TURNKEY Sports Poll November 2006 - College sports and the BCS; advertising and sponsorships

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 2006
College sports and the BCS; advertising and sponsorships

Who is the most overrated collegiate athletics conference?

Big East - 22.41%

ACC - 19.92%

PAC-10 - 18.67%

Big Ten - 12.03%

Big 12 - 11.62%

SEC - 9.54%

Other - 5.81%

Should Notre Dame join a conference?

No - 56.02%

Yes - 41.91%

No response - 2.07%

Within the next 5 years, will college football adopt a playoff format?

No - 52.28%

Yes - 47.30%

No response - 0.41%

Within the next 5 years, in your opinion, should college football adopt a playoff format?

Yes - 83.75%

No - 15.42%

No response - 0.83%

In 2006, when it comes to advertising and sponsorship sales, who was “hot”?

NFL - 38.49%

NASCAR - 25.52%

MLB - 15.48%

MLS - 5.86%

NBA - 4.60%

PGA Tour - 4.60%

NHL - 2.09%

Pro Volleyball - 1.67%

AFL - 0.42%

LPGA - 0.42%

NHRA - 0.42%

WNBA - 0.42%

Champ Car - 0.00%

IRL - 0.00%

Pro Tennis - 0.00%

In 2006, when it comes to advertising and sponsorship sales, who seems to get the most from the least?

AFL - 16.03%

NASCAR - 13.50%

NFL - 9.70%

NHL - 9.28%

MLS - 9.28%

Pro Volleyball - 9.28%

PGA Tour - 7.17%

MLB - 4.64%

LPGA - 4.64%

WNBA - 4.64%

NBA - 3.80%

IRL - 2.53%

NHRA - 2.53%

Pro Tennis - 2.11%

Champ Car - 0.84%

When a really big sponsorship deal is close – the “inch-line” – what is the MOST important thing to closing the deal - what needs to be “just right”?

Personalities - 36.02%

Timing - 32.63%

Leverage - 13.56%

Money - 12.71%

Other - 5.08%

Below are 5 big sponsorship deals of 2006. Which property got the best deal from a seller’s standpoint?

MLS sold the Metrostars franchise, stadium rights and naming rights to Red Bull for $100 million - 38.46%

NBA sold adidas a reported 11-year $400 million league sponsorship - 23.93%

Arizona Cardinals sold stadium naming rights to University of Phoenix for a reported $154 million - 21.37%

NFL sold State Farm the insurance category for a reported $15 million per year including media commitments. - 7.69%

The IOC sold Johnson & Johnson the health care products category for a reported $60 million. - 6.84%

No Response – 1.71%

Looking at those same 5 sponsorship deals, which sponsor got the best deal from a buyer’s standpoint?

State Farm bought the NFL’s insurance category for a reported $15 million per year including media commitments. - 39.22%

Red Bull bought the Metrostars, stadium and naming rights for a reported $100 million - 17.24%

Adidas bought a NBA sponsorship for a reported $400 million over 11 years - 15.95%

The University of Phoenix bought the Arizona Cardinals new stadium naming rights for a reported $154 million - 12.50%

Johnson & Johnson bought the health care products category from the IOC for a reported $60 million. - 12.07%

No Response – 3.02%

Recently, the President of the Dallas Stars, Jim Lites, suggested that the NHL should consider shifting the NHL season back a month so that it would start in November and end in July. Good idea?

No - 65.09%

Yes - 31.47%

No response - 3.45%

Recently, the NBA issued a “code of conduct” for NBA owners. What other sport would benefit the MOST from such a code?

NFL - 44.40%

MLB - 18.53%

Other - 17.24%

NASCAR - 16.38%

NHL - 3.45%

On Thanksgiving, which do you prefer?

Turkey-white meat - 55.60%

Love them both - 25.00%

Turkey-dark meat - 15.95%

Neither - 3.45%

Thinking about your own particular business, what best describes your confidence level regarding the next 12 months for your own business?

6- Very Optimistic - 41.38%

5- Somewhat Optimistic - 34.91%

7- Extremely Optimistic - 15.52%

4- Neither Optimistic nor Pessimistic - 4.31%

3- Somewhat Pessimistic - 2.16%

2- Very Pessimistic - 0.43%

1- Extremely Pessimistic - 0.00%

No response - 1.29%