Advisor
Stotlar, David
Committee Member
Gray, Dianna
Committee Member
Heiny, Robert
Committee Member
Iyer, Vish
Department
Sport & Exercise Science
Institution
University of Northern Colorado
Type of Resources
Text
Place of Publication
Greeley (Colo.)
Publisher
University of Northern Colorado
Date Created
8-1-2011
Genre
Thesis
Extent
163 pages
Digital Origin
Born digital
Description
Despite its popularity, college sport overall has struggled as a commercial enterprise. With these economic difficulties in mind, the issue of commercialism has been at the forefront of college athletics since the 19th century, and corporate sponsorship is considered by some to be an especially destructive element to the egalitarian nature of amateurism. While there can be little debate that naming-rights sponsorships can be quite lucrative, many institutions are hesitant to fully explore naming-rights. Institutions may consider corporate names for smaller areas of the facility, such as club or suite levels, but changing the name of the stadium or field is considered by some administrators to be an attack on the tradition of the football program. Although these concerns for tradition seem warranted, little is known about how fans might actually perceive a change in a stadium name. Data collection for the study took place from October to December of 2010. The study was conducted at a variety of NCAA Division I - Football Bowl Subdivision stadiums around the United States. Participants were contacted using an intercept survey distribution method at tailgating areas prior to college football games and were asked to complete a 39-item survey instrument. A total of 800 participants completed the survey, with 731 considered acceptable for inclusion in the analysis. Once data collection was complete, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with an oblique rotation technique was used to determine the exact structure of the multi-dimensional constructs. Using the factor structure from the EFA, two multiple linear regressions were conducted. Next, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was run to determine if the dependent variables from the above tests differed based on various demographics and involvement related factors. Both of the regression equations yielded significant models, and there were four individual factors where groups differed in the MANOVA. In summary, it appears that there are significant relationships between many of the variables in this study. Having an understanding of the interplay between these variables relative to fan behaviors is important for athletic administrators, particularly those that are considering finding a naming-rights sponsor. However, the data suggest that the strength of these relationships vary greatly between fans groups associated with different college football teams.
Degree type
PhD
Degree Name
Doctoral
Language
English
Local Identifiers
Eddy_unco_0161D_10091
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by author.
