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SBJ/20101129/SBJ/SBD Reader Survey
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2010 SBJ/SBD Reader Survey
The sixth annual SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily Reader Survey is in the books, and readers weighed in on who’s hot, who’s not, and who’s worth watching. Among the highlights:
• About You • About Our Industry
• Media • Sponsorship
• Teams & Leagues • NFL • MLB • NBA • NHL • Facilities
• Motorsports • Best of the Rest • Labor & Agents • College 
Soccer continues to grow in stature. The FIFA World Cup in South Africa was voted the sports business story of the year, and voters said they’d rather be associated with the World Cup than the Summer Olympics. The World Cup followed a close second to the Super Bowl when voters were asked about the best sports event to attend. Closer to home, voters singled out MLS as the sports property with the most growth potential.
Readers said that rising ticket prices pose the biggest threat to sports (nearly 29 percent said so), followed by a disconnect with the fan base at 20 percent.
More readers are using social media, but growth appears moderate. For example this year, 42 percent of voters said they use Twitter, compared with 35 percent in last year’s survey.
How bad has Tiger Woods harmed his reputation as a product endorser? More than 64 percent of voters said they wouldn’t sign a deal with the golfer.
Voters said LeBron James’ “Decision” was the second-biggest story of the year, but that doesn’t mean they think Miami’s new dream team will win a championship this season. In fact, nearly 79 percent of voters said no NBA title this season.
Cowboys Stadium was named the best NFL stadium, but voters predict that New Meadowlands Stadium will be the first among the two to land a naming-rights deal.
Finally, those tuning in NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” will see the readers’ picks for favorite play-by-play personality (Al Michaels) and game analyst (Cris Collinsworth).
Turnkey Sports & Entertainment provided technical support for the survey, which was conducted online over three weeks starting Sept. 27. Readers accessed the survey via the SportsBusiness Journal website and the site of sister publication SportsBusiness Daily.
Highlights of the results show only the top vote-getters in each of the categories. -
About the industry
Most marketable athlete 
Peyton Manning 39.03%
Derek Jeter 17.92%LeBron James 9.38%Tom Brady 6.76%Kobe Bryant 4.50%Responses: 1,909
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Biggest sports business story of the year South Africa hosts the World Cup, and who will forget those horns? 21.85%LeBron James uses TV show to announce where he will play 20.71%CBS and Turner partner on $10.8 billion TV deal with the NCAA 12.28%Tiger Woods returns to competition, but play suffers 11.08%Conference realignment sends schools to new homes,
but Texas sits it out10.25%Responses: 1,922
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Best sports
event to attendSuper Bowl 20.72%FIFA World Cup 16.41%NCAA Final Four 11.69%World Series 8.26%Summer Olympics 7.90%Masters 7.13%Responses: 1,949 
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Biggest threat to sports Rising ticket prices 28.96%Disconnect with fan base 19.84%Improvements to the in-home viewing experience hurting attendance 16.50%Inflated salaries 11.99%Losing competitive balance 6.36%Integrity of the game 5.28%Players’ poor off-field conduct 4.36%Use of performance-
enhancing drugs3.23%Other 3.49%Responses: 1,951
Most powerful brand in sports ESPN 34.89%Nike 25.69%New York Yankees 18.36%Responses: 1,964
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Most influential person in sports business Roger Goodell 32.60%George Bodenheimer 17.97%Dick Ebersol 10.21%David Stern 6.77%Bud Selig 5.26%Responses: 1,920 -
About You
Personal economic situation compared to the same time last year
Responses: 1,950
Do
you
use
Twitter?Yes 42.18%No 57.57%What is Twitter? 0.26%Responses: 1,949 
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Hours a week spent watching or attending sporting events 0-2 3.99%3-5 17.75%6-8 26.55%9-11 17.60%12-14 11.56%15 or more 22.56%Responses: 1,955 -
Best of the rest
