The interviewing for the study was completed recently, and the findings are in the process of being tabulated and analyzed. Even though the study is not complete, a number of key early findings have emerged.

Findings on the men's game

According to the research, 45 percent of Americans ages 16 to 55 say they are "interested" to some degree in men's college basketball. That works out to a total of 68.8 million men's college basketball fans nationwide. Naturally, levels of interest are not uniform among that base of fans. The 45 percent of Americans who consider themselves to be fans breaks down as follows:

Those differences in the way fans perceive themselves are backed up by differences in fan demographics and behavior as well.

Demographically speaking, big fans are more likely than lesser fans to be male, young and upscale:

-- Not Interested -- Casual or Slight -- Big Fan

Male -- 40 percent -- 58 percent -- 69 percent

Single -- 32 percent -- 34 percent -- 41 percent

College grad -- 22 percent -- 31 percent -- 38 percent

Median age -- 35 -- 36 -- 32 --

Median income -- $36K -- $39K -- $41K --

Big fans also make college basketball a much bigger part of their lives than others do when it comes to games attended and watched, ownership of college logo clothing, and reliance on media for news about college basketball:

-- Not Interested -- Casual or Slight -- Big Fan

Games attended/season (mean) -- 0 -- 0.7 -- 2.1

Games watched/past month (mean) -- 0 -- 3.6 -- 12.1

Own college clothing -- 16 percent -- 45 percent -- 68 percent

Frequently follows college

bb news -- 4 percent -- 62 percent -- 89 percent

One of the key goals of the research is to understand what it is that drives fans to the sport -- their underlying reasons for being a fan. The research confirms that interest in men's college basketball is driven by positive perceptions of the sport across six key areas: competition, character, connection, camaraderie, community, catharsis.

When it comes to competition, large majorities of basketball fans agree that:

"Games have a high level of competitive intensity" (96 percent agree).

"There's always a good chance for an upset" (90 percent agree).

As for character, most fans see college basketball as a relatively "pure" and "fundamental" sport, with most feeling that:

"Players play for the love of the game" (82 percent agree).

"Teams are well disciplined" (75 percent agree).

"Connection" refers to the way fans identify with the sport. In college basketball, that connection is mostly to a team or school (as opposed to players, the league or the sport generally):

"Games make me feel more connected to the college" (67 percent agree).

Camaraderie is a critical driver of interest in men's college basketball, with large majorities agreeing that:

"A college basketball game is a good event to go to with my friends" (96 percent agree).

"A college basketball game is a good event to go to with my family" (85 percent).

"Community" refers to the feeling of being part of something larger than oneself. Many basketball fans get that feeling from college basketball:

"It's fun to talk about games with others" (90 percent agree);

"The atmosphere during a game is full of energy and excitement" (97 percent agree).

Finally, men's college basketball games promote a feeling of catharsis, a strong degree of emotional release:

"The men's game is exciting, intense, but relaxing at the same time" (61 percent agree).

The men's game does face some important challenges, however -- challenges that the findings from this research will help address. For one thing, according to the ESPN/Chilton sports poll, interest in college basketball generally has remained flat since 1995:

Percent Change in Fan Base, 1995-1997

Motor racing -- 6

College football -- 2

NHL -- -2 --

College basketball -- 0

Tennis -- 0

NBA -- +1

Figure skating -- +2

Boxing -- +7

Golf -- +15

ML Baseball -- +16

Moreover, nagging concerns about character emerge among basketball fans, with majorities agreeing that:

"Men's college basketball is getting too commercial" (59 percent agree).

"Players get too much special treatment" (57 percent agree).

"There's too much focus on individual play rather than team play" (56 percent agree).

There also is evidence in the research to indicate that unless one is a big fan, one has low levels of interest in regular season games. Specifically:

Finally, the survey findings suggest that while the NCAA has a favorable image among those familiar with the organization and what it does, familiarity is low to begin with. In particular, while 57 percent have a positive image of the NCAA, just 38 percent have any familiarity in the first place. Further, among those who are familiar, most (58 percent) associate the NCAA with rules and specifically the enforcement of rules. Few associate the NCAA with the promotion of college basketball in a broader sense.

