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.

September 2006
Globalization, 9/11, NBA, NHL

Please put yourself in the shoes of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.   What would be your No. 1 focus and priority this season?

  • Aggressively market the NHL brand – 41.67
  • Increase national television ratings - 40.83
  • Boost ticket sales - 8.33
  • Grow league sponsor roster - 3.75
  • Further refinement of the rules – 1.67
  • Other - 1.67

No response – 2.08

Leading into the NHL’s 2nd season after the work stoppage, what is your diagnosis of the league’s overall health?

  • Stable condition – 40.59
  • Improving health, feeling good – 37.24
  • Declining health, really hurting – 17.99
  • Never been healthier - 2.09
  • Intensive care – 0.00

No response – 2.09

Given your perception of the NHL’s current overall health, was Commissioner Bettman’s decision to hold firm during the work stoppage and holdout for the current CBA deal worth it for his Owners?

  • Yes – 79.50
  • Maybe – 9.62
  • No – 7.53

No response -3.35

What is your all-time favorite football movie?

  • Rudy (1993) – 25.52
  • Jerry Maguire (1996) – 20.50
  • Remember the Titans (2000) – 17.57
  • The Longest Yard (1974) – 12.97
  • Other____________________ - 7.53
  • North Dallas Forty (1979) – 4.18
  • Friday Night Lights (2004) - 4.18
  • Any Given Sunday (1999) – 2.51
  • The Waterboy (1998) – 2.09
  • The Longest Yard (2005) – 0.42

No response – 2.51

From your perspective, which of the following sports does the best job of delivering the male, 18-34, demographic?

  • Professional wrestling – 33.05
  • Other – 33.05
  • Mixed martial arts – 17.57
  • Professional boxing – 9.62

No response – 6.69

From your perspective, which of the following sports do you think has experienced the most growth in popularity in the past five years?

  • Mixed martial arts – 48.95
  • Other – 24.27
  • Professional wrestling – 12.55
  • Professional boxing – 5.02

No response – 9.21

On the 5th Anniversary of 9/11, which of the following best describes how sports should respond to a national tragedy?

  • Industry should postpone games for a reasonable time of reflection – 35.56
  • Each sport should act independently following it’s own leadership – 32.64
  • Industry should keep playing as a vital source of inspiration – 27.62
  • Other – 2.93

No response – 1.26

What is the MOST pressing “social issue” facing the sports industry?

  • Performance enhancing drugs – 54.20
  • Players behaving as good role models for youth – 38.66
  • Diversity in leadership & management – 4.20
  • Level of charitable giving & fundraising – 1.26
  • Level of support of women’s sports – 0.42
  • Other – 0.42

No response – 0.84

Thinking about your own particular organization, what is your perception of it’s financial commitment to cause marketing and social issues compared with five (5) years ago?

  • Somewhat higher – 40.93
  • About the same – 33.76
  • Much higher - 11.81
  • Somewhat lower – 4.22
  • Not involved in cause marketing -4.22
  • Much lower – 0.42

No response - 4.64

In the race to globalization, which property has done the BEST job in positioning itself to play on a global stage?

  • NBA – 53.59
  • PGA Tour – 14.77
  • NFL – 8.86
  • MLB – 8.02
  • MLS – 3.38
  • NASCAR - 3.38
  • Pro Tennis – 3.80
  • NHL – 1.27
  • LPGA Tour – 0.42
  • IRL – 0.00

No Response - 2.53

Commissioner David Stern has relentlessly championed the WNBA, which just completed its 10th season.   How would you characterize Commissioner Stern’s support of the WNBA?

  • Smart move – 47.68
  • Not a smart move – 29.11
  • Other – 20.25

No response – 2.95

How would you grade the NBA’s leadership and management in the post-Michael Jordan era?

  • B – 54.01
  • C – 26.16
  • A – 11.39
  • D – 5.49
  • F – 1.69

No response – 1.27

What is your perception of who would be the toughest poker player?

  • David Stern – 39.57
  • Gary Bettman - 20.00
  • Roger Goodell – 13.62
  • Brian France – 9.79
  • Bud Selig – 5.96
  • Don Garber – 4.26

No response – 6.81

Beyond the game itself, what do you personally consider the MOST important element to the guest experience?

  • Event presentation (music, video, etc.) – 48.51
  • Ingress/Egress – 22.13
  • Concessions – 12.34
  • Parking – 8.51
  • Security – 6.38

No response – 2.13

When thinking about sports industry concessions, which of the following is Most in need of improvement?

  • Prices too high – 51.71
  • Service standards too low – 20.94
  • Wait times too long – 14.53
  • Product selection too narrow – 5.98
  • Other (open ended) - 4.27
  • Payment options too limited – 1.71

No response – 0.85

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

  • 7- Extremely Optimistic – 14.10
  • 6- Very Optimistic – 37.18
  • 5- Somewhat Optimistic – 41.45
  • 4- Neither Optimistic nor Pessimistic – 3.85
  • 3- Somewhat Pessimistic – 2.14
  • 2- Very Pessimistic – 0.00
  • 1- Extremely Pessimistic – 0.00

No response – 1.28
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