Tag Archives: Basketball

Mapping March Madness

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This blog was originally posted at: http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/03/18/mapping-march-madness/.

The brackets are out, so March Madness has officially begun. Hoops mania is spreading rapidly as basketball fans are traveling to games, filling out their brackets and buying snacks for watching the games on TV. The Men’s NCAA basketball tournament tips off Tuesday night, but most fans won’t be downloading the “boss button” or coming up with exotic excuses to miss work until Thursday and Friday. The competition is not only exciting for basketball fans, but also for companies that sponsor teams and the tournament. The games provide opportunities for companies to advertise and sell to avid fans who attend games to cheer their favorites, check their brackets and watch the tournament on TV.

Sponsors and advertisers need to know who the fans are and where they live so they can target messaging to the most profitable customers. Who are the avid college basketball fans? Where do they live?

Attend college basketball games

Consumers across the U.S. love to attend college basketball games. Fans most likely to attend games live along the Eastern Seaboard, in and around Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, and in parts of California. Residents of 06269 (Storrs Mansfield, Conn.), 37916 (Knoxville, Tenn.), 70893 (Baton Rouge, La.) and 93106 (Santa Barbara, Calif.) are among the most likely to attend college basketball games. Residents of these ZIP codes are 2.93 times more likely than the average American to attend a college basketball game.

Attend College Basketball Games

 

Who is most likely to attend a college basketball game? Esri has developed the Tapestry Segmentation system that classifies U.S. residential neighborhoods into 65 unique market segments based on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.

For example, people in Dorms to Diplomas and Military Proximity neighborhoods are twice as likely as the average American to attend a college basketball game. People in Dorms to Diplomas neighborhoods are focused on their educations; approximately 81% are enrolled in college and graduate school. Approximately 43% live in dormitories on campus; others rent off-campus apartments in multi-unit buildings. Military Proximity residents depend upon the military for their livelihood; most of the labor force is in the Armed Forces, while others work in civilian jobs on military bases. Two-thirds of the households are married-couple families with children. Housing types are mainly townhouses and apartments in small multi-unit buildings; 93% are rentals.

Residents of Las Casas, Rooted Rural, Simple Living and Urban Villages neighborhoods are half as likely as the average American to attend a college basketball game.

Residents of Las Casas neighborhoods are settled primarily in California. Approximately half were born outside of the U.S. Most are young, Hispanic families. Rooted Rural neighborhoods are found in rural areas throughout the country; however, more than three-fifths are located in the South. Most of these residents are married couples. Approximately one‐third receive Social Security benefits. Located in urban outskirts or suburbs across the U.S., half of the population in Simple Living neighborhoods is singles who live alone or share housing; 32% of the households are married couple families. Urban Villages are multicultural enclaves of young families. All types of families live in these areas. Many earn two incomes from jobs in the manufacturing, health care, retail trade, construction and education industry sectors.

Watch college basketball games TV

Not all college basketball fans can see games in person, so many watch games on TV. People who would most likely watch college basketball on TV live in the Midwest and along the Eastern Seaboard.

Residents of ZIP codes 10996 (West Point, N.Y.), 23604 (Fort Eustis, Va.), 66442 (Fort Riley, Kan.) and 92055 (Camp Pendleton, Calif.) are among those most likely to watch college basketball games on television — more than 2.31 times more likely.

Watch College Basketball on TV

 

Residents of Dorms to Diplomas and Military Proximity neighborhoods are most likely to watch college basketball on TV. They are 1.5 times more likely than the average American. These are the same top Tapestry segments that are most likely to attend a college basketball game.

Residents of Southwestern Families neighborhoods are half as likely as the average American to watch college basketball on TV. These neighborhoods are ethnically diverse. Families in this segment are the bedrock of Hispanic culture in the Southwest. More have children than those who do not; most who work are employed in blue-collar or service occupations.

Why this matters

The Men’s NCAA basketball tournament is one of the biggest sporting events of the year in the U.S. Sponsors and advertisers want to maximize their marketing efforts during the tournament, so understanding who is most likely to watch and attend the events — and knowing something about them — can help companies to focus their marketing campaigns and create the right messaging targeted to the right audiences. This information will also help tournament organizers to choose venues that will generate the highest attendance for events.