Biggest challenge facing professional golf Developing more widely known stars 35.46%Creating more interest outside the majors 31.76%Getting Tiger to win 15.01%Television ratings 6.06%Post-bailout stigma about golf hospitality and sponsorship 5.45%Financial struggles in the finance and auto industries 2.98%International growth 1.85%Other 1.44%Responses: 973
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Most progressive
golf propertyPGA Tour 52.18%European Tour 16.81%LPGA 13.65%USGA 8.73%PGA of America 8.62%Responses: 916
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Growth potential for action sports Still room for growth 59.27%Has already peaked 32.18%On the decline 8.55%Responses: 982 
Media company that will win the rights to become the IOC’s TV partner in the U.S. for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics NBC 58.24%ESPN/ABC 32.08%Fox 5.73%CBS 3.95%Responses: 1,013 
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Most progressive tennis property ATP World Tour 42.89%USTA 40.05%WTA Tour 17.06%Responses: 879 
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Sport with the biggest growth potential as a national property Soccer 53.81%Lacrosse 23.84%Action sports 14.24%Poker 4.95%Rodeo 3.17%Responses: 1,011 
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Biggest challenge facing professional tennis Creating more interest outside the Grand Slams 44.15%Developing more widely known stars 36.99%Television ratings 11.61%Sponsorship sales 3.52%International growth 1.76%Other 1.97%Responses: 965 Global property you would most want to be associated with FIFA World Cup 50.88%Print | Tags: SBJ/SBD Reader Survey College
Grade the NCAA’s effectiveness with regard to oversight of college sports A 5.99%B 30.41%C 35.12%D 19.26%F 9.22%Responses: 1,085 
Company/brand that has done the best job aligning with college sports through corporate sponsorship Nike 24.76%Capital One 14.93%Allstate 14.65%Home Depot 12.85%Responses: 1,058 
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Favorite college sport Football 50.73%Basketball 36.90%Ice Hockey 4.67%Lacrosse 2.56%Baseball 2.29%Soccer 2.11%Other 0.73%Responses: 1,092 Biggest challenge facing new NCAA President Mark Emmert Commercialization of student athletes 34.47%Format for determining football championship 22.74%Conference realignment 13.59%Academic standards for student athletes 12.94%Revenue disparity among schools 12.66%Other 3.60%Responses: 1,082 
Conference that benefited more from the recent BCS conference realignment Big Ten 61.57%Pac-10 38.43%Responses: 1,046 Facilities
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Best NBA arena Staples Center (Los Angeles Clippers, Lakers) 24.20%Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks) 13.65%Conseco Fieldhouse (Indiana Pacers) 8.84%TD Garden (Boston Celtics) 7.73%Responses: 996 
PATRICK E. MCCARTHY
Best soccer-specific stadium Red Bull Arena (New York Red Bulls) 41.11%Home Depot Center (L.A. Galaxy, Chivas USA) 18.98%PPL Park (Philadelphia Union) 10.74%Responses: 922 
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Best MLB ballpark Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees) 15.03%Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) 14.29%AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants) 9.37%Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies) 9.37%Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) 8.63%Responses: 1,078 
PATRICK E. MCCARTHY
Which NFL stadium will get a naming-rights deal done first? New Meadowlands Stadium 59.98%Cowboys Stadium 40.02%Responses: 1,072 
GBUD FORCE
Best NFL stadium Cowboys Stadium (Dallas Cowboys) 37.73%New Meadowlands Stadium (New York Giants, Jets) 13.47%Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers) 9.84%Responses: 1,047 
RENEE ROSENSTEEL
Best NHL arena Consol Energy Center (Pittsburgh Penguins) 10.84%Madison Square Garden (New York Rangers) 10.74%Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia Flyers) 8.24%Xcel Energy Center (Minnesota Wild) 7.40%Prudential Center (New Jersey Devils) 6.78%Responses: 959 
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Best motorsports venue Daytona International Speedway 24.89%Indianapolis Motor Speedway 23.87%Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway 10.47%Responses: 888 Labor & Agents
