Sports Sponsorship for Women Volleyball: an Investigative Report
Sports have been an integral part of society over the years and have grown considerably, entertaining people and aspiring new players in every corners of the world. With the advent of media, sports have been disseminated and influenced many individuals like never before. For instance, there was a time when only few people know how to play basketball or volleyball. But with the help of publicity and campaigns, many people are now into the sports, filling in domes or audition rooms. In other words, sports have become a dominant field in the business world. Sports are here not only to entertain, but also to create profit. Without the business side of sports, they will be impossible to continue on a large and hyped scale. Every sport organizations are busy with organizational management and marketing. Thus, sponsorship was brought into existence.
Sponsorship is an increasingly important tool of marketing communications that acts as an advertising cue associated with perceived quality in product advertising ( 1999). It adds value to the company’s image in corporate advertising ( 1996). Sponsorship centers on the mutual transaction between a sponsored activity and a business ( 1998). This arrangement includes the sponsoring corporations to expect tangible commercial benefits as increased visibility and sales in return for their donations (1995). As observed by (1995), sponsorship is the platform of the entire brand (or the company) in positioning its competitive presence. For example, the long-term involvement of Visa in the Summer and Winter Olympics uses sponsorship as a center of its branding strategy ( 1999).
Why do some sports gain more sponsorship dollars/ monetary gain?
There are several palpable reasons on why do some sports gain more sponsorship dollars or monetary gains. Among these are the following:
v Popularity – the popularity of a sports activity persuades sponsors as well as advertisers to venture into product or service marketing engagements. The premise lies on the fact that if a certain sports event is highly popularized, brand and corporate accounts take advantage on the emerging culture. The more popular the sports activity is, the more sponsors and advertisers it will attract. For instance, the Australia Football League (AFL) is the most popular national sponsorship entity in the country based on the major indicators such as attendance, TV audience, media attention, members, fans loyalty, and brand socioeconomic impact ( 1998). The AFL drew 60% of domestic sponsor revenue expenditure on both fees and sponsorship leveraging in 2000 (2001).
v Interests in the given sports – most sports draw attention in various types of audiences. The fact that basketball, football, boxing, and others cater to mostly male viewers. Thus, brands that focus on men’s products or services tend to invest on such sports. On the other hand, women sports-related activities like volleyball have the same effect.
v Objectives of the sponsorships – basing it to the goals, brand managers and marketers as well as teams or individuals primarily need to determine the significant role of the engagement ( 2005).
v Type and budget of sponsorship – in connection with the above reason, selecting a sponsorship must fit the marketing budget and more importantly, the type of sponsorship (e.g. league or athlete) ( 2005).
v Event itself – the choice of activity, league or athlete sponsorship is critical because the status or reputation of such matters to the target market and also to the brand being promoted (2005).
Mass Media and Sports
(2005) affirmed that 36% of sports fans in America could name atleast one advertiser associated with the top 20 sports leagues. Only 17% can name a sponsor. The observable emergence of sports oriented programming in the different vehicles of media communications is a testimony to the almost insatiable appetite for sports in America ( 1998). Furthermore, the increasing amount of investment among TV networks for exclusive rights to broadcast the NFL and PGA or even the Olympics is just one more sign that proves the soring opportunities in reaching key target markets (1998).
Traditionally, the general roles of mass media are applicable in terms of sports. The role of mass media in the development of sports is advocacy. The media serve as an avenue for people to know the existence of certain sport activity. Through media, education and enrichment of sports is apparent. Media serves as the most immediate and most effective instructional resource in teaching sports aside from the hands-on training and involvement. With media, the entertainment value of sports is brought within the reach of the audience by means of its availability in the TV, radio, or print.
Some sports attract more sponsorship contracts due to the applicability of the product or service the company have in connection to the type of the sporting event. Provided the reasons on why do some sports have greater numbers of sponsorship accounts, sports leagues as well as corporate managers possess internal factors that are related to the overall decision making, taking and implementation. The fact that sports are diverse in nature, sponsorship is also relative to its specific nature.