Findings on the women's game

A total of 29 percent of Americans ages 16 to 55 consider themselves fans of women's college basketball, for a total of 44.4 million fans nationwide. Intensity of interest is not quite as evenly spread out as it is for the men's game. The 29 percent who are fans break down as follows:

Nonetheless, there is a strong perception among basketball fans that women's college basketball is "gaining in popularity" (86 percent agree). In an interview, a corporate partner explained that "Women's sports will continue to grow. There are tremendous opportunities for NCAA women's basketball."

On the other hand, a feeling exists among some -- including some potential corporate partners -- that women's college basketball appeals only (or primarily) to women. In fact, the survey findings refute that belief; the demographic breakdown is fairly consistent (albeit a bit younger) across nonfans, slight fans, casual fans and big fans -- suggesting that among those who are interested, the sport appeals to a broad range of consumer segments. And the survey findings demonstrate that men are actually somewhat more interested in women's college basketball than women are:

Men -- Women --

Big fan -- 5 percent -- 5 percent

Casual fan -- 12 percent -- 9 percent

Slightly interested -- 15 percent -- 13 percent

Total fans -- 32 percent -- 27 percent

One challenge for the women's game is that even among big fans, viewership of games on television is fairly low (just 2.2 games over the past month among those surveyed). An analysis of the research will help determine whether low viewership is a function of lack of serious interest or a function of sparse coverage of games (a sentiment voiced by many in the focus-group discussions).

Whatever the reason, it is clear from the findings that women's college basketball is strongly admired on issues involving character, related to both players and coaches. Large majorities of basketball fans agree with each of the following statements about women's college basketball:

"Players play for the love of the game" (88 percent agree).

"Teams are well disciplined" (84 percent agree).

"Players are good role models" (82 percent agree).

"Players are loyal to their schools" (82 percent agree).

"Coaches are loyal to their schools" (82 percent agree).

"Players are interested in their educational development" (72 percent agree).

Although character is key for women's college basketball, camaraderie is also an important driver of interest, with majorities feeling that:

"Women's games are a good event to go to with friends" (88 percent agree).

"Women's games are a good event to go to with family" (84 percent agree).

What about the nature of the competition in women's college basketball? The answers are somewhat mixed.

On one hand, 88 percent agree that women's games "have a high level of competitive intensity." But at the same time, a significant 47 percent of basketball fans feel that "there's too big a gap between the best teams and the rest." Moreover, fans in both the focus groups and the quantitative survey are less likely to see women's players as highly skilled, or the game as fast-paced and competitive, as for the men's game.

Thus, although the women's game and women's players are highly regarded as admirable, a nagging concern is the level of competition in any given women's game. Further, another concern emerges from the following finding:

The researchers say that finding suggests that women's college basketball attendance may be driven a bit too heavily by a personal acquaintance with individual players.

One of the keys to boosting interest in women's college basketball lies in promoting participation in basketball at the grass-roots level. The study findings clearly demonstrate that the likelihood of being a women's college basketball fan increases dramatically if: (1) one plays basketball at any level or (2) one has a child who plays basketball. Those relationships can be seen in the following tables (for comparison purposes, recall that 29 percent of everyone ages 16 to 55 is a fan):

Personal Participation -- Fans of Women's College BB --

Currently play basketball "often" or "occasionally" -- 47 percent

Played basketball "every chance" before age 16 -- 50 percent

Currently participate in organized basketball program -- 56 percent

Currently play basketball "every chance" -- 66 percent

Child's Participation -- Fans of Women's College BB --

Have child playing intramural basketball -- 41 percent

Have child playing junior high basketball -- 44 percent

Have child playing high-school basketball -- 50 percent

Have child playing college basketball -- 86 percent

Thus, encouraging adults to play basketball -- and to have their kids play basketball -- will be a key element in strengthening women's college basketball generally.

Next steps

The findings, as well as a wealth of other findings from the research, will be explored in more detail as the analysis of the survey data proceed, with such analysis ultimately contributing to a comprehensive marketing plan for college basketball.