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You are an athlete about to negotiate a new contract. Which agent below would you want in your corner? Scott Boras 35.29%Tom Condon 13.35%Arn Tellem 8.48%Drew Rosenhaus 7.69%Mark Steinberg 7.69%Responses: 884 Strongest players union MLBPA 54.76%NFLPA 35.10%NBPA 7.93%NHLPA 2.22%Responses: 946
Media
JOE FARAONI / ESPN
Favorite studio show SportsCenter 34.62%Pardon the Interruption 23.64%Mike and Mike in the Morning 9.14%Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel 7.56%Responses: 1,138
Who produces better sports documentaries? HBO 55.99%ESPN 44.01%Responses: 1,136
JOE FARAONI / ESPN
NFL pregame show you enjoy the most Sunday NFL Countdown (ESPN) 35.65%Fox NFL Sunday (Fox) 28.32%The NFL Today (CBS) 16.81%Football Night in America (NBC) 14.39%NFL GameDay Morning (NFL Network) 4.83%Responses: 1,077
Favorite sports-related mobile app ESPN ScoreCenter 27.27%MLB.com At Bat 23.71%NFL Mobile 7.22%CBS Sports Mobile 5.81%ESPN Fantasy Football 5.81%NBA Game Time 4.50%Responses: 1,067
League/property with the best overall digital strategy MLB 33.75%NFL 28.95%NBA 13.85%NHL 8.70%Responses: 1,126 Favorite major league website MLB.com 33.33%NFL.com 25.27%NBA.com 11.05%NHL.com 8.61%MLSsoccer.com 7.25%PGATour.com 5.25%Responses: 1,104
Favorite TV play-by-play personalities Al Michaels 29.11%Bob Costas 29.02%Jim Nantz 21.02%Joe Buck 18.91%Mike Tirico 16.27%Responses: 1,137
ABC PHOTO / AADE ROSENHAL
Favorite TV game analysts Cris Collinsworth 26.25%Kirk Herbstreit 24.11%Troy Aikman 19.73%Jon Gruden Print | Tags: SBJ/SBD Reader Survey MLB
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Most effective team owner Hal Steinbrenner (New York Yankees) 31.63%John Henry/Tom Werner (Boston Red Sox) 18.16%Bill Giles/David Montgomery (Philadelphia Phillies) 11.30%Jim Pohlad (Minnesota Twins) 9.62%Responses: 1,195
UPI / NEWSCOM
Least effective team owner Bob Nutting (Pittsburgh Pirates) 24.45%Fred Wilpon (New York Mets) 11.67%Peter Angelos (Baltimore Orioles) 11.50%Frank McCourt (Los Angeles Dodgers) 11.41%Responses: 1,174 Most innovative business practices New York Yankees 21.11%Boston Red Sox 16.55%Minnesota Twins 9.66%San Francisco Giants 7.69%Responses: 1,118
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Will MLB reach a new labor deal without a work stoppage? Yes 86.73%No 13.27%Responses: 1,213 Motorsports
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Motorsports property best positioned for growth IndyCar Series 56.16%AMA Supercross / Motocross 21.61%NHRA 13.44%American Le Mans 6.78%IHRA / Nitro Jam 2.01%Responses: 796 Biggest challenge facing the IndyCar Series in the year ahead TV ratings 33.01%Marketing its drivers 32.41%Attendance 18.19%Sponsorship costs 7.23%Scheduling 3.01%Health of U.S. automakers 2.77%Other 3.37%Responses: 830 
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Biggest challenge facing NASCAR in the year ahead TV ratings 24.39%Mainstream appeal of drivers 20.07%Attendance 17.04%Rising cost of sponsorships 14.12%PR and messaging 8.40%Performance of most popular drivers 5.37%Health of U.S. automakers 4.90%Scheduling 2.10%Other 3.62%Responses: 856 How would you characterize the state of NASCAR today? Sport not delivering enough value for what it’s charging 52.87%Needs better PR because reports of demise are exaggerated; still a good investment 33.06%Still a very strong domestic property; No. 2 to the NFL 7.97%Other 6.10%Responses: 853 NBA
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Most effective team owner Jerry Buss (Los Angeles Lakers) 37.09%Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) 19.06%Micky Arison (Miami Heat) 15.12%Wyc Grousbeck (Boston Celtics) 7.23%Responses: 1,065 
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Will LeBron James win a title with the Miami Heat in the 2010-11 season? Yes 21.32%No 78.68%Responses: 1,107 The NBA’s talks on a
new labor agreement
will result in a:
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Least effective team owner Donald Sterling (Los Angeles Clippers) 27.51%James Dolan (New York Knicks) 21.20%Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers) 7.55%Responses: 1,047 
Most innovative
business practicesMiami Heat 17.65%Dallas Mavericks 17.45%New Jersey Nets 8.16%Los Angeles Lakers 7.45%Oklahoma City Thunder 7.04%Responses: 980 NFL
