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 2008
NHL, sports online, fan behavior, and the NBA

Are you in favor of the current system of instant replay for checking home runs in Major League Baseball?

  • Yes – 81.11%
  • No – 11.98%

No response/Not sure – 6.91%

Which league/sport has the most to gain from further expansion?

  • MLS – 31.80%
  • NFL – 25.81%
  • NBA – 11.06%
  • NASCAR – 10.14%
  • NHL – 3.69%
  • MLB – 1.84%

No response/Not sure – 15.67%

Overall, since the player lockout, the business of NHL teams has:

  • Somewhat improved – 52.80%
  • Stayed the same – 18.22%
  • Somewhat declined – 13.55%
  • Greatly improved – 10.28%
  • Greatly declined – 2.34%

No response/Not sure – 2.80%

In the next 5  years, which of the following is most likely to occur

  • An NHL team will be relocated – 59.35%
  • An NHL team will be eliminated – 21.96%
  • An NHL team will be added through expansion – 7.48%
  • None of the above – 5.61%

No response/Not sure – 5.61%

How important is it for the NHL to get back on ESPN? (compare to Sept. 2007 results)

  • 7- Extremely Important – 44.86%
  • 6 – 29.44%
  • 5 – 13.08%
  • 3 – 3.27%
  • 4 – 2.34%
  • 2 – 2.34%
  • 1- Not important at all – 2.34%

No response/Not sure – 2.34%

Which of the following events best accomplishes the NHL's objective of growing its fan base?

  • NHL Winter Classic (outdoor game on New Year’s Day) – 60.28%
  • Stanley Cup Finals – 24.77%
  • NHL Premiere (beginning the season with games played internationally) – 4.67%
  • All Star Game – 3.74%

No response/Not sure – 6.54%

What would you say has been the most significant development in online sports over the past year?

  • Streaming video of games and highlights – 59.35%
  • Proliferation of fan and player blogs – 13.08%
  • Legal decision that intellectual property rights do not apply to statistics used in fantasy sports - 11.68%
  • Social networking – 6.07%
  • The decline of dedicated sports reporters at newspapers – 6.07%

No response/Not sure – 3.74%

Which mainstream sports news site offers the best content?

  • ESPN.com – 64.49%
  • FOXSports.com – 6.54%
  • YahooSports.com – 6.07%
  • SI.com – 5.61%
  • Sportsline.com (CBS) – 4.21%
  • SportingNews.com – 2.34%
  • NBCSports.com – 0.00%
  • Other – 1.87%

No response/Not sure – 8.88%

What Internet site do you most often wish you had thought of first:

  • Google – 53.27%
  • Ebay – 21.03%
  • YouTube – 9.81%
  • Facebook – 5.61%
  • Amazon – 4.67%
  • MySpace – 0.93%
  • Yahoo! – 0.93%
  • Other – 0.47%

No response/Not sure – 3.27%

Overall, compared with 5 years ago, how would you characterize fan behavior at sporting events?

  • About the same – 45.79%
  • Somewhat worse – 27.57%
  • Somewhat better – 21.96%
  • Much worse – 4.21%
  • Much better – 0.47%

No response/Not sure – 0.00%

Which league/sport has been the most proactive in dealing with fan behavior issues?

  • NFL – 45.33%
  • MLB – 15.89%
  • NBA – 15.42%
  • NHL – 3.27%
  • MLS – 1.87%
  • NASCAR – 0.93%

No response/Not sure – 17.29%

What would be the single, most-effective way to improve fan behavior at sporting events?

  • Revoke ticket privileges for poor behavior – 35.51%
  • Better policing of a Fan Code of Conduct – 27.57%
  • Stop alcohol sales sooner – 16.82%
  • Increase security – 13.08%
  • Provide alcohol-free seating areas – 4.21%
  • Other – 1.40%

No response/Not sure – 1.40%

What effect will the men’s gold medal win at the Beijing Games have on buzz leading into the 2008-09 season?

  • Small boost – 46.73%
  • No boost – 43.93%
  • Major boost – 8.41%

No response/Not sure – 0.93%

The NBA made gains in its television ratings last season. This season you expect:

  • Flat ratings – 58.88%
  • More gains – 29.91%
  • Declines – 10.28%

No response/Not sure – 0.93%

To date, several NBA players elected to sign contracts with European teams. If you were David Stern, how concerned would you be about this?

  • 5 - Very concerned – 10.75%
  • 4 – 21.96%
  • 3 – Neutral - 28.50%
  • 2 – 20.56%
  • 1 – Not at all concerned – 17.29%

No response/Not sure – 0.93%

Should the NBA operate a league outside of North America? (Select all that apply)

  • Yes, one in Europe – 41.59% of respondents
  • No – 37.85% of respondents
  • Yes, one in Asia – 34.11% of respondents
  • Yes, one in South America – 7.94% of respondents

No response/Not sure – 3.27% of respondents

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

  • 5 - Somewhat Optimistic – 45.33%
  • 6 - Very Optimistic – 24.30%
  • 3 - Somewhat Pessimistic – 13.08%
  • 4 - Neither Optimistic nor Pessimistic – 8.88%
  • 7 - Extremely Optimistic – 5.14%
  • 2 - Very Pessimistic – 1.87%
  • 1 - Extremely Pessimistic – 0.93%

No response/Not sure – 0.47%
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