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Big-Time College Basketball and the Advertising Effect

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  • D. Randall Smith

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

Proponents of big-time intercollegiate athletics highlight the public relations produced by successful programs and how this supports the educational mission. In the sports economics literature, this is called the "advertising effect,'' and several studies have found little or no effects for big-time basketball programs. Such conclusions may be premature because most analyses use subsets of all schools playing Division I basketball. The author analyzes how performance is related to academic quality in the first year class using all Division I schools during a 12-year panel. Neither the proportion of freshmen from the top 10th of their high school class, or with a grade point average of B or better, nor the number of entering National Merit Scholars are significantly related to measures of success. Freshman SAT scores are marginally related to one aspect of basketball performance. The conditions needed for a basketball advertising effect appear fleeting and difficult to accomplish.

Suggested Citation

  • D. Randall Smith, 2008. "Big-Time College Basketball and the Advertising Effect," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 9(4), pages 387-406, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:9:y:2008:i:4:p:387-406
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002507310805
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jerome Segura III & Jonathan Willner, 2019. "Athleticism in NCAA D-III: It Ain’t Only Football That Matters," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 20(7), pages 929-958, October.
    2. Mulholland, Sean E. & Tomic, Aleksandar (Sasha) & Sholander, Samuel N., 2014. "The faculty Flutie factor: Does football performance affect a university's US News and World Report peer assessment score?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 79-90.
    3. Daniel R. Marburger, 2015. "How Are Athletic Directors Rewarded in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision?," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 16(3), pages 254-267, April.
    4. Laura Beaudin, 2018. "Examining the Relationship Between Athletic Program Expenditure and Athletic Program Success Among NCAA Division I Institutions," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 19(7), pages 1016-1045, October.
    5. Bouchet, Adrien & Laird, Mary Dana & Troilo, Mike & Hutchinson, Michael & Ferris, Gerald, 2017. "Effects of increased commitment on reputation and status: Evidence from NCAA Division I universities," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 395-407.
    6. Austin F. Eggers & Peter A. Groothuis & Parker Redding & Kurt W. Rotthoff & Michael Solimini, 2020. "Universities Behaving Badly: The Impact of Athletic Malfeasance on Student Quality and Enrollment," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 21(1), pages 87-100, January.
    7. Austin F. Eggers & Peter A. Groothuis, 2021. "The Impact of Winning an NCAA Men's Basketball or Football Championship on Academic Quality," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(2), pages 263-275.
    8. Steven Salaga & Rodney Fort, 2017. "Structural Change in Competitive Balance in Big-Time College Football," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 50(1), pages 27-41, February.

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