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Most effective team owner Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys) 26.65%Robert Kraft (New England Patriots) 24.96%Art Rooney II (Pittsburgh Steelers) 13.42%Jim Irsay (Indianapolis Colts) 7.60%Responses: 1,118 
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Grade Roger Goodell’s tenure as commissioner after four years A 29.72%B 57.26%C 11.01%D 1.66%F 0.35%Responses: 1,144
The 2011 regular season will … Proceed without disturbance 33.10%Start late but without a
reduced number of
regular-season games23.93%Start late and have a
reduced number of
regular-season games34.32%Be called off 8.65%Responses: 1,145 
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Least effective
team ownerAl Davis (Oakland Raiders) 28.74%Ralph Wilson (Buffalo Bills) 11.95%William Clay Ford (Detroit Lions) 11.77%Wayne Weaver (Jacksonville Jaguars) 8.12%Daniel Snyder (Washington Redskins) 7.76%Responses: 1,096 
BUD FORCE
Most innovative business practices Dallas Cowboys 36.80%New York Jets 9.83%New England Patriots 8.57%Miami Dolphins 6.17%Responses: 1,038
If a labor stoppage occurs next year, who will bear the brunt of public ire? The players 55.55%The owners 44.45%Responses: 1,144 
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Will the Jacksonville Jaguars still be playing in Jacksonville five years from now? Yes 27.73%No 72.27%Responses: 1,135 NHL
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Most effective team owner Mike Ilitch (Detroit Red Wings) 22.29%Rocky Wirtz (Chicago Blackhawks) 21.27%Mario Lemieux/Ron Burkle (Pittsburgh Penguins) 14.25%Ted Leonsis (Washington Capitals) 9.50%Responses: 884 Least effective team owner NHL (Phoenix Coyotes) 17.92%James Dolan (New York Rangers) 17.10%Charles Wang (New York Islanders) 9.84%Atlanta Spirit (Atlanta Thrashers) 8.67%Responses: 854 Most innovative business practices Chicago Blackhawks 16.69%Pittsburgh Penguins 13.18%Washington Capitals 11.00%Philadelphia Flyers 6.89%Detroit Red Wings 6.53%Responses: 827 
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Event you most want to see Stanley Cup Final 64.67%Winter Classic 31.82%All-Star Game 2.27%Heritage Classic 1.24%Responses: 968 
VERSUS
The NHL has to negotiate a new U.S. TV rights agreement after the 2010-11 season. What should the league do with its cable rights? Sign with ESPN and Versus 37.63%Sign with ESPN 23.27%Sign with Turner and ESPN 17.51%Stay with Versus 13.10%Sign with Turner and Versus 5.77%Sign with Turner 2.73%Responses: 954 Sponsorship
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If you were a brand, would you sign Tiger Woods as an endorser? Yes 35.92%No 64.08%Responses: 1,094 
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Event in 2010 that gave sponsors the biggest return FIFA World Cup 72.47%Vancouver Olympics 27.53%Responses: 1,086 
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Corporate sponsors you would most want aligned with your property
(Note: Respondents could make up to three selections.)Nike 34.11%Coca-Cola 31.30%Apple 28.12%Anheuser-Busch 21.37%American Express 15.09%Visa 11.90%Adidas 11.53%Google 10.50%Responses: 1,067 Trend in athlete endorsements in the next five years Big increase 5.40%Slight increase 48.63%No growth 25.82%Slight decrease 17.22%Big decrease 2.93%Responses: 1,092 Teams & Leagues
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Property/organization with the most growth potential MLS 27.64%UFC 11.43%NHL 11.20%NCAA 8.03%NBA 6.25%MLB 5.95%NFL 5.48%Responses: 1,295 
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Property/organization most likely to fold within the next five years WPS 19.97%WNBA 17.22%UFL 16.49%AFL 13.58%Responses: 1,237 Most innovative property NFL 30.52%NBA 15.65%MLB 13.48%MLS 8.60%NHL 8.29%UFC 6.35%NASCAR 5.65%Responses: 1,291
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Will UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) continue to grow in mainstream acceptance or has it peaked as a sports property? Continue to grow 46.95%Has peaked 53.05%Responses: 1,293
League with the most competitive balance NFL 58.49%NHL 13.76%MLS 11.68%MLB 10.91%Responses: 1,301 
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