We offer scientifically advanced, analytics driven solutions for the sports industry across a wide range of issues.
Quote from Tracy Teague, Vice President, Nike Football & Baseball

The Center for Sports Analytics at Samford University is recognized as a global thought leader on the cutting edge of the academic disciples related to the sports industry. The center is routinely highlighted in the international business press, regularly represented at key sports industry events, and annually presents new research at leading sports industry conferences in the U.S. and Europe.

The center brings the latest knowledge and academic research to the table as it assists sports properties and brands achieve their marketing and revenue objectives by turning data into actionable insights. Its clients include many of the “Forbes Fab 40” top brands in sports.

Sponsorship Measurement & ROI Solutions

We provide sports properties and brands the latest and most accurate measurement tools for determining sponsorship contribution to brand and business outcomes and results.

Association of National Advertisers Study of Marketing Professionals Statistics

The Association of National Advertisers recently released a study which found that despite the continued growth of sports sponsorship expenditures by brands and the “repeated sentiment from marketers that there is a need for improved measurement and assessment of sponsorship’s business impact, there has been little progress toward this goal.”

The Center for Sports Analytics is seeking to address this problem and advance the field of sponsorship accountability measurement in four ways: (1) funding cutting edge research on sponsorship effectiveness measurement; (2) highlighting the latest research at sports industry events, conferences, and our social channels; (3) developing the next generation of sports industry executives with training in sponsorship measurement methodology and (4) serving for several years as the national chair of the American Marketing Association Sport & Sponsorship Linked Marketing special interest group.

View Published Research on Sponsorship Measurement

It is for these reasons that the Center for Sports Analytics is able to provide our partners the latest and most accurate measurement tools for determining sponsorship contribution to brand and business outcomes/results relative to other marketing expenditures.

Let's Connect

Find out how the Center for Sports Analytics can help your organization by providing the latest sponsorship measurement solutions. Please contact Dr. Darin White, Executive Director Center for Sports Analytics.

Fan Engagement & Experience Solutions

We provide sports properties and brands deeper insights than anyone in the industry into the psychology of the fan experience. How? The Center for Sports Analytics has spent the last several years developing a proprietary research model utilizing the social media data of millions of sports fans from across the globe.

Fan Psychology Index

The findings from this work has been presented around the world to thousands of sports industry executives and sports business academic researchers. Our model, utilizing audience intelligence technology, advanced machine learning algorithms, and unsupervised segmentation technology, taps into billions of interest variables and network connections in the social data. One of the key parts of our methodology is the Sports Brand Relevance Rankings which are annually released to the public and covered extensively by the sports media.

Coupled with traditional survey-based research methodology, we are confident that our proprietary fan measurement tool is the industry’s most comprehensive, accurate and actionable tool out there. We call it the Fan Psychology Index (FPI). We have found that the FPI approach provides sports properties and brands unprecedented insights on the fans in the stadium and allows them to build highly effective fan engagement strategies based on actual fan motivations and actions.

Let's Connect

Find out how the Center for Sports Analytics can help your organization by providing fan engagement/experience solutions. Please contact Dr. Darin White, Executive Director Center for Sports Analytics.

Student Class Projects

Every semester Samford University’s Center for Sports Analytics selects a small group of its best and brightest students to engage sports properties and brands in real world consulting projects. Over the last decade we have completed projects for some of the biggest sports brands in the world.

NBA Quote

Question: I work for a sports property or brand and have a strategic business problem related to the sports industry that is perfect for a group of talented students to examine. How does this work?

Answer: These partnerships take the form of guided class projects that our students work on throughout the semester and culminate with a final report and presentation to executives with the sports property.

Samford’s talented sports marketing and analytics students have recently completed sports analytics-oriented business projects for the Miami Dolphins, Bayern Munich, NBA, Nike, Southeastern Conference, adidas, MiLB, Peach Bowl, and others.

Additionally, they have worked for companies that spend millions of dollars in sports sponsorships including Honda, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Coca-Cola, AON, etc.

Learn About the NBA Class Project

Question: How do I get started?

Answer: Please contact Dr. Darin White, Executive Director Center for Sports Analytics.