.03

One of the newest opportunities available to sport marketing decision-makers is branding on the game-worn jerseys of teams competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Given the novelty of this opportunity, research on the returns marketers may receive from such investments is scarce. This study applies the event study methodology to measure shareholder reaction to the announcements of NBA jersey sponsorships utilizing multiple financial models and event windows, with results indicating abnormal and positive return on investment (ROI). Reflective of signaling theory, the market’s reaction to announcements involving tech firms was more positive, and as expected based on the theoretical lens of agency theory, the reaction for firms with regional proximity was muted. Given that the NBA is one of several leagues that will be providing brand integration on game-worn jerseys, this study’s findings have important managerial implications for brand marketers planning investments in such opportunities.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.321.032023.04

Athlete scandals are of broad and current interest in the sport industry and literature. Based on brand relationship theory, the present research, consisting of Studies 1 and 2, concerns the effects of consumers’ self-brand connection to an athlete and their self-construal on their psychological and behavioral responses to an athlete scandal. The results of Study 1 (experiment) suggest that people with a strong self-connection to the athlete and interdependent self-construal experience a greater self-identity threat than people lacking these attributes. Study 2 (survey) reveals that people with a strong self-connection and interdependent self-construal are more likely to advocate for an athlete after a scandal. The results imply that some people maintain their support for an athlete involved in a scandal not necessarily because they are not influenced by scandal information but because they want to protect and restore their threatened self-worth.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.321.032023.05

General marketing scholars have advocated for historical research since the 1980s, leading to a substantial increase in history-based marketing articles. With general marketing embracing historical research, the present content analysis assesses leading sport marketing journals, their article methodologies, and the presence of any studies that utilize the historical method and/or incorporate historical or archival data for analysis. Comparatively, the present study shows sport marketing scholars primarily analyze the field through pure monomethod (i.e., quantitative or qualitative) approaches, but many researchers also use historical or archival data. With recent calls to improve sport-study through diversifying methodological choices, we suggest the historical method should be an attractive interdisciplinary alternative because it offers a distinct data collection and analytical approach capable of studying important questions. Further, historical research can advance theory, predict future patterns or trends, inform decision-making processes, and identify future research activity. Overall, we see an opportunity for more history-based scholarship in sport marketing journals.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.321.032023.06