Sports Fan Study

PHONES, FANS & THE
FUTURE OF COLLEGE
SPORTS ATTENDANCE
KEY FINDINGS FROM SURVEY OF
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ATTENDEES

JANUARY 2014

This analysis is based on a survey of more
than 10,000 fans of 4 major football schools
• InStadium designed and
administered an online survey
• Surveys were delivered and
responses were captured via social
media & E mail channels, and
weighted to equalize responses
across the four schools
• InStadium worked with Hub
Research to analyze the data and
produce this summary report.
• The sample included current
students (grad and
undergrad), alumni, season ticket
holders, and fans without a formal
connection to the school
• Contact: Pat Coyle, Vice President
Audience Platforms:
pcoyle@instadium.com
InStadium, Inc.

2

Summary
1. Phones play a central role in
the lives of these fans
2. They have high expectations
about where they’ll be able to
use their phone
3. They play a big part in the fan
experience

Almost all of them have a
smartphone, and the great majority don’t
leave home without it

Ninety percent expect it to work
everywhere they go
The majority of fans use, or would like to
use, their smartphone for a wide variety
of activities during game-day

4. Having smartphone access in
the stadium matters

Smartphone access in the stadium is
highly correlated with likelihood to
attend—more so even than the weather
or the quality of the teams playing

5. Some of these trends are more
pronounced among younger
fans (i.e. current students)

Suggesting that new technology is
creating habits and expectations that
may become the norm for sports fans in
the future

InStadium, Inc.

The great majority of these fans own smartphones.

Q8: Do you own a smartphone?

88%: Yes
86% among alumni and 89% of
current students (despite their greater
sensitivity to cost in other questions)

Q8: Do you own a smartphone?

Smartphone owners are almost never without them
and expect them to work everywhere.
I never leave home without my smart
phone

86% 96%

I expect my phone to work (i.e. have
a strong signal) everywhere I go

62%

I get annoyed when “free” Wi-fi
doesn't work

49%

I feel more addicted to my smart
phone today than a year ago

29%

I often text friends even as I'm face to
face and interacting with other people

24%

I would be willing to pay for better Wifi at university football games 6%

91%
74%

52%

12%

48%

Totally agree

Agree

(Top Box)

(Top 2 Boxes)

Q11: To what extent do you agree with these statements?

In particular—smartphone access in the stadium
impacts interest in attending games
AMONG GAME ATTENDEES:
% likely to attend university
football games, EVEN IF…
You could stay home and watch
game on TV with friends

54%

University team had a losing
record

53%

Your best friends were not
attending the game

51%

Attending required traveling
more than 50 miles

51%

Weather was poor

50%

Game opponent was not
interesting

50%

Smart phones would not work
in stadium

50%

Ticket prices were a stretch to
afford

Among those who have
attended college
games, smartphone access
has a similar level of impact to
fundamental parts of the
game experience—like the
weather or the quality of the
teams themselves.

25%

Q4: How likely would you be to attend university football games if you faced these challenges?

The importance is even more pronounced among
heavier smartphone users
% LIKELY TO ATTEND
Even if they faced these
challenges…

SMARTPHONE SEGMENTS: TOP 2
BOX
Never
Expect it to
Use it at
leave home
work
pregame
without it everywhere

Use it at
sports
events

POWER
USER*


54%

55%

56%

55%

55%

49%

record

53%

54%

54%

54%

54%

52%

Your best friends were not
attending the game

51%

53%

53%

53%

52%

50%

more than 50 miles

51%

52%

53%

54%

53%

50%

Weather was poor

50%

51%

51%

52%

51%

54%

interesting

50%

51%

51%

51%

50%

53%

in stadium

50%

50%

49%

48%

46%

39%

afford

25%

26%

26%

26%

26%

31%


*want to use for all 9
scenarios in Q14

BOX

% LIKELY TO ATTEND
challenges…
54%
game Among these segments,
on TV with friends

Never
Expect it to
Use it at
leave home
work
pregame

lack
of smartphone access
53%
record correlated with the lowest
Your best friends were not attendance—
levels of likely
51%
attending the game
lower than anything except
51%
more than 50 the price of tickets
miles

