Professional Football Spectator Perceptions: A Comparision of (Non)Tailgaters

Abstract

Sports entertainment is a multi-billion dollar industry in America and the NFL is the leading brand. Almost 17 million people flock to NFL games annually and the league’s marketers seek to grow. To further develop brand-loyal fans, team marketers are creating ancillary opportunities to reach prospective fans. However, very little is known about the marketing efforts’ efficacy with different spectator segments. Using rarely-available primary data collected from actual NFL game-day spectators, and working closely with team marketing officers, our research examines\ specific marketing efforts designed to connect with (non) tailgating spectators of a NFL team and their effect on key marketing outcomes.