Attracting Sponsors
Generally, attracting sponsors is a complicated process granted with the presence of several important factors to consider. Among these are the reasons on why do some sports attracts more than the others. Considering the said reasons are the initial steps in attracting sponsors. The process of attracting sponsors in the women’s volleyball team lies on the overall stature of the league. The performance and held status of the team must be credible enough in order for sponsors to see the potentials of brand or corporate positioning. Further, the leadership of the team manager and its coordination with the marketing authorities of the possible sponsors must be amicable. The possession of the relative qualities essential to the proliferation and marketing of a product or service must be keenly identified. At first, trust and commitment is a very important ingredient to this kind of endeavor.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Sports sponsorship is a promising avenue for communicating the message of brands and corporate accounts. The various reasons on why some sports attract more sponsors than the others lies on the reality of sports diversity and specified target market. We cannot deny the fact that sporting activities are gendered. Evaluating the reasons on why behind this is among the initial process that a team must consider in attracting potential sponsors. Consequently, the role of mass media in development of sports is highly recognized with the perceivable effects and effectiveness of the medium. In attracting sponsors, the reasons on the selective phenomenon of sponsorship in sports are the best and immediate mechanism in determining the possibilities of sponsorship. Women sports leagues, not only in volleyball must be properly positioned in the competitive sports marketplace. Leadership and competence of the whole team is intensified. With the evident capacity of the league to promote a product or service, sponsors will come at hand. Sports sponsorship must be directed in the mutual proliferation of the definitive objectives of the team and the organization and should not divert its motives in the disadvantageous ways that will affect both institutions.
Reference
Appendix
The following article also serves as an evaluation guide in determining the factors and potentialities to be considered in sports sponsorship among the general women’s sports league.
Briefing Paper Five: Frequently asked questions about NCAA statistics
Thu 19-Dec-2002
By the National Collegiate Athletic Association,
viewed 26 May 2006 from,
This is one of five briefing papers addressing the importance of maintaining the current state of Title IX, the bias and flaws in the Title IX Commission’s public hearing process, the radical changes to Title IX athletic policies which are being proposed and the economic analysis of current collegiate spending.
Overall participation
Q. How many men and how many women participate in NCAA athletics?
A. The most recent participation study from the NCAA reports 206,573 men (58 percent) participating in NCAA championship sports and 149,115 women (42 percent) participating in NCAA championship sports in 2000-01. That number is down slightly for men and up slightly for women from 1999-2000. That year, 208,481 men (59 percent) participated and 146,617 women (41 percent) participated. In 1981-82, the first year the NCAA offered championships for women, there were 167,055 men (72 percent) participating and 64,390 women (28 percent) participating in NCAA athletics.
(Source: )
Q. What are the GAO numbers I’ve heard about?
A. Because of concerns that the NCAA numbers included institutions reclassifying from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the NCAA (perhaps hiding a decrease in men’s opportunities), members of Congress asked the U.S. General Accounting Office to study participation in athletics. The 2001 GAO report calculated participants at all four-year colleges and universities that were members of either the NCAA or the NAIA.
(Source: )
Q. So, how many participants does the GAO report show?
A. The GAO report showed that 231,866 men participated in intercollegiate athletics at all four-year institutions in 1998-99, an increase of 5 percent from the 220,178 that participated in 1981-82. The GAO report also showed that 162,783 women participated in intercollegiate athletics at all four-year institutions in 1998-99, an increase of 81 percent.
(Source: )
Q. Has the number of men participating in intercollegiate athletics declined or increased since 1981-82?
A. According to the GAO report, which accounts for all intercollegiate athletics opportunities, the number of male participants has increased by 5 percent since 1981-82.
(Source: )
Q. Has the average number of men participating at each NCAA institution declined?
A. Yes. The number of male student-athletes per campus — in all NCAA divisions — was 199.1 in 2000-01, down from 215.8 in 1981-82. The average number of female athletes per campus was 143.9 in 2000-01, up from 94.3 in 1981-82. The average number of student-athletes per campus has increased, from 310.1 in 1981-82 to 343.0 in 2000-01.
(Source: )
Q. Are there more men’s teams or more women’s teams at NCAA member schools?
A. There are more total women’s teams yet more male participants because there are more males per team. In 2000-01, there were 7,737 men’s teams with a total of 206,573 participants and 8,312 women’s teams with a total of 149,115 participants.
(Source: )
Q. How many teams does the average NCAA institution field for men and women?
A. In 2000-01 in all divisions, the average number of teams per institutions was 7.5 for men and 8.0 for women. In 1981-82, there were an average of 8.7 teams for men and 6.1 for women.
(Source: )
Q. What does the GAO report show for the numbers of men’s and women’s teams?
A. The GAO report, which counts all four-year institutions, shows 9,479 women’s teams in 1999-98, up 66 percent from 1981-82, and 9,149 men’s teams in 1999-98, up 0.4 percent from 1981-82.
(Source:)
Sport-specific participation
Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring wrestling?