Use it at
sports
events

POWER
USER*

55%

56%

55%

55%

49%

54%

54%

54%

54%

52%

53%

53%

53%

52%

50%

52%

53%

54%

53%

50%

Weather was poor

50%

51%

51%

52%

51%

54%

interesting

50%

51%

51%

51%

50%

53%

in stadium

50%

50%

49%

48%

46%

39%

afford

25%

26%

26%

26%

26%

31%


scenarios

% LIKELY TO ATTEND
challenges…

BOX
Never
Expect it to
Use it at
leave home
work
pregame

Use it at
sports
events

POWER
USER*

You could stayAmong power users—those
home and watch
54%
55%

56%

55%

55%

49%

statements
record

54%

54%

54%

52%

53%

53%

52%

50%

53%

54%

53%

50%

who agree with all 9
53%
54%
in Q14—less than
40% not
Your best friends were say they’d be likely to
51%
53%
attending the gameattend a game if their
51%
52%
more than 50smartphone didn’t work in the
miles
stadium.
Weather was poor

50%

51%

51%

52%

51%

54%

interesting

50%

51%

51%

51%

50%

53%

in stadium

50%

50%

49%

48%

46%

39%

afford

25%

26%

26%

26%

26%

31%


scenarios

Fans who are current students are more
susceptible to all of these challenges
If you could stay home and watch
game on TV friends
game on TV with with friends

48%

If university team had a losing
record
record
If attending required traveling more
than
than 50 miles 50 miles

54%

46%

51%

20%

60%

If your best friends were not
attending the game
attending the game

37%

51%

If weather was poor

42%

If smart phones would not work in
stadium
stadium

42%

If game opponent was not
interesting
interesting
If ticket prices were a stretch to
afford
afford

49%
52%
51%

21%

25%

Current
Students


47%
Alumni

Only 42% of current students (vs. 52% of alumni)
say they’d be likely to attend if their smartphone
didn’t work
If you could stay home and watch
game on TV friends
game on TV with with friends

48%

If university team had a losing
record
record
If attending required traveling more
than
than 50 miles 50 miles

54%

46%

51%

20%

60%

If your best friends were not
attending the game
attending the game

37%

51%

If weather was poor

42%

If smart phones would not work in
stadium
stadium

42%

If game opponent was not
interesting
interesting
If ticket prices were a stretch to
afford
afford

49%
52%
51%

21%

47%
25%


A majority of fans use their phones for a variety of
activities while they’re at the game.
82%

Capture and share photos

78%

Text with my friends
Read sports news from other games I'm
not attending

63%
55%

Update my social media accounts

52%

Check in at event

51%

As my ticket to the game (via scan code)
Earn points and rewards from the
university

48%
33%

View game replays on demand
To play games

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

20%

Q14: When you attend university football games, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following? I WANT TO USE
MY SMARTPHONE TO…

8-out-of-10 respondents want to use their phones
to capture the experience with photos and texts
82%


78%

not attending

63%
55%


52%

Check in at event

51%

university

48%
33%

To play games

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

20%

MY SMARTPHONE TO…

Nearly two-thirds use their phone to read sports
news from other games that are going on
82%


78%

not attending

63%
55%


52%

Check in at event

51%

university

48%
33%

To play games

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

20%

MY SMARTPHONE TO…

About half want to use their phone to manage the
process: tickets, check-in, and loyalty programs
82%


78%

not attending

63%
55%


52%

Check in at event

51%

university

48%
33%

To play games

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

20%

MY SMARTPHONE TO…

1-in-3 are interested in using their phone to watch
replay videos on demand
82%


78%

not attending

63%
55%


52%

Check in at event

51%

university

48%
33%

To play games

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

20%

MY SMARTPHONE TO…

1-in-3 are interested in using their phone to watch
replay videos on demand
82%


Seven percent of
63%
not attending
people with smartphones
said that they wanted55%
to
Check in at eventtheir phone to do
52%
use
As my ticket to the game (via scan code) of these things
51%
ALL

university

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

48%
33%

To play games

78%

20%

MY SMARTPHONE TO…

Compared to alumni, current students are more
invested in the social aspects of game day
•

They are more likely to attend games in person (not surprising). But
when not there in person, they’re more likely to want to watch in public
with others (and less likely to want to watch in a private place)
I would attend every university football
game if I could

78%
80%

I attend all (or most) university home
football games (at stadium)

65%
45%

I prefer to watch university football on TV in
a private place (i.e. home, dorm, friend's
home)
I would pay to access live streaming of
university football games on my mobile
device

17%
26%
13%
20%

I prefer to watch university football on TV in
a public place (i.e. sports bar, viewing party)
I have no interest in watching or attending
university football games
Current

25%
18%
5%
1%
Alumni

Q7: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

% AGREE:
Top 2 box

Students are also more likely to want to use their
phones for social media, checking in, and loyalty
programs
86%
80%


82%
77%

not attending

52%

69%


51%
50%
50%

Check in at event

61%


% AGREE:
Top 2 box

49%

university

62%
43%

To play games

64%

14%

29%
33%
25%

Current Student
Alumni

MY SMARTPHONE TO…

Sports Fan Study

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