Sports Management Commons^™

The Effect Of Factors And Constraints On Sporting Attendance, Joshua D. Whitlow

Honors Theses

21,625 fans packed the confines of Brooks stadium on September 3, 2022, for a clash between the Army Black Knights football team and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team. This was a new record at Brooks stadium, and was followed with just 12,261 the next week vs. Gardner Webb. Meanwhile, a 2022 Coastal Carolina Women’s Soccer game draws in less than 200 spectators. On the surface level, the disparity of these numbers appears confusing and unconnected to one another, however there are a multitude of factors that go into the number of people who show up to a particular sporting …

College Student Attitudes Toward Student-Athlete's Ability To Profit From Name, Image, And Likeness (Nil), Daniel G. Panzano

Honors Theses

Since the recent passing of legislation allowing student-athletes to profit from their own personal brands and sponsorships (Name, Image, and Likeness; NIL), there has been very little research. The purpose of this study was to measure the attitudes and support students have towards the financial compensation of their student-athlete counterparts. The researchers surveyed 67 Coastal Carolina University students. Using a quantitative study, data was gathered pertaining to the opinions toward NIL, feelings of team affiliation, and demographic information. Statistically significant differences were found toward some elements of NIL and gender, major, and academic year. A statistically significant correlation was also …

A Content Analysis Examining The Nfl's Social Media Communications In A Global Market, Lauren Cavanaugh

Honors Theses

To better connect with the potential fan base in the United Kingdom, the NFL created another Instagram account, separate from their main “NFL” account, with the username “NFLUK”. In this thesis, I conducted a content analysis comparing a selection of posts made during the 2021 NFL season for each account, “NFL” and “NFLUK” to examine how the NFL modified their posts and communication for their new target audience. The posts were examined through the perspective of two different communication theories: The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion and the Adaptation versus Standardization Model of International Marketing. The goal was to determine …

Sustainability In Minor League Sports, Sara Nimmo

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 Pandemic has greatly impacted the sports industry with the substantial changes that were prevalent during 2020. With those changes, many leagues had drastic budget decreases and were forced to compensate for the lost revenues. Many teams throughout Minor League Baseball, the AHL and the NBA G League were forced to come up with creative revenue streams as well as cost cutting strategies in order to maintain operations after the pandemic. Along with the effects of COVID-19 on the business of minor league sports, there is also heightened attention on what minor league teams are doing to sustain the …

A New Generation Of The Ncaa: How Two Major Rules Have Changed The College Landscape, Brennan Saunders

Honors Theses

This paper is designed to take a look at the effect of two new rule changes the NCAA has established within the past two years. Through an explanation of what led to the NIL and transfer portal rulings, what NIL involves, and the long-term effects that NIL and the transfer portal are going to have on future athletes’ decisions, we will find that the NIL and transfer portal are the biggest rule changes in NCAA history and will have major ramifications for years to come.

The Comparison Between Social Media Marketing Strategies In The United Kingdom And United States Professional Soccer Teams, Lerol Parchment

Honors Theses

Communication is a lot different today than it was 20 years ago. People today spend hours on their social media where they receive the majority of the information about the world. Thus, social media is one of the most influential platforms in the professional sports industry to market sports and engage with fans. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the common and different social media strategies adopted by professional soccer teams in the UK soccer leagues, and United States soccer league to market their products to consumers all over the world. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, …

The Data Revolution: An Examination Of The Use Of Scouting And Analytics In Major League Baseball Front Offices, Eleanor Weller

Honors Theses

The area of study for this thesis is the use and optimization of the sub-departments within the larger baseball operations department in Major League Baseball front offices. The research is divided into the history of the two major units—scouting and analytics. This background is followed by an investigation of the balance between them. Information for this analysis was obtained through secondary research, primarily articles for online journals and previously conducted interviews with front office personnel. I have also included some of my own work, which was completed during the summer of 2019. The findings of the analysis are that the …

Involvement Of College Football Fans At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Cameron S. Kenney

Honors Theses

The modern college football market faces several challenges including the fact that game day attendance numbers have continued to drop for the past few years and show no signs of slowing down. Understanding the psychological involvement of sports fans could play a major role in improving attendance numbers and providing consumers with a greater experience during football games. The primary goal of this research was to determine predictors of sports involvement among Southern Miss football fans. Another goal was to determine which facets of involvement predicted return intentions. With those who had attended a home Southern Miss football game in …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Ouachita Baptist University Men's Baseball Team, Evan Nelson

Honors Theses

In this paper, I use sabermetrics to analyze the Ouachita Baptist University men’s baseball team. I run correlation and regression analyses on the hitting and fielding and pitching statistics for games the Tiger baseball team have played from the 2003 season through the 2018 season. Using these analyses plus other information on sabermetrics I have studied, I determine which statistical categories lead to success for the Ouachita baseball team. Using these determinations, I create formulas that analyze player production for position players and pitchers on the 2018 Ouachita Baptist University men’s baseball team.

These formulas isolate four important factors for …

Changing The Game: The Effects Of Social Media On The Business Of Sport, Jacqueline Avola

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the way in which social media has revolutionized three major components of fan engagement. First, it illustrates how social media dramatically increases the immediacy by which fans receive sports news and information. Second, the thesis demonstrates the importance of social media to enable fans to develop intimate relationships with their favorite teams and players. Third, this thesis illustrates how social media sites considerably increase the accessibility of sporting events to fans.

The Effectiveness Of Promotions In Minor League Baseball : A Study Of The Eastern League, Collin R. Zucker

Honors Theses

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is comprised of 247 teams playing in 17 leagues at six different levels. Every team in these leagues is an affiliate of a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, but many are privately owned and are therefore financially independent. While MiLB primarily serves as a development environment for future MLB players, profit maximization is still a goal of various front offices. Minor League Baseball has existed for over a century but only recently have teams been regarded as profitable investments. In Forbes’ “Most Valuable Minor League Teams” list published in 2016, the average value of the top …

The Super Bowl's Economic Impact On Its Host City, Ashley Lockwood

Honors Theses

In this paper, I am going to discuss the major differences between the sports boosters' pregame estimates compared to the economists' post game analysis. In my research, I analyze all 32 cities with an NFL team over the most recent 20 years to see if there is a significant impact on the host's economy. This research will show if increasing local taxes in order to host the game yields an increase in per capita GDP after the game. Tax payers accept higher tax rates under the impression that, after the game, their city will reap massive benefits from hosting the …

The Effect Of Distance From Nhl Affiliate On Ahl Fan Attendance, Stephen Picard

Honors Theses

This paper examines the effect of American Hockey League (AHL) teams locating closer to their National Hockey League (NHL) affiliates. With several AHL teams closing the distance (geographically) between their NHL affiliates for logistical purposes, I studied whether or not they will experience higher levels of fan support. I used data from all AHL teams between 2007 and 2017. I found a statistically insignificant negative relationship between proximity to NHL affiliate and average attendance in the AHL for all the teams. However, less popular AHL teams do experience higher levels of fan attendance when located closer to their NHL affiliate. …

Fan Perceptions Of Selling Alcoholic Beverages At A College Football Stadium, Danielle E. Hennessy

Honors Theses

Consuming alcohol while watching a sporting event has become a tradition within the sport commnnity. Almost one in ten sports fans leave major league stadiums with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, with 40% of spectators consuming alcohol during the game (Lopatto, 2011). Due to this tradition, many colleges and universities have struggled to answer the question, should alcohol be sold at our athletic events? To answer this question research has been done on many factors including binge drinking, violence and safety, alcohol control policies, tailgating and attendance.

How Does The Amount Of Spending On Coaches' Salaries And Recruiting Budgets Affect Win Percentage In College Football?, Ashleigh "Alex" Watson

Honors Theses

College football has become much more than a sport for the athletes who play it and entertainment for the fans who watch it. In college football, especially for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, winning has become a way to make money. However, in order to make money, people must spend money. In a college football program money is spent on a multitude of things. This study focuses on two important factors, coaches' salaries and recruiting budgets. Specifically, this study looked to find out how the amount of spending on coaches' salaries and recruiting budgets affected win percentage in college football. …

Title Ix Compliance: A Comparison Of Division I Equality, Jacqueline Leake

Honors Theses

The passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 has had a significant impact on college athletics. However, there is still a large disparity between opportunities offered for men and women. This study determined the true gender equality within Division I athletics. Inequalities were assessed in the areas of athletic participation, athletically related student aid, recruiting expenses, and total expenses. Data from these areas were gathered from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Analysis Cutting Tool. Ratios and the difference between the ideal and current values were calculated for each category. Institutions were ranked in each category, as well …

The Effectiveness Of Random Drug Testing Of School Athletes, Kelly Cann

Honors Theses

Proponents of drug testing would most likely argue that random drug testing could have saved the lives of Len Bias and Taylor Hooton. Those against random drug testing might respond that this testing could be an avenue used to save lives, but before that can happen, a lot more work would need to be done to change the way the current system operates (or fails to operate) in order to make drug testing fair, effective and efficient.

Title Ix Compliance: A Comparison Of Coastal Carolina University To Other Regional Universities, Bailey Devon Howard

Honors Theses

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its subsequent interpretations have created legal ground for gender equity in collegiate athletics departments. After 38 years of its existence, however, there are still fewer opportunities for women to be involved in athletics at the collegiate level at NCAA universities. While there are some general characteristics that appear to predispose universities to have lower compliance levels, little research has been done on institution-specific compliance. This study seeks to illustrate Title IX compliance levels of the Big South Conference and South Carolina Division I universities, using Coastal Carolina University as the focal …

The General Manager, "The Man In The Middle", David Dombrowski

Honors Theses

This paper explores the contemporary purpose and function of the General Manger's position on a baseball team, as well as addressing some historical events that contributed to this present role. By examining these events, one can gain insight into the increased responsibility that has been thrust upon the General Manager, and the eventual delegation of these duties as the responsibilities multiplied.