Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

College athletics is one of the most powerful forces on college campus. Many students either participate, work, or have friends in these events, which brings the assumption that student attendance at these events would be a high percentage. But contrary to that belief, overall student attendance at athletic events, across the country, has dropped by 7.1% from 2009 to 2014 and that trend has continued (Axon 2015). In this research, the motivations involved in students attending collegiate sport events will be examined. Stetson University will be used as a case study by collecting data from Stetson students on their attendance preferences and their reasoning. As Stetson is a small Division 1 school where athletic events, except for football, are free to attend, these findings can only apply to other smaller Division 1 schools of similar composition to Stetson. Many studies examine specific sports such as football and basketball, but this research attempts to take a more holistic view and study collegiate sporting events under one umbrella. The satisfaction of watching the sport, team success, marketing promotions, familiarity with athletes, competition level, and convenience as factors that are related to student’s likelihood of attending collegiate sporting events will be studied. Through this research, Stetson and other smaller Division 1, 2, or 3 schools can attain a better knowledge of the motivations and preferences of students, with respect to collegiate athletic events, to increase student attendance.