TURNKEY Sports Poll November 2003 - “Playmakers”, Sports records and performance enhancement drugs

TURNKEY Sports Poll

Turnkey Sports & Entertainment owns the Turnkey Sports Poll, the industry’s continuing survey of senior-level executives and owners which probes the hottest issues inside sports. The results of the poll appear weekly in the SportsBusiness Journal.

November 2003
“Playmakers”, Sports records and performance enhancement drugs

Should ESPN replace Rush Limbaugh in its NFL studio show with another social commentator?

No - 72.22%

Yes - 24.07%

No Response - 3.70%

Have you seen "Playmakers", ESPN's weekly series about a fictional pro football team?

Yes - 49.30%

No - 48.84%

No Response - 1.86%

What impact is Playmakers having on the NFL's image?

Somewhat Negative Impact - 38.10%

No Impact - 28.57%

Very Negative Impact - 20.00%

Extremely Negative Impact - 9.52%

Extremely Positive Impact - 0.95%

Somewhat Positive Impact - 0.95%

Very Positive Impact - 0.00%

No Response - 0.95%

How likely is the NFL to not renew its contract with ESPN in 2005 because of Playmakers?

Neither Likely nor Unlikely - 24.76%

Very Unlikely - 21.90%

Extremely Unlikely - 18.10%

Somewhat Likely - 14.29%

Somewhat Unlikely - 12.38%

Very Likely - 3.81%

Extremely Likely - 0.00%

No Response - 4.76%

In your opinion, did Nike make the right decision in entering into a $90 million deal with LeBron James?

Yes - 49.77%

No - 43.66%

No Response - 6.57%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: the NBA needs to find the "next Michael Jordan."

Somewhat Agree - 34.91%

Neither Agree or Disagree - 21.70%

Strongly Agree - 18.87%

Somewhat Disagree - 12.26%

Strongly Disagree - 10.38%

No Response - 1.89%

In your opinion, who is most responsible for creating the hype and expectations that currently surround LeBron James?

National Media - 82.08%

LeBron James' Sponsors - 7.55%

National Basketball Association - 6.60%

Local Media in Cleveland - 0.00%

No Response - 3.77%

Do you feel that fans perceive that illegal performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports are more pervasive or less pervasive than 10 years ago?

More pervasive - 71.09%

About the same - 19.43%

Less pervasive - 8.06%

No Response - 1.42%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: sports fans are losing confidence in modern day record-setting performances because of their perception that athletes are using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

Somewhat Agree - 51.66%

Neither Agree or Disagree - 16.11%

Somewhat Disagree - 16.11%

Strongly Agree - 10.90%

Strongly Disagree - 3.79%

No Response - 1.42%

In your opinion, which of the four major professional team sports is most vulnerable to a backlash from fans, sponsors or the media as a result of performance-enhancing drugs?

MLB - 63.33%

NFL - 22.38%

NBA - 10.48%

NHL - 0.95%

No Response - 2.86%

Major League Soccer is contemplating expansion. Is this the right move for them?

No - 68.10%

Yes - 27.14%

No Response - 4.76%

What effect do you think the new MLB collective bargaining agreement (reached in August 2002) had on team competitiveness during the 2003 season? As a result of the new CBA, do you think MLB was:

Much More Competitive - 2.38%

Somewhat More Competitive - 43.33%

Unaffected Competitively - 39.05%

Somewhat Less Competitive - 3.33%

Much Less Competitive - 0.95%

No Response - 10.95%

In your opinion, what were the most important sports business stories of 2003? (PLEASE SELECT UP TO 5)

NHL admits loss of $1.5 billion over last 9 years - 15.16%

ACC's pursuit of Big East institutions - 15.16%

Small market Florida Marlins winning the World Series - 13.25%

NEXTEL's $750 million deal to sponsor NASCAR - 12.98%

LeBron James - 12.57%

Arte Moreno & Robert Johnson becoming owners - 8.33%

General Electric/NBA purchase Olympic rights for $2 billion - 8.20%

WUSA goes out of business - 6.56%

USOC selects New York to vie for the 2012 Olympics - 3.96%

ESPN's move into "original programming" - 2.87%

No Response - 0.96%