Articles in this issue:

• The Richmond What? The Naming of a Minor League Baseball Franchise, p. 56-64

  Brendan Dwyer

  Carrie W. Le Crom

  Nathan Tomasini

  Gregory A. Smith

  In September of 2008 the Richmond Braves (R-Braves) of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) relocated to Gwinnett County, Georgia, after operating in the Richmond market for 43 years. Like several high-profile moves in professional sports, the crux of this team’s relocation centered on the organization’s request for a new stadium. The contentious split left Richmond, Virginia without a professional baseball team, spurned a fan base, and most importantly, opened up an important media market (58th in the country) that quickly became the envy of several MiLB organizations across the country. Despite...Read more

• An Analysis of Donor Involvement, Gender, and Giving in College Athletics, p. 22-32

  Stephen L. Shapiro

  Lynn L Ridinger

  Involvement has been examined extensively within the consumer behavior literature. However, limited research exists concerning involvement and charitable contributions. Additionally, because of women’s growing financial power, college athletic departments are increasingly interested in understanding how to attract greater numbers of female donors. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in donor involvement using Zaichkowsky’s (1994) Personal Involvement Inventory (PII). Several demographic characteristics of donors were also compared by gender. A...Read more

• Sport Slogans and Trademark Law: Are the Dallas Cowboys Really ‘America’s Team’?, p. 53-55

  John McMillen

  Rebecca McMillen

  Love or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team.” For more than 30 years, the prominent National Football League team has referred to itself as “America’s Team,” a reference to their national appeal and popularity, but also a term that infuriates opposing teams and fans. However, according to a Texas federal district court, the Dallas Cowboys indeed are America’s team for trademark purposes (Dallas Cowboys Football Clubs, Ltd. v. Am.’s Team Props., 2009). This article analyzes the Dallas Cowboys and National Football League’s 2009 lawsuit against America’s Team Properties and...Read more

• The Motivational Preferences of Consumers Attending Multiple NCAA Wrestling Events, p. 33-40

  Coyte G. Cooper

  During the past 30 years, NCAA Division I athletic administrators have chosen to engage in a profit maximization model that has resulted in program eliminations for non-revenue, Olympic sport programs (Ridpath, Yiamouyiannis, Lawrence, & Galles, 2008). With “lack of spectator interest” identified as a significant criterion for program elimination (Gray & Petzer, 1995), there is a strong need for the development of marketing plans that improve non-revenue consumer interests at the local, regional, and national levels. Thus, the purpose of the research was to examine the motivational...Read more

• Managers’ Perceptions of the Impact of Sport Sponsorship on Brand Equity: Which Aspects of the Sponsorship Matter Most? , p. 7-21

  Jorg Henseler

  Bradley Wilson

  Kate Westberg

  This paper examines how sponsors perceive the impact of different elements of a sponsorship package on brand equity. An empirical study using an online survey was conducted among key managers involved in sponsoring football clubs in the Netherlands. This study develops a formative measure of sponsorship, termed the Sport Sponsorship Index, and links this measure with brand equity. Results indicate that the various facets of a sport sponsorship package, such as exposure of the brand and coverage of the sport, are perceived by sponsors to contribute differently to the impact on brand equity...Read more

• Spectator Support: Examining the Attributes That Differentiate Niche from Mainstream Sport , p. 41-52

  Greg P. Greenhalgh

  Jason M. Simmons

  Marion E. Hambrick

  T. Christopher Greenwell

  The purposes of this study were to identify the attributes consumers use to distinguish between mainstream and niche sports and determine which of those attributes were related to support for niche sports. Niche sports were classified as those sports not attracting mainstream media attention or large scale live audiences (Miloch & Lambrecht, 2006). Participants (n = 197) were asked to rate their perception of seven attributes (i.e., accessibility, popularity, uniqueness, affordability, star power, player similarities, and player skill) with four niche sports and one mainstream sport....Read more