More information about Esri’s data can be found at www.esri.com/data or to learn more about Esri in general, go to www.esri.com.

Pam Allison is a digital media, marketing strategist and location intelligence consultant. You can visit her blog at www.pamallison.com.

Olympic Sports Part 2 – where are likely places the next Olympians live?

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The 2012 Olympic Games are just now entering its second week in London.  Medals have been earned and awarded in many sports – with many yet to come.  Those of us back home have often dreamed of being an Olympic athlete – even just to compete.  What is the likelihood of an Olympic athlete coming from your neighborhood?  Where are some of the Olympic sports most popular in the US?  Who lives there?

This the second in a 2-part series looking various sports in the London Olympic Games and who in the US participates in them.

Basketball

Basketball is a very popular sport in the US.  The NBA draws in millions of fans around the country.  It has been an Olympic sport since 1936 and continues to bring in millions of fans from around the world.  The US has dominated the medals.  US men have won gold 16 of the 18 times they have competed.  US Women have won gold six of the eight times they competed.

Many Americans not only want to watch basketball, but they also like to play.  7.1% of adults participate in basketball.  Although this isn’t quite Olympic or pro level, many of these athletes have dreamed of bringing in gold like many of the dream teams the US has put together.

There are a few hot spots around the country where there are some avid basketball players.  This includes Arizona, southern Texas, and some other areas in the west.  Some of the zip codes with the highest index are 37916 (Knoxville, TN), 55455 (Minneapolis, MN), 74078 (Stillwater, OK), and 90089 (Los Angeles, CA).  Each of these have an index of 422 meaning residents in those zip codes are 4.22 times more likely than the average American to participate in basketball.

What type of person is typically most likely to participate in basketball?  What type is least likely?  We can use Tapestry Segmentation to classify consumers.  Esri, a geographic information systems company which also does data analysis, developed the Tapestry Segmentation system that classifies US residential neighborhoods into 65 unique market segments based on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.  The segment whose neighborhoods have an index of 200 or higher for basketball participation, meaning they are at least 2 times more likely than the average American to participate in basketball, is Dorms to Diploma.  Residents of this tapestry group are college students with a median age of 21.9 years.  Forty-two percent share housing with one or more roommates.

Residents of Enterprising Professionals, Family Foundations, High Rise Renters, and Military Proximity are also likely basketball players.  The index for residents in these neighborhoods to play basketball is 150 meaning they are 1.5 times more likely than the average American to play basketball.

Not everyone plays basketball.   Residents of Silver and Gold have an index of 50 or less for playing basketball.  This means they are ½ as likely (or less) than the average American to play.  This isn’t surprising given that this is an older segment with a median age of 60.5.

Running/Jogging

Many of us have imagined winning gold at the Olympics with the theme of Chariots of Fire playing in the background.  Although I am not one of the 8.1% of Americans who participate in running or jogging I would certainly admit to having that dream a few times in my life.  The Olympics, of course, consists of many different running events from short races of just 100 meters to the 26.2 mile marathon.  Who in the US continues to use running to keep in shape?  Where do they live?

Americans along the eastern seaboard, around the Great Lakes, and in the west have the most of the runners.  People in the middle of the country, in general, are not big runners.  The zip codes 07310 (Jersey City, NJ), 60661 (Chicago, IL), and 80203 (Denver, CO), among others, have an index of 213.  This means residents of those zip codes are 2.13 times more likely than the average American to be a runner or jogger.  I’m sure they are in great shape!

What type of people are the most likely run or jog?  There are three tapestry groups where the index for the likelihood to go horseback riding is 200 or higher: Dorms to Diplomas, Laptops and Lattes, and Metro Renters.  Metro Renters residents, for example, are young, educated singles at the beginning of their careers in some of the largest US cities.  They are likely looking for inexpensive ways to workout.

