The 266-page report is marketed by NSGA from research prepared for SBRnet by Irwin Broh Research, a company nationally recognized for its work in the sports and leisure field. 

SPORT ATTENDANCE & TV VIEWERSHIP IN 2007 

It’s all about eyeballs, not ticket sales – at least when spending marketing dollars on professional and collegiate sports. 

You want to know who attends and sees the stadium or arena media in which you invest marketing dollars. You want to know how often they attend. You want to know other sporting events they attend. You want to know their gender, age, income level. You want to know differences by region of the country. And you need the same information about TV viewership patterns for those watching sporting events. For adults 18 years of age and older, that information is in the NSGA report “Sports Attendance and TV Viewership in 2007.”  The mail survey, conducted in April 2007, covers 29 professional and collegiate sporting events. 

Events covered: Auto Racing (Champ Car, Indy Car, NASCAR {Cup, Busch, Truck}, NHRA), Baseball (MLB, Minor League), Basketball (NBA, WNBA, Minor League, College), Bowling – PBA, Boxing, Football (NFL, Arena, College), Golf – PGA, Hockey (NHL, Minor League), Horse Racing, Lacrosse – MLL/NLL, Soccer (MLS, MISL), Tennis, Fishing (Pro Bass, etc.) and Pro Rodeo. Events are reported individually and netted, when appropriate. 

Demographic data on attendees and viewers include gender, age,  gender by age and household income.  Geographic analysis includes nine census regions, but excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Attendees and viewers are categorized as “Frequent” (6 or more times), “Occasional” (2 to 5 times) and “Once Only.” Survey participants were also asked the professional sport they attended or watched “most often.”  This data is reported. 

“Sports Attendance and TV Viewership,” conducted for NSGA by Irwin Broh & Associates using a representative panel of 10,000 U.S. households maintained by NFO, had a response rate of 60%. The report is available in both printed and electronic formats. 227 pages. 

INTERNET USAGE AMONG SPORTS PARTICIPANTS 

For sports marketers and the sporting goods industry, the Internet presents major challenges. How much do the Americans who participate in the activities in which a company is interested use the Internet?  How does usage differ by activity or sport?  Does it differ regionally or by market size? How does intensity of sports participation affect Internet usage on a sport-by-sport basis?  How big a market can we reach via the Internet, knowing that “Frequent” participants (the top 25% of participants) account for 50% or more of purchases in most sports and recreation activities? 

Answers to these questions can be the basis for developing promising, effective online marketing strategies. For those 7 years and older, that information is in the NSGA 106-page report “Internet Usage Among Sports Participants.” The mail survey, conducted in February 2007, covers 24 sports, fitness and recreational activities. 

Sports, Fitness and Recreational Activities covered: aerobic exercising, backpacking/wilderness camping, baseball, basketball, bicycle riding, billiards/pool, bowling, camping (vacation/overnight), exercise walking, exercising with equipment, fishing (fresh and salt water).  Also included are football (tackle), golf, hiking, hunting with firearms, running/jogging, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. 

Demographic data on Internet users include gender by age and household income.  Geographic analysis includes nine census regions, but excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Market size analysis includes non-MSAs, MSAs of 50,000-499,000; 500,000-999,000; 1.0-2.5 million; 2.5 million-plus. 

Internet users are categorized as “Heavy” (20 or more hours per week), “Moderate” (3-19 hours per week) and “Light (1-2 hours per week).”  Non-use and non-response is also reported. The definition of “Frequent”, “Occasional” and “Infrequent” participants varies for each sport and is indicated in the report. Generally, these categories are defined as the top 25%, middle 50% and lower 25% of participants.  

“Internet Usage Among Sports Participants in 2006,”  conducted for NSGA by Ipsos-Observer using a representative panel of 10,000 U.S. households, had a response rate of 60%. 

COST OF DOING BUSINESS FOR SPORTING GOODS STORES 

Compiled every two years, the Cost of Doing Business Survey provides sporting goods stores with the most up-to-date comparative financial performance information available anywhere. Besides Balance Sheet and Income Statement data, the Survey includes five measures of profitability, three measures of financial management and 14 measures of productivity. It provides detailed margins and turnover data separately for equipment, footwear and clothing.  

The study is provided at no cost to NSGA retailer/dealer members. The Cost of Doing Business Survey was compiled, tabulated and prepared by Industry Insights, Inc., a professional research and consulting firm which specializes in industry operating surveys. The company provides a comprehensive introduction, explaining measures and ratios used. 

Nearly 200 companies participated in the current study. This has allowed extensive segmentation in the survey. In addition to segmentation of sporting goods stores and specialty shops by sales volume, comparison categories include single versus multi-store operations, size of store and marketing mix. Specialty stores reported separately include team dealers, bike and ski. The study also provides comparisons to high-profit performing retailers. 

SPORTING GOODS STORES – SALES, NUMBER & DISTRIBUTION 

Published by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in 2010, the Census of Retail Trade provides the most comprehensive view of American retailing in more than 50 volumes. From these and earlier reports, NSGA has extracted data on full-line sporting goods stores, specialty sport shops and athletic footwear stores. The next Census will be published at the end of 2014. 

For these three categories of stores, the report provides sales, number of stores, number of employees, sales per store, sales per employee and number of employees per store. This data is provided for the U.S., for the nine census regions and for all 50 states. Data from the current Census (2007) is compared with the 2002 and 1997 Censuses. The Census of Retail Trade is done every five years by the U.S. Bureau of Census for the Dept. of Commerce. 60 Pages.