Digital Commons Network^™

Endorser Source Credibility: Redefining Spokesperson Influence Through Development Of The Celebrity-Hero Matrix, Joshua Shuart

WCBT Faculty Publications

Endorsement of sport and non-sport products by athletes is an extremely popular method that corporations use to drive sales and advertising. Traditionally, celebrity endorsement research has focused on the physical attractiveness of the endorser; while this makes sense, it provides only a partial explanation why consumers purchase athlete-endorsed products. Several other components of source credibility, as well as previously unexplored elements such as "heroic" traits, prove to be stronger predictors of intent-to-purchase. A 3-phase research study of Americans aged 18-35 was conducted, with a Celebrity-Hero Matrix© (CHM) developed and several marketing recommendations made based on the findings.

Heroes In Sport: Assessing Celebrity Endorser Effectiveness, Joshua Shuart

WCBT Faculty Publications

The use of celebrities, and particularly athletes, to influence consumers and sell products is not a new practice, but one that is gaining considerable steam in the sports marketplace. However, many academics and practitioners have long questioned the means by which celebrity endorsement is measured and evaluated. Through the use of validated surveys among US students and the inauguration of the Celebrity-Hero Matrix (CHM), some of their questions are answered. Being labelled a 'heroic' athlete does, it seems, have tremendous power for marketers, and provides endorsement clout for the athlete.

Pro Teams Should Reward Good Off-Field Behavior, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, David R. Maraghy

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Professional sports—particularly the NFL and NBA, whose players clearly are behavioral models for kids and even young adults—should join the cash-for-performance movement by rewarding players for their exemplary good citizenship off the field. Why not reward integrity-passionate athletes like Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks or Willie McGinest of the Cleveland Browns with annual bonuses of $100,000 each—or donate that amount to their favorite charities? Such a bonus program would require more than being scandal-or police-blotter-free for a year. To qualify, players would have to travel at the highest moral altitude of sports ambassadorship and citizenship. Character counts and should …

A Comparative Study Of National Government Elite Sport Systems In Australia And Taiwan: A Model For Olympic Success, Hui-Yuan M. Tang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study was prompted by the stagnation facing the Taiwanese Government in promoting elite sport and pursuing sporting achievement at the Olympic Games. The main purpose of the study was to explore and compare the national government elite sports systems (NGESS) of Australia and Taiwan and make recommendations for Taiwan to improve its elite sports development and performances at future Olympics. To accomplish this purpose, the present study examined the similarities and differences between Australia and Taiwan in terms of stakeholders' viewpoints on the definition of Olympic success; the profiles of the current national government elite sport agencies; the mechanisms …

The Arms Race In College Football, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Watching the BCS crash and burn again this year brings to mind a number of developments in intercollegiate athletics that have been accumulating in my memory for the past month or so. Before turning to those less significant topics-as who is number one is always the most important question in intercollegiate athletics-I would like to offer a modest proposal to solve the BCS Championship Game quandary. Given the Ohio State dominance and perfect record, and given the fact that they have already hammered Michigan, the Buckeyes should be awarded the BCS championship outright. No one is close to their level. …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Cate Weeks, Shane Bevell, Mamie Peers, Lori Bachand

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

The Breeders' Cup, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Since the first running of the Breeders' Cup in 1984, I have sat before my television each year and watched the greatest day of horse racing available in this country. I haven't seen all the Breeders' Cups, having been out of the country for a few of them, but have seen most of these great spectacles of racing.

Baseball's New Cba, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As the World Series came to an end on Friday with Tony LaRussa receiving his latest anointing from the fans of Cardinal Nation (prepare yourselves for another book), others were left to wonder at the fantastic turnaround by the Tigers, who went from juggernaut to gift-givers in less than a week. The baseball story that was of greater significance was the announcement that a new contract agreement had been reached between the Players Association and the baseball owners. Collective bargaining, it seems, has worked once again, establishing a two time winning streak for the players, the owners, and the fans.

College Football Violence, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It was an ugly scene last Saturday. Players from both teams were pushing, shoving, and punching one another. Some players were thrown to the ground and kicked by others. Coaches and stadium security, as well as local police, got onto the field to try to gain control of the situation, but as soon as they stopped one fight, another broke out.

Central Florida Future, Vol. 39 No. 22, October 11, 2006

Central Florida Future

No abstract provided.

Mega-Events: The Effect Of The World’S Biggest Sporting Events On Local, Regional, And National Economies, Victor Matheson

Economics Department Working Papers

This paper provides an overview of the economics of sports mega-events as well as a review of the existing literature in the field. The paper describes why boosters’ ex ante estimates of the economic impact of large sporting events tend to exaggerate the net economic benefits of these events and surveys the results of a large number of ex post studies of exploring the true impact of mega-events.

2006 October, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for October 2006.

V. 74, Issue 3, September 29, 2006

Archway (1946-2020)

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, September 25, 2006, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 127, Issue 16

Tiger Woods And Roger Federer, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

For the past several weeks I have watched with more than a passing interest as the Tiger Woods juggernaut has rolled over the world of golf. Winning five tournaments in a row, including two majors, certainly qualifies as a juggernaut. As I marveled at this run, I began to think about this sort of dominance and what accounts for it.

An Analysis Of The Models Of Public Relations Most Commonly Used By Professional Minor League Baseball Franchises, Pasquale J. Rose Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the public relations practices of professional minor league baseball franchises by determining which of Grunig's four models of public relations are most commonly used by these organizations. With these findings, the study then evaluates the effectiveness of the models with respect to individual differences among the organizations and overall limitations encountered in the field.

