Date of Publication

Spring 4-26-2019

Document Type

Undergraduate Project

Professor's Name

Katharine Burakowski

Abstract

Executive Summary

The purpose of this study was to determine if product extensions played a role in fandom so sport organizations could see what extensions they could use to gain more fans, generate revenue, and enhance their relationships with their fans. This research was important because sport organizations could use the product extensions that play a role in fandom to enhance their relationships with their fans. It was known that the development of fandom, product extensions, and the growth of sport programing along with the plethora of options for fans to use have been examined and researched individually. The method to draw conclusions were made by the testing results of a likert scale survey that was created of a list of product extensions asking the participants what extensions make the sport fan more of a fan of their favorite team.

The survey was on a scale from 1 to 5. The survey was administered through twitter and emailed to a list of individuals at a private Division III university who are involved in sport. It was found that product extensions did not play a huge role in fandom. It was also found that out of the list of product extension variables team merchandise, gameday tv programming, and team specific social media accounts played the biggest role in fandom. It was important to do this research because there were many product extensions that played no role in fandom and some that played a great deal. Sport organizations were able to use the product extensions that played a role in fandom consistently and kept them updated while getting rid of and not spending as much time and money on the ones that did not play a role in fandom.

Comments

Presented May 3, 2019.

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