Of course, not everyone running or jogging.  There are several tapestry groups whose neighborhoods have an index of 50 or less for the likelihood of running/jogging.  That means they are 50% (or more) less likely to go running or jogging than the average American.  These segments are Home Town, Modest Income Homes, Prairie living, Rooted Rural, Rural Bypasses, Senior Sun Seekers, Southern Satellites, and Urban Rows.

Several of these tapestry segments are part of the LifeMode group Factories and Farms.  LifeMode Groups are characterized by lifestyle and lifestage and share an experience such as being born in the same time period or a trait such as affluence.  73% of all Factories and Farms neighborhoods have an index of 50 or less for running or jogging. These neighborhoods consist of small town, villages, and farms.   Many residents are employed in manufacturing and agricultural industries.

Urbanization Groups are an alternative way of combining the tapestry segments based on their geographic and physical features.  Several of the tapestry groups with an index of 50 or less for running and jogging are part of the Rural II urbanization group.  These neighborhoods have low population density with affordable single-family homes with land.

Soccer (Football)

Soccer is a big part of many kids childhoods in the US.   Known as Football by pretty much every other nation in the world, soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world.   Approximately 3.3% of US adults participate in soccer.  This could be everything from playing with their kids to participating in a club team.

The US women have won the gold at the Olympics 3 times in soccer.  The US men have won silver and gold.  Where do the next US champions likely come from?

Soccer is popular along the eastern seaboard, California, and southern Texas – and even parts of Alaska.  Some of the zip codes with the highest index for playing soccer are 27710 (Durham, NC), 48109 (Ann Arbor Charter Township, MI), and 70893 (Baton Rouge, LA).  Each of these have an index of 356 meaning residents of the zip codes are 3.56 times more likely to play soccer than the average American.

The tapestry segments most likely to participate in soccer are Dorms to Diplomas and Las Casas.  The index for the majority of these neighborhoods is 200 or higher.  Nearly half of Las Casas residents were born outside the United States and 84 percent are Hispanic.

 

Residents of some segments are just not that into playing soccer.  There are several segments where all of the neighborhoods in those segments have an index of 50 or less.  These are:  Midland Crowd, Midlife Junction, Prairie Living, Rural Resort Dwellers, and Southern Satellites.

Many of these segments are part of the American Quilt LifeMode group, which are primarily located in small towns or rural areas.  Similarly, many of these segments are part of the Rural II Urbanization group, which is made up of small towns and farm.

Volleyball

Volleyball is one of the newer sports in the Olympics.  Indoor volleyball was first contested in 1964 with beach volleyball starting in 1996.  Russia has the most indoor volleyball medals with 12, but the US is not too far behind with 7.  The US does dominate (along with Brazil) in beach volleyball.  The US has won a gold in either men’s or women’s beach volleyball since 1996.

Many Americans like to play volleyball as well.  Approximately 2.7% of adults participate in the sport.  Though this number doesn’t differentiate between indoor and beach volleyball, it’s likely that more people in places like Los Angeles participate in beach volleyball than in a city in the middle of the country.

There are pockets around the US where volleyball is most popular. Like many sports, volleyball is popular along the eastern seaboard as well as around Chicago.  Other places its popular is southern Texas and areas of California and Nevada.  For example, zip code 47405 (Bloomington, IN) has an index of 231 for volleyball meaning residents there are 2.31 times more likely than the average American to play volleyball.

The tapestry segments most likely to participate in Volleyball are Crossroads, Dorms to Diplomas, and Metro Renters.  These neighborhoods have an index of 150 or higher for playing volleyball. This means that residents in these neighborhoods are at least 1.5 times more likely than the average American to participate in volleyball.   Crossroads neighborhoods are growing communities in small towns in the South, Midwest, and west.  They have a median age of 33.6 years and a median household income is $37,185.

Interestingly no tapestry segment has an index below 50.  Although there are certainly communities where people are less likely to play volleyball than others, there seems to be some interest in many communities in the sport – at least at some level.

Why Does This Matter?

Understanding the activities that consumers participate in locally can help businesses target potential customers.  Consumers who like volleyball or basketball  may be interested in a certain product or service or movie.  This information can aid in advertising or marketing or determining where to open a new retail store or restaurant that targets a particular type of customer.