A. Yes. Wrestling sponsorship peaked in Division I in 1974-75 when 64.7 percent of Division I institutions (154) sponsored the sport. It peaked in all divisions in 1971-72 with a 59.8 percent sponsorship. By 1981-82, 46.1 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored wrestling. In 2000-01, 21.4 percent of the NCAA membership in all three divisions sponsored the sport. There were 87 wrestling teams in Division I in 2000-01, down from 146 in 1981-82. In all three divisions, the number of institutions sponsoring wrestling has declined from 363 in 1981-82 to 225 in 2000-01. (Source: )
Q. When did the decline of wrestling sponsorship occur?
A. When wrestling peaked in Division I in 1974-75, seven Division I schools had added it from the previous year, bringing its sponsorship up to 64.7 percent of that classification (with 154), and 12 Division II schools had dropped it, bringing that classification’s sponsorship down to 45.9 percent (with 183). By 1976-77, 52.5 percent of NCAA institutions sponsored the sport. By 1981-82, 46.1 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored wrestling. By 1989-90, only 33.6 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored it. In 2000-01, only 21.4 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored it. In Division I, wrestling was at 64.7 percent sponsorship in 1974-75, 63.9 percent in 1975-76 and 61.3 percent in 1976-77. By 1981-82, 52.7 percent of NCAA Division I institutions sponsored wrestling, and by 1989-90, only 37.8 percent sponsored it. By 2001, 27.1 percent of Division I institutions sponsored wrestling.
(Source: )
Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring men’s gymnastics?
A. Yes. Sponsorship of men’s gymnastics peaked in all divisions in 1971-72 when 18.70 percent of the membership sponsored it. Division I membership peaked in 1981-82 when 21.3 percent of the division sponsored the sport, with 59 teams total in Division I.
In 2000-01, 6.5 percent of Division I members (21 institutions) sponsored the sport. In all three divisions, there were 79 institutions sponsoring men’s gymnastics in 1981-82 and 24 institutions sponsoring the sport in 2000-01. (Source: )
Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring women’s gymnastics?
A. Yes. Sponsorship of women’s gymnastics peaked in 1981-82, the first year the NCAA sponsored women’s championships. That year, 22.7 percent of all institutions — with 35.7 percent of institutions in Division I — sponsored the sport.
In 1981-82, there were 99 institutions in Division I sponsoring women’s gymnastics. In 2000-01, there were 66 institutions sponsoring the sport, representing 20.6 percent of the membership in the division. In all three divisions, there were 179 institutions sponsoring women’s gymnastics in 1981-82 and 89 institutions sponsoring the sport in 2000-01 (8.5 percent of institutions in all three divisions).
(Source: )
Q. When did the decline of men’s gymnastic sponsorship occur?
A. Men’s gymnastics sponsorship peaked in all divisions in 1971-72 and then declined to 13.4 percent by 1976-77. It further declined to 10 percent by 1981-82, and 5.9 percent by 1988-89. In Division I, where most men’s gymnastics programs are sponsored, 21.3 percent sponsored men’s gymnastics in 1981-82. By 1988-89, only 13.7 percent of the Division I membership sponsored it. And by 2000-01, only 6.5 percent of the Division I membership sponsored it.
(Source: )
Q. When did the decline of women’s gymnastic sponsorship occur?
A. In 1981-82, 35.7 percent of Division I institutions sponsored women’s gymnastics. By 1989-90, only 13.8 percent sponsored it. And by 2000-01, only 20.6 percent of the Division I membership sponsored it.
(Source: )
Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring men’s swimming and diving?
A. Yes. Men’s swimming and diving peaked in 1971-72 when 57.6 percent of the membership (382 institutions) sponsored the sport. By number of programs, the sport peaked in 1976-77, when there were 394 programs (then 54.5 percent of the membership). There were 181 Division I institutions sponsoring men’s swimming and diving in 1981-82 representing 65.3 percent of the Division I membership. By 1988-89, there were 54.6 percent of Division I institutions sponsoring the sport. In 2000-01, 147 institutions sponsored men’s swimming and diving, representing 45.8 percent of the membership.
(Source: )
Q. Has the number of men participating in swimming and diving decreased?
A. Yes, but only slightly because of increases in squad sizes. In 1981-82, 7,746 student-athletes in all three divisions participated in men’s swimming and diving. In 2000-01, 7,265 student-athletes in all three divisions participated in men’s swimming and diving.
Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring women’s swimming and diving?
A. Yes, but only slightly. In 1981-82, 44.2 percent of the membership overall sponsored women’s swimming and diving, and 58.1 percent of the Division I membership sponsored the sport. In 2000-01, 43.3 percent of the membership overall sponsored women’s swimming and diving, and 55.1 percent of the Division I membership sponsored the sport. The numbers of participants in all three divisions combined have increased, again because of increases in squad size.
