Effects of Economic Impact Information on the Attitudes of Potential Sports Sponsors Operating in Mid-Size and Small College Communities

Sports marketing programs yielding significant economic benefits have been in place for a number of years at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions, in professional sports venues, and in community development programs. Research indicates a paucity of sports sponsorship arrangements for mid-size and small college institutions and businesses in contiguous communities. This study applied exchange theory, as described in the field of business administration in the compilation of economic impact information to include spending amounts for visiting athletic teams competing in the Pensacola, Florida area. Data from the Sports Team Travel Survey was shared with randomly selected businesses and not shared with a control group of businesses. The effects of economic impact information on the attitudes of potential sports sponsors were then assessed to gain a better understanding of the decision-making processes. An analysis of the data depicted significant differences (p< .05) with group one displaying more-favorable attitudes about sponsorship potentialities as a function of accessibility to economic impact information portraying commercial benefits. The emphasis upon commercial benefits, as contrasted to patronage and philanthropic motives, supported the work of Abratt, Clayton, and Pitt (1987); Gratton and Taylor (1985); McCarville and Copeland (1994) and others defining sponsorship as an investment in cash return for exploitable commercial potential associated with an activity.