Abstract
According to Dwivedi et al. (2014), celebrities can influence consumers to seek out associations as a means to enhance their own self-concepts. Deion Sanders (aka Coach Prime), a former NFL player and Hall of Famer turned college coach has a fanbase unique to any current or past head coach. Upon his arrival as head coach of the University of Colorado’s football program, the team sold out season tickets in April (2023), almost five months prior to the first game, for the first time in 27 years. This was also the earliest that season tickets were sold out (Snyder, 2023). Interestingly, Colorado had only won one game in the prior season (Schrotenboer, 2023). More recently, on September 16, 2023, ESPN had 9.3 million viewers watching Colorado playing their in-state rival Colorado State, establishing it as the most watched late game ever and the fifth most watched regular season college game in ESPN history (ESPN News Services, 2023). The current study will investigate the effect that Deion Sanders (via the “Coach Prime Effect”) has had on the University of Colorado’s football program from a fan behavior lens. We explore this fanbase and how it has influenced attendance and viewership to Colorado’s football games. Furthermore, we examine various consumer behaviors, such as fans’ intentions to watch Colorado games and their willingness to purchase merchandise. This research is based on a survey of college football fans.
Presenters
Arman P. MedinaLecturer of Management, School of Business, Menlo College, California, United States Sean Pradhan
Associate Professor of Sports Management and Business Analytics, School of Business, Menlo College, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Sports Management and Commercialization
KEYWORDS
Deion Sanders, Coach Prime, Sport Marketing, Influence, Fanbase, College Football
Digital Media
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