Gymnastics, Figure Skating, Men’s Golf, High School Sports and Pro Boxing Rank High in Fan Interest
American consumers have typically shown unwavering support for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, College Football and Basketball, NASCAR and the Olympics.
In fact, the latest study from Scarborough Sports Marketing shows over half (53 percent) of American adults are “Avid Fans” of one of these sports. When we eliminate these time-honored sports from the conversation, we are left with an intriguing list of fan favorites which include sports like Figure Skating, Gymnastics, Men’s Golf, High School Sports and Pro Boxing.* Scarborough Sports Marketing defines “Avid Fans” as consumers who are “very interested” and “Fans” as respondents who are “very, somewhat or a little interested” in a given sport.
American sports fans have been opening their minds and wallets to a host of diverse sports. Avid Fans of these sports are often characterized by distinct audience demographics. For instance, 73% of Avid Gymnastics Fans are female and 81% of Avid Figure Skating Fans are female. This is a unique demographic makeup since Avid Fans of sports like the Olympics, Women’s Tennis and the WNBA – classically “female friendly” sports – are only about 50% female. This notable demographic base helps explain findings such as: Gymnastics Fans are 53% more likely than all American adults to schedule a spa day, 30% more likely to visit a jewelry store and 33% more likely to visit a bridal store. Similarly, Figure Skating Fans are 28% more likely to visit a florist and 27% more likely to visit a dry cleaner. Read more
NFL’s Most Fanatical Family
‘Calling All Families’ Program Gives NFL Fans the Chance to Win a Trip to Super Bowl XLIV
PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division and the National Football League are teaming up to give football fans across the country the chance to prove they are the NFL’s “most fanatical family” and win a five-day trip to Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida, where they’ll watch The Big Game from a VIP suite at Dolphin Stadium.
Fans can enter between Aug. 23, 2009, and Oct. 5, 2009, by visiting www.nfl.com/callingallfamilies and submitting a photograph of their family on game day and a brief essay describing why they are the NFL’s most fanatical family.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the fans whose enthusiasm for the NFL and their favorite teams brings their families together and helps make NFL games so fun,” says Jason McDonell, Frito-Lay’s vice president and general manager of customer strategy. “Frito-Lay snack chips and dips bring something special to the game-watching experience, and we’re excited to be able to give some of the NFL’s biggest fans a family memory that will last a lifetime through our Calling All Families program.”
“We are pleased to work with Frito-Lay to celebrate our fans’ passion for the NFL through our Calling All Families program,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s senior vice president of marketing and sales.
Frito-Lay and the NFL will support the Calling All Families program with point-of-sale displays at more than 20,000 grocery, mass merchandise, dollar and other retail channels that celebrate families’ at-home game watching environments and feature the Tostitos, Doritos and Lay’s brands. Frito-Lay and the NFL will also support the program with radio and print advertising.
A panel of judges composed of Frito-Lay and NFL executives will review all entries based on several criteria, including team spirit, enthusiasm for the game and demonstration of family gathering, and narrow the entries down to eight semi-finalists. Each semi-finalist and their family will travel to NFL Films to record a video bringing to life why they think they are the NFL’s “most fanatical family.”
From Dec. 1, 2009, to Dec. 15, 2009, fans can watch the videos online and vote for their favorite semifinalist. Then the two families that receive the most online votes will go head-to-head Dec. 16, 2009, to Jan. 3, 2010, with fans voting online to determine which family will win the Grand Prize — a five-day/four-night trip for the winner and up to five guests to attend Super Bowl XLIV, including round-trip air transportation, hotel accommodations, suite tickets to the game, and tickets to the Super Bowl Saturday Night Party and NFL Tailgate Party.
Complete rules are at www.nfl.com/callingallfamilies.