More information about Esri’s data can be found at www.esri.com/data or to learn more about Esri in general, go to www.esri.com.

Who’s Watching Sports in LA?

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Now that the Los Angeles Kings have won their first Stanley Cup, this seems like a great time to look at who the sports fans are in LA and where they live.  Of course, each major sport has a slightly different type of fan – though some are quite similar.  This analysis looks at consumers who watch hockey, basketball, baseball, and football on television in the Los Angeles CBSA (Core Based Statistical Area).

Hockey

Of course LA Kings fans area all over the LA area – especially during a winning season.  The LA Kings aren’t the only team in the LA CBSA. Anaheim Ducks are also in the CBSA.    About 10% of US consumers watch hockey on television.  In LA just 8% of consumers watch hockey on TV. Who are the consumers most likely to watch and where do they live?

There are several areas in the LA CBSA with likely hockey fans.  There are a lot of likely fans located just east of Anaheim.  These are likely Anaheim Ducks fans.  Closer to LA the neighborhoods with the highest likelihood of hockey fans are places like Edwards AFB, Lake Hughes, Santa Clarita, Acton, and Pacific Palisades.  The area around the University of Southern California has a lot of fans as well.

Index of Watching Ice Hockey on TV – Los Angeles

To better understand sports fans, we can use a tapestry segmentation to classify consumers.  Esri, a geographic information systems company which also does data analysis, developed a tapestry segmentation that classifies US residential neighborhoods into 65 unique market segments based on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.

The most avid hockey fans are Dorms to Diplomas.  The neighborhoods where this segment is dominant have a likelihood of watching hockey on television of 150 or above.  This means that someone who lives in that neighborhood is 1.5 times more likely than the average American to watch hockey on TV.

Several tapestry segments have a higher than average index for watching hockey on television.  They are Boomburbs, Cozy and Comfortable, In Style, Laptops and Lattes, Main Street USA, Retirement Communities, Sophisticated Squires, Suburban Splendor, Top Rung, and Wealthy Seaboard Suburbs.  The neighborhoods where each of these segments is dominant have an index of 125 or higher for watching hockey on television.  This means that residents of these neighborhoods are 1.25 times more likely to watch hockey than the average American.  Boomburbs neighborhoods, for example, are home to busy, affluent young families.  The median age is 36.1 years old.  This population is primarily white.

A few segments have very low indexes for watching hockey on TV.  Neighborhoods of, Las Casas, Rural Bypass Southern Satellites, and Urban Villages have an index of 50 or less.

Baseball

The Dodgers and Angels are a big part of the culture here in southern California with fans very divided, often, on who they root for.  Fans can be extremely passionate.  While neither LA team has won a World Series title in a while – that doesn’t stop the passionate fans.  In the US, 23% of the population watches baseball on television.  In LA, that number is 22% – so we are just below the national average.  Where do those passionate fans live?

Baseball fans are really all over the city – at least the ones that watch it on television.   There are few areas with low indexes – below 75.  There is likelihood in most neighborhoods that people do watch baseball on television.  The highest index in the LA CBSA is just 146.  These zip codes are 92617 (Irvine) and 90089 (USC).  Other top zip codes are 92055 and 93524, which are both locations of military bases (Camp Pendleton and Edwards AFB).

Index of Watching Baseball on TV – Los Angeles

While it doesn’t seem that any particular group is significantly more passionate about baseball than others, there are a few that are a bit more likely to watch it on television.  They are Boomburbs, Dorms to Diplomas, Military Proximity, Pleasant-Ville, Prosperous Empty Nesters, Sophisticated Squires, and Wealthy Seaboard Suburbs.   Each of these neighborhoods has an index of 125 or higher for watching baseball on television.  No neighborhood has an index higher than 147.

Residents of Military Proximity neighborhoods, which have some of the highest indexes, are young, married, and just beginning parenthood.  More than three-fourths of the labor force are on active duty or have civilian jobs on military bases.  The median household income is $41,240.

Southwestern Families are not big consumers of baseball on television.  The index for those neighborhoods is 50 or less.   These families live in the southwest and about 83% of them are Hispanic.

