Scheduled for Research Consortium Poster Session: Thematic Sport Posters, Thursday, March 15, 2007, 12:45 PM - 2:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Relationship between Traveling Distance and Number of Spectators Attending NCAA Division I Wrestling Matches

Leon Chen and Janet Blade, Delaware State University, Dover, DE

Characteristics of sport fans in football, baseball, and men's basketball have been often studied by numerous researchers (e.g., Milne & Mcdonald, 1998). The results of fan behaviors and characteristics could aid decisions of sport marketers in game promotion, ticketing pricing, and identification of fan loyalty (Mullin et al., 2000). However, limited research finding could be found regarding events of the intercollegiate wrestling competition. Are the fans' behavior for individual sports (e.g., wrestling) similar to behavior of the fans who attend games of team sports (e.g., football)? Does traveling distance relate to number of attendances in wrestling matches? The study was designed to determine whether there should be a relationship between traveling distance and number of spectators attending NCAA Division I wrestling matches. Permitted by the institutional review board, researcher conducted a site survey in which 201 (men = 138; women = 63) participants voluntarily took part in. A questionnaire containing variables of gender, status, distance of residence, number of events watched, and number of peers coming together was utilized to test the spectators. A group of graduate assistants helped to collect data at a set of major home wrestling matches in an institution affiliated with NCAA Division I. The descriptive statistics of SPSS and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) were utilized to analyze data. The results of study indicated that the largest (51.2%) group of spectators traveled less than five miles, and those who traveled over 30 miles for the matches were the second largest (25.9%) group. PPMCC revealed a significant (r = .412, p < .001) positive correlation between the travel distance and the number of peers driving together to attend the events. The longer distance the spectators traveled to the matches, the more friends or family members came together. The study provides a quantitative report of particular characteristics of the fans in wrestling competitions. The researchers recommended that proper adjustment of pricing strategy for grouped spectators might be taken into account in the NCAA Division I intercollegiate wrestling competitions.
Keyword(s): gender issues, marketing/public relations, sport management

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