(Source: )
Q. Has sponsorship of football at NCAA institutions increased or declined?
A. Since 1981-82, sponsorship of football has increased slightly in Division I, where 72.3 percent of institutions in the division sponsored the sport in 2000-01, up from 67.5 percent in 1981-82. Sponsorship in Division II has decreased slightly, with 50.8 percent of institutions in the division sponsoring the sport in 2000-01, down from 59.3 in 1981-82. Sponsorship of football in Division III has decreased, with 51.0 of institutions in the division sponsoring the sport, down from 61.8 in 1981-82.
(Source: )
Q. Has there been a decline in the average squad size for football?
A. No. The average squad size in Division I-A football has gone up to 115.7 in 2000-01 from 103.1 in 1981-82. The average squad size in all three divisions has gone up to 94.2 in 2000-01 from 82.0 in 1981-82.
(Source: )
Q. Has participation in football increased or decreased?
A. Participation in football has increased in all three divisions since 1981-82. In 2000-01, 56,804 student-athletes participated in football in all three divisions, up from 40,733 in 1981-82. Division I has the highest number of participants in the sport with 24,383. Division III is next highest with 19,161 student-athletes participating in football. Division II has 13,260 participants.
(Source: )
Scholarship dollars
Q. How much does an average Division I-A institution spend each year on scholarships, by gender?
A. At the average Division I-A institution in 2000-01, men received ,229,000 in grants-in-aid. Women received ,528,000 in grants-in-aid. (Source: )
Recruiting
Q. How much does an average Division I-A institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?
A. The average Division I-A institution spends 3,000 each year recruiting male student-athletes and 3,000 recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: )
Q. How much does an average Division I-AA institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?
A. The average Division I-AA institution spends 8,000 each year recruiting male student-athletes and ,000 each year recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: )
Q. How much does an average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?
A. The average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spends ,000 each year recruiting male student-athletes and ,000 each year recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: )
Q. How much does an average Division II institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?
A. The average Division II institution with football spends ,000 per year recruiting male student-athletes and ,000 per year recruiting female student-athletes. The average Division II institution without football spends ,000 per year recruiting male student-athletes and ,000 per year recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: )
Q. How much does an average Division III institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?
A. The average Division III institution with football spends 20,000 each year recruiting its male student-athletes and 8,000 each year recruiting its female student-athletes. The average Division III institutions without football spends ,000 per year recruiting its male student-athletes and ,000 per year recruiting its female student-athletes.
(Source: )
Coaches’ salaries
Q. How much does the average Division I-A institution spend each year on coaches’ salaries for its teams?
A. The average Division I-A institution spends ,791,000 on coaches’ salaries for men’s teams and ,258,000 on coaches’ salaries for women’s teams.
(Source: )
Q. How much does the average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spend each year on coaches’ salaries for its teams?
A. The average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spends 0,000 on coaches’ salaries for its men’s teams and 5,000 on coaches’ salaries for its women’s teams.
(Source: )
Overall expenditures
Q. What is the average expenditure per athlete in Division I-A?
A. The average expenditure per athlete in Division I-A is ,000 per male student-athlete and ,000 per female student-athlete.
(Source: )
Q. How much does the average Division I-A institution spend on its athletics programs for each gender?
A. The average Division I-A institution spends ,900,000 on all its men’s teams, ,600,000 on all its women’s teams and ,700,000 on expenses that benefit both genders.
(Source: )
Q. How much does the average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spend on its athletics programs for each gender?
A. The average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spends ,130,000 on all its men’s teams, ,940,000 on all its women’s teams and $,420,000 on expenses that benefit both genders.
(Source: )
Revenue
Q. How many NCAA institutions show a profit in their athletics program in Division I-A?
A. The number of institutions where revenue exceeds expenses in Division I-A is 40, or 35 percent of institutions in that classification. This calculation does not include institutional support and does include fund-raising done by the athletics department, ticket sales, funds from student fees to support athletics, bowl games, royalties and the NCAA revenue distribution.
(Source: )
Q. Do other NCAA institutions in other divisions show a profit?
A. Yes. Nine institutions in Division I-AA showed revenue exceeding expenses (8 percent); six institutions in Division I-AAA (no football) showed revenue exceeding expenses (7 percent); seven institutions in Division II that do sponsor football showed revenue exceeding expenses (5 percent); and seven institutions in Division II that do not sponsor football showed revenue exceeding expenses (6 percent). Division III institutions are not asked about revenue generation. In other words, 7.7 percent of the total NCAA membership showed a profit in 2001. This calculation does not include institutional support and does include fund-raising done by the athletics department, ticket sales, funds from student fees to support athletics, bowl games, royalties and the NCAA revenue distribution.
(Source: )
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