SPORTS VENUE COMPARISON
...vary. The attendance of the ETSU Lady Bucs basketball game on January 31, 2005 was significantly lower than the attendance of the men’s game at roughly 200. The crowd was mainly women with about 35-40% percent being male. Around 50% of the attendance was dedicated fans, 35% traditional students, 10% percent faculty/staff and 5% percent variable. Psychographic Variables This season, the quality of the teams is not at their highest historical levels. The motivation and satisfaction of any group would increase as the quality increases. The dedicated fans have been supporting the Bucs for a significant amount of time. They have lived and worked in and around the Tri-Cities area for many years. A great number of them are ETSU alumni and/or employees. This group probably has many season ticket holders. They attend the games because they feel a connection to the team and to the school. Coming to an ETSU basketball game has become a habit for them. The retirees may also come just for “something to do” and seniors 55 years old and over, pay a discounted admission. That plays a big role in the motivation for this group. Many are on a fixed income if they have retired or they are watching their dollars as they prepare to retire. Some also want a good product for family entertainment. Since, the market is narrow for family entertainment in the area, ETSU games are chosen and grandchildren are brought along to the game. The reduction of a child’s admission is an added incentive. The satisfaction of this group, for a men’s or women’s game, on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the greatest satisfaction level, is 4. This group is probably going to be more satisfied with the product than the others because they are more devoted. The ticket information below has been taken directly from the ETSU Bucs website (www.ETSUBucs.com) on February 3, 2005. 2004-05 Men's Basketball Ticket Prices Adult Youth (2-18), Senior (55 & Up), and Faculty/Staff Single game $10 $7 2004-05 Women's Basketball Ticket Prices Adult Youth (2-18), Senior (55 & Up), and Faculty/Staff Single game $5 $3 Season Ticket $40 $20 The students attend games to socialize for free and have something to do to occupy their time. This gives students a break from schoolwork. Many of them probably live on campus and do not require transportation to get them to the games. The Tri-Cities area does not have many weekday or evening entertainment options for the younger adult crowd and this increases motivation for attendance at the games. Since the admission is free for students, one would think that the number in attendance would be larger than what was observed. If the team playing increases its perceived quality, the student attendance would increase at a significant rate compared to the other groups because of the cost. The satisfaction level is probably a 3 for a men’s or women’s game. They are not committed fans and they are not paying to get into the game, so they do not have a high expectation for what they get in return for attending. The faculty/staff group may also be a dedicated fan as noted before. This group pays more than the student to get into the men’s game and expects more in return. It is harder to motivate them to come to games than the student group unless the individual is also a devoted fan even though they pay a reduced rate from regular adult admission. They may also be strongly encouraged by their superiors to go to the game to increase the attendance numbers. Several people in this group also use this as a family outing. This could be cheaper than some activities since the admission is discounted for the employee and the children. This group is more satisfied with the men’s games (level 4) than the women’s game (level 2.5-3). There are many reasons for this. The women’s game is perceived at a lesser quality level than the men’s overall. The ticket prices themselves show the value of a men’s game is greater than the women’s. A men’s game is stated to be $4 more for faculty/staff admission than a women’s game. However, according to Dr. Andy Lynch of ETSU, the women’s games are free for faculty/staff, which reduces the perceived quality even more. Historically, consumers have a much greater support for men’s games than women’s games. Currently, this does have several exceptions (example: University of Tennessee Lady Vols), but it is still the general rule. The variable group attends games for a range of reasons. Many locals come to support a child or other family member or a child of a friend playing in the game. A person in the variable group may simply decide to come to a game on occasion just for something to do. A local dance studio had two groups perform at the game during this particular men’s game discussed. One group consisted of girls ages 2-5 and the other group was elementary school age girls. Therefore, among the variable group of the men’s game, were the parents, family and friends of the half time performers. This group does not expect a high level of satisfaction of the product especially those who are simply there to support someone in a game performance. The person may even be upset with the amount he/she has to pay to get in. Sponsorship Most of the sponsors that have signage in the mini dome are there simply in community support. These teams are not prestigious and do not normally get any recognition on a national level. The signs are not there as part of a marketing plan. It does not appear they are strategically placed and several are not even in plain view. Most of signs are cluttered, disorganized and unappealing. Some signs are not easy to read and some companies have more than one sign in one area. It is ob...