Twenty directors of media and community relations for fifteen minor league franchises were asked to participate in data collection by completing a three-tiered Delphi study to reach a consensus on the most important job responsibilities and skill sets they feel are necessary to …

Sport Drugs And Semantics, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

If you picked up your newspaper one morning or tuned into SportsCenter and you were greeted by the headline, "Tiger Tests Positive," how would you react? Would it be total disbelief? Would you simply dismiss the announcement from the World Anti-Doping Agency as some mistake, or the result of fanatical WADA leadership seeking to make headlines? Would any of you immediately presume Tiger was guilty, and rejoice that he had finally been caught?

Andre Agassi, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

If you were fortunate enough to see Andre Agassi's match with Marcos Baghdatis on Thursday night/Friday morning at the U.S. Open, you saw one of the great moments in modern tennis, at a tournament that over the past decades has offered many memorable matches and moments. Facing retirement, Agassi is playing one final tournament at what has become his triumphant home.

Sport Fan Team Identification Formation In Mid-Level Professional Sport, P. Brian Greenwood, Michael A. Kanters, Jonathon M. Casper

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Team identification, the degree to which an individual feels psychologically linked to a team, has been a focal point in studies of sport fans and sport spectatorship (e.g. Fink et al., 2002; Jones, 1997; Wann & Branscombe, 1993; Wann & Dolan, 1994; Wann & Schrader, 1997). Although the development of team identification has been examined extensively in established sport markets, the purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between sport fan team identification and motivations for initially becoming a fan of a new mid-level professional sport in a new market. A convenience sample of spectators (N=351) at an …

Fitness, Friendship, And Fun: University Sponsored Community Pe Program, Wendi Wilcox Stanley, George M. De Marco, Lloyd L. Laubach, Corinne M. Daprano

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

This paper describes a University-sponsored community physical education program and the feedback received about it from teachers, children, and the college students who oversaw it. The program, called Fitness, Friendship, and Fun, was staffed by 65 first-year student interns from the University of Dayton; four graduate assistants; and two university professors. It began with 65 male and female elementary students, primarily from the fifth and sixth grades at a nearby elementary school.

2006 August, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for August 2006.

Internet Pr And New Gratifications In Sports: A New Way Of Communication Between Sports Organizations And Fans, Chang Wan Woo

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses content analysis, specifically thematic analysis, to investigate the message boards on Major League Baseball (MLB) teams' Web sites in order to 1) recognize in what ways sports teams' Internet message boards meet the unique gratifications of sports fans; and, 2) identify ways that sports PR practitioners can use Internet message boards for better (more gratifying) communication with sports fans. Thematic analysis of eight MLB teams' Web sites (the four with the highest winning percentages and the four with the lowest winning percentages) was conducted using Katz, Gurevitch, and Hass (1973) five gratifications categories and one additional "other" …

Floyd Landis And Tiger Woods, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Victory in sport is often no more than the application of skills by an athlete at an extremely high level of efficiency. This is true at nearly all levels of any game. However, in highly competitive situations little things often make a major difference in the outcome. At the elite levels of sport there is a very fine line between victory and defeat, and between flawless and flawed performances. Any intrusion into the concentration of the athlete can be a distraction of major consequence.

Academic Fraud At Auburn, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

While contemplating the fact that T.O. has claimed he was misquoted in his autobiography, I was bemused by the revelations of what appears to be academic fraud associated with intercollegiate athletics anywhere, but especially when it involves football and Auburn University. I am surprised that anyone would be surprised by such revelations. It was, by the way, an Auburn athlete who first claimed to have been misquoted in his autobiography.

The World Cup, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Now that the World Cup has ended and the red and yellow cards have stopped dropping from the sky, I want to try and make some comments about this world event that seems only marginally relevant to most Americans. I should also preface my remarks by noting that I have not seen every game, have been on the road through much of the event and therefore been somewhat distracted, and most importantly I did not see the final game with its much discussed conclusion.

The All-Star Game, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Baseball's All-Star Game is coming up Tuesday in Pittsburgh and is the first All-Star Game held in the new ballpark in this once proud baseball city. It is, however, the fifth time Pittsburgh will host this showcase of baseball talent. There are hopes that the return of the game to Pittsburgh will help to renew interest in the game in the former Steel City.

An Examination Of The Social And Political Attitudes Of College Student-Athletes, Melissa Cotter Smasal

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

As the prominence of sport in our culture continues to increase, athletes increasingly possess a platform from which to influence the attitudes and opinions of others. In recent years, athletes have used such platforms to make social and political statements and have garnered much attention in doing so. With these instances in mind, the goal of this study was to gain an understanding of some of the social and political attitudes of college athletes. College athletes are a unique peer group of college students and have not yet been studied in regards to social and political attitudes.

The survey instrument …

Midseason Baseball Roundup, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The baseball season thus far has been a strange one, although perhaps no stranger than most. Normal is not a word that is often associated with baseball, or for that matter with most sports. Before the season started, the specter of steroids stalked spring training. Barry Bonds was written about almost as much as T.O. had been written about before the NFL season started last fall. Sports writers, sportscasters, and the fanatics on talk radio couldn't match the T.O. hysteria, but they gave it a good try.

Jason Grimsley And Hgh, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Up to this point in his less than distinguished major league baseball career, Jason Grimsley was best known as the player who crawled through a ceiling passage in the visitor's clubhouse at Comiskey Park to get Albert Belle's corked bat from the umpire's room. It was July of 1994 and the umpires had confiscated Belle's illegal bat.

A Remarkable Weekend, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It is difficult to remember another weekend like this in the world of sport. The words "feast," "cornucopia," and "festival," all seem inadequate to describe the variety, quality, and significance of this weekend's sports menu.