Home-Court Advantage: A Case Study of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Student Sections

摘要

Across the nation, universities are facing challenges when it comes to attracting students to athletic events, specifically in the revenue-generating sports of football and basketball. Regardless of the on-field and on-court success of the team, student attendance has been declining across the board for the past several years due to numerous reasons. This case study examines three schools who have adapted and enhanced their student section policies in order to increase student attendance and engagement. The schools selected for the case study were: University of Illinois, Iowa State University, and Michigan State University. These student sections were chosen due to their perceived excellence and creative and differentiated approaches to student section policies, ticketing, attendance, and engagement. Several key differentiators, including policy formation, in-arena seating locations, and student leadership structure were identified. In addition, implications and recommendations for managers and marketers are discussed, and areas for future research are presented.