Identifying Key Market Demand Factors Associated with High School Basketball Tournaments
High school sports are popular in the United States and the associated state championships are often publicized, well-attended special events providing an economic impact on host communities. Understanding attendees, particularly those variables affecting market demand for high-profile interscholastic sporting events, would help athletic directors and state associations improve marketing efforts. Through an abridged adoption of the Theory of Reason Action, this study was conducted to develop a consumer profile of high school tournament spectators by understanding their sociodemographic characteristics and market demand variables. Based on a review of literature, we identified four market demand factors to influence attendance (Event Attractiveness, Economic Consideration, Local Attractiveness, and Venue Accessibility) and studied high school regional basketball tournament attendees (N = 647). The factors were tested in a confirmatory factor analysis and t-tests and general linear model found three of the factors influenced attendance, while one influenced economic spending.