ASU Sports Fandom Program
The ASU Sports Fandom Program was established to study Fan Engagement and the effectiveness of sponsorship/advertising. With the sports industry expected to grow to over $620B in revenue by 2027 (Statista), the Sports Fandom program focuses on the central artery of the industry - the connection between the establishments (organizations, leagues, teams, brands, athletes) and consumers. There has been plenty of research on the psychology of fans and separately, the data around the evaluation of sponsorships. The Program serves as a bridge between these two points through Human Subject Research for potential Partners.
Our goal is to provide:
- true effective of impressions,
- impact measurement for sponsorship investments,
- solutions on how to serve underrepresented fan demographics
Who do we support?
- Brands
- Organizations
- Athletes
- NIL
- Leagues
- Charities
- Venues
- Teams
Who we are
The program is managed by Scott Brooks, PhD (Director & Associate Professor, ASU’s The Sanford School) and Kevin Foley (ASU Faculty Associate and founder of Position Sports, Inc.). With the support of excellent graduate students, our team collectively guides partners through the research process to provide the most impactful engagement strategy. This is an educational program through hands-on real world graduate student research projects to provide partners with results – without the agency price tag for deliverables.
We offer four primary services: (1) human subject research (2) fan surveying (3) sponsorship optimization and (4) accurate sponsorship evaluation.
Additionally, the program is driven by a series of events and programs such as a summer learning camp for high school and college students interested in fan engagement and an annual sports innovation conference.
The missing link
The ASU Sports Fandom Program uses sports as a platform for socio, economic and psychological studies. Within the sports industry, analytics dominate the measurement of impressions and the decision-making of how dollars are valued through sponsorships, advertising and B2B corporate spending. However, there is a true disconnect between these metrics and the actual engagement with fans. What is the actual value of an impression? Does a logo placement translate to brand connections? How can underserved community groups be engaged by brands, teams and leagues? Our team navigates this for our partners.
How we are differentiators
The growth of the industry is dependent on inclusive engagement with fans and consumers. As a public research university ranked #1 for innovation, ASU has the opportunity to help measure and discover (“measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes”) the true value of how the industry functions through “the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the (sports industry) communities it serves.” This program trains ASU and high school students in research. Doing so, adds to students’ confidence, college readiness and success, and prepares them for the workforce.