Football

NFL Football is certainly described as the all-American sport.  About 30% of the US population watches it on television each weekend during the season.  This is higher than any of the other sports discussed in the blog.  This could be due to the fanaticism, the culture around the sport, or the fact that it is a much shorter season so there is more hype in a shorter amount of time.  Or it is just more fun to watch – at least according to the fans.  In Los Angeles, just 25% of the population watches football on television.  This may be due, of course, to the fact that we don’t have a local team to root for.  The closest team is the San Diego Chargers, but that’s still 120 miles away and just too far for us to root for.  Hopefully with the potential of Farmers Field (fingers crossed) to bring a team to LA that will change.  In the meantime, there are still fans here.

Football fans live all around the LA CBSA.  A couple of zip codes have a very high likelihood of people watching football on television over the weekend.  Similar to the other sports discussed here, the top zip codes are 92055 and 93524, which are Camp Pendleton and Edwards AFB.   Where aren’t people watching?  Well, in the middle of the Los Angeles area.   The lowest index is in the 91210 zip code.  The index there is 41 meaning people there are less than half as likely as the average American to watch football on TV on a weekend.

Index of Watching Football on TV – Los Angeles

Residents of Dorms to Diplomas and Military Proximity neighborhoods are most likely to watch football on television.  The indexes for these neighborhoods are 150 or higher meaning they are 1.5 times more likely to watch football on television than the average American.  Both of these tapestry segments are very young.  Additionally, they are part of the same LifeMode and Urbanization groups.  LifeMode groups are based on lifestyle and lifestage.  Urbanization groups are based on geographic and physical features along with income.   The Dorms to Diplomas and Military Proximity are part of the Scholars & Patriots LifeMode group and the Metro Cities II Urbanization group.  Boomburbs neighborhoods also have a high index for those who watch football on television.  Those neighborhoods have an index of 125 or higher.

Who doesn’t watch?  Residents of Urban Melting Pot.  The index for those very diverse neighborhoods is 50 or less.  This means they are less than half as likely to watch football on television as the average American.

Basketball

Basketball in LA was very exciting this last season with both of our teams make the NBA playoffs (and of course losing in the same around unfortunately).  It certainly made residents much more involved in the playoffs than in years where just one team has made it.  In the US, 19% of the population watches pro basketball on television.  In LA, it’s, well, the same – 19%.  We, as a city, are on average.

The most avid basketball viewers live the zip codes 90089 (near USC) and 92617 (Irvine).  The indexes for these neighborhoods are 161 and 160, respectively.   The zip codes in LA with the lowest indexes are 90001, 90003, 90023, 90201, 90270, and 93040. Each of these have an index of 78 meaning that residents in those zip codes are about 25% less likely than the average American to watch basketball on TV.

Index of Watching Pro Basketball on TV – Los Angeles

The tapestry segment, like in the case of many other sports that watches basketball the most on television is Dorms to Diplomas.  The residents of this segment have an index of 150 or higher.  Many of these residents are students, so they have a lot of time on their hands.  Residents of Boomburbs, City Strivers, Enterprising Professionals, Family Foundations, Metro City Edge, Modest Income Homes, and Silver and Gold are also likely viewers of basketball on TV.  The index in these neighborhoods is 125 or higher meaning residents living there are 1.25 times more likely than the average American to watch basketball on television.

Southwestern Families is the segment that is least likely to watch basketball on television.  The index in those neighborhoods is 50 or less.  There are very few neighborhoods in LA though that is part of that segment.

Biggest Sports Fans

The biggest sports fans in the US come from the Dorms to Diplomas segment.  This group has an index of 150 or above for the likelihood of watching basketball, football, and hockey on television.  Only residents of Military Proximity of an index of 150 or higher for any sport viewing on television – football.  The Boomburbs tapestry segment is interesting.  In those neighborhoods, they have an index of 125 or higher for the likelihood of watching baseball, basketball, football, and hockey on television.  Clearly these are just sports lovers across the board, as a whole.

More information about Esri’s data can be found at www.esri.com/data or to learn more about Esri in general, go to www.esri.com.