FiT Publishing

Evaluating sponsorship activities at elite intercollegiate sporting events has become critical to determining sponsorship effectiveness and maximizing the relationships between athletic departments and their corporate partners. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sponsorship of an elite intercollegiate football program by analyzing the effects of the constructs of attitude toward the sponsor, goodwill, and fan involvement on consumer purchase intentions. In this study (N=394), there were 52% males, 77% Caucasians, and 71% percent of the participants ranging from 18-24 years of...Read more

In 2007 AT&T Mobility sought an injunction against the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), enjoining the racing organization from preventing the display of its logo on the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) #31 racecar (AT&T v. NASCAR, 2007). Although the parties settled out of court, this case is indicative of an increasing number of sponsorship disputes arising in the sport industry. This dispute reflects the growing conflicts between competing sponsors, and it further emphasizes the challenges faced by sport properties, event promoters, participants, and...Read more

This study presents a perspective on advertisements featuring female drivers that appeared in the official Indianapolis 500 programs from 1977 to 2006. Specifically, content analysis was used to track the succession of female drivers’ depictions in the programs over the 29-year period from Janet Guthrie’s rookie year to Danica Patrick’s second race appearance. Ads were analyzed for pose, connotation, role portrayal, and camera angle. Descriptive statistics indicated that prior to 2003, the drivers’ (Guthrie, Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher, and Patrick) ad depictions were most often strong and...Read more

The objective of this study was to test the degree to which three sponsorship outcomes—sponsor’s image, word-of-mouth, and purchase intentions—may be predicted by three attitudinal constructs: attitude toward the event, sport activity involvement (centrality and attraction), and beliefs about sponsorship. The data were collected from a Greek basketball all-star game. The results indicated that purchase intentions were significantly predicted by beliefs about sponsorship, attitudes toward the event, and the centrality dimension of involvement. The word-of-mouth and image outcomes were...Read more

This paper examines the determinants of probability for sponsor brand recall at the Euro 2004 soccer tournament in Portugal. Using a sample of 1,000 people, a survey was administered in Portugal immediately after the tournament to ascertain the significant characteristics that influenced the aimed probability (e.g., age, income, education, perceptions of the event, perceptions of sponsors). Based on 676 usable responses, a random-parameter logit model (mixed logit) was used to deal with unobserved heterogeneity, together with a standard logit model which was also used to analyze the...Read more

Following Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was held in Houston in 2004, criticism and controversy arose concerning the selection of talent as well as the execution of the event’s halftime show. Given the increasing emphasis and investment on the entertainment aspect of sporting events, this study set out to explore Super Bowl viewers?perceptions on a number of ancillary entertainment elements of the event, as well as those elements?relative importance to viewers?enjoyment of the broadcast. A computer-based survey was developed and administered to two different groups: a purchased list of Super...Read more

In order to compete with cities in more temperate climates and thus have a Super Bowl awarded to their city, the Detroit Host Committee, Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, politicians, local government, and other agencies planned and staged a bid convincing National Football League owners that a cold climate was a perfect setting for a Super Bowl. This paper outlines the components of a hallmark bid, shows how Detroit’s bidding and planning made the city a prime site for one of the world’s largest events, and addresses some of the ultimate accomplishments of Detroit’s Super Bowl...Read more

The recent hosting of Bowl XL in Detroit gave the adjacent Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario, the opportunity to ‘coattail market?the event and reap some obvious benefits. For a modest $250,000 investment, Windsor was billed as the co-host and the local media cooperated by providing very positive coverage of this ‘win win?arrangement. Using Hiller’s (1998) linkage model for analyzing the impact of mega sporting events, the authors use qualitative methods to determine the extent to which the city enjoyed tangible returns as a result of this unique co-hosting arrangement. On-site interviews...Read more

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown in importance to sport organizations as well as to the mega-events run by these organizations. This paper explores CSR initiatives related to Super Bowl XL in Detroit. Using Carroll’s (Carroll, 1979, 1999) framework of CSR, we outline some of the key community outreach efforts initiated by the NFL and the Super Bowl Host Committee, and further, we discuss the ways in which these efforts might help in building the NFL’s image as a professional sport league that takes its social responsibility seriously.Read more

As the nature and motivations of sponsors have evolved, sponsorship of grassroots and niche sport events has grown. The purpose of this research was to assess consumer awareness of sponsorship at a grassroots and niche sport event through an examination of recall and recognition rates and purchase intentions. Data were gathered using traditional methods of consumer awareness assessment. Recall and recognition rates in this study were comparable but somewhat lower than those noted in studies of Olympic sport or mega-sport events. Recall and recognition rates appeared to be influenced by...Read more