Sports Marketing & Sponsorship - FIFA/CIES International University ...

The value of competitioncompetitive competition. Thus all team managers maygain from increased competitiveness among leaguemanagers in the form of higher attendance andincreased sponsorship activity. These benefits mayhelp all teams achieve a degree of profitability.This study was conducted with data from NMPLs,and as such these findings may not be generalisableto major professional leagues or amateur sportsleagues. However, by using the sample frame ofNMPLs, we were able to isolate the effects ofcompetitive balance from other factors that mayinfluence attendance, such as media coverage andstar player attraction in major professional leagues,and fan identity in college sports.Since this study used exclusively archival data, theresearch was limited by the availability of that data.Other league-related predictor variables of interestinclude the percentage of the season’s games playedat weekends and the prices of tickets. We suspect thatweekend games see higher attendances than gamesplayed during the week because of the greater amountof disposable time available to customers at theweekend. Since this data was only available for twoleagues, NLL and AFL, it was not included here.Historical ticket price data are nearly non-existent forthe leagues studied here. We could derive a leagueaverage ticket price for the most recent season.However, ticket prices from as recent as five years agoare not readily available. As price is one of theelements of the marketing mix, its effects should bestudied in future marketing research.Finally, this study shows that people value leaguemanagement efforts to provide a suspenseful outcome.This study is consistent with conclusions from otherstudies on recreational pursuits (Arnould & Price,1993) as well as major professional sports leagues(Holt, 1995). As fans demonstrate consistentconsumption, sponsors follow. Sponsors allocatepromotional dollars to effectively and efficiently reachlarge numbers of consumers. A properly managedsports league will have a large audience (i.e. fans)because the league can attract them by offering acompelling product. Regardless of individual or teamsport, non-major or major professional league, thecreation and maintenance of a compelling productremains the top marketing goal for leaguemanagement.© 2009 International Marketing ReportsBiographiesMichael A. Levin (PhD Texas Tech University) is anassistant professor of marketing at Otterbein College.His research interests include effectiveness andefficiency at the individual, organisational and societallevels. His work has appeared in MarketingManagement Journal.Robert E McDonald (PhD University of Connecticut) isUnited Supermarkets Professor of Marketing at RawlsCollege of Business, Texas Tech University. Hisresearch interests include strategy, organisationallearning, innovation, non-profit organisations, brandingand the scholarship of teaching and learning. Hiswork has appeared in the Journal of World Business,the Journal of Advertising and the Journal ofMacromarketing.RESEARCH PAPER● OCTOBER 2009 ● International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship21