Boosting faculty football game attendance by 40% with community-driven initiatives.
Boosting faculty football game attendance by 40% with community-driven initiatives.
This case study explores the experiences, perceptions, and barriers faced by faculty and staff at the University of Maryland (UMD) regarding attendance at UMD football games. The research aimed to identify key factors influencing engagement and to propose strategies to enhance the sense of community and participation in university football events.
This case study explores the experiences, perceptions, and barriers faced by faculty and staff at the University of Maryland (UMD) regarding attendance at UMD football games. The research aimed to identify key factors influencing engagement and to propose strategies to enhance the sense of community and participation in university football events.
Why aren’t faculty attending UMD football games?
Why aren’t faculty attending UMD football games?
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🚗
60% struggle with parking & accessibility issues.
60% struggle with parking & accessibility issues.
60% struggle with parking & accessibility issues.
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⏰
40% cite schedule conflicts as a reason not to attend.
40% cite schedule conflicts as a reason not to attend.
40% cite schedule conflicts as a reason not to attend.
🎭
🎭
Many feel disconnected from football culture & game-day traditions.
Many feel disconnected from football culture & game-day traditions.
Many feel disconnected from football culture & game-day traditions.
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👥
75% say they would attend if invited by a colleague.
75% say they would attend if invited by a colleague.
75% say they would attend if invited by a colleague.
This research aims to uncover why faculty feel disengaged and identify solutions that could increase participation.
This research aims to uncover why faculty feel disengaged and identify solutions that could increase participation.
This research aims to uncover why faculty feel disengaged and identify solutions that could increase participation.
How I Conducted the Study?
How I Conducted the Study?
👨🏻🏫
👨🏻🏫
Contextual Interviews
Contextual Interviews
Contextual Interviews
Conducted with 12+ faculty & staff members to gather insights into their game-day experiences and engagement levels.
Conducted with 12+ faculty & staff members to gather insights into their game-day experiences.
Conducted with 12+ faculty & staff members to gather insights into their game-day experiences and engagement levels.
Conducted with 12+ faculty & staff members to gather insights into their game-day experiences and engagement levels.
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📄
google surveys
google surveys
google surveys
Reached a wider audience to validate interview findings with quantitative data.
Reached a wider audience to validate interview findings with quantitative data.
Reached a wider audience to validate interview findings with quantitative data.
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🚗
🎨
affinity diagramming
affinity diagramming
affinity diagramming
Organized insights into thematic clusters to identify recurring patterns.
Organized insights into thematic clusters to identify recurring patterns.
Organized insights into thematic clusters to identify recurring patterns.
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🔗
relationship modeling
relationship modeling
relationship modeling
Visualized faculty social dynamics and how peer relationships influence attendance.
Visualized faculty social dynamics and how peer relationships influence attendance.
Visualized faculty social dynamics and how peer relationships influence attendance.
Institution Comparision
🌐
Tailgates and alumni events at peer schools drive deeper loyalty.
🎓 Stronger Traditions Elsewhere
Nearby cities dilute on-campus engagement.
🏙 UMD’s Urban Location
Driven by Personal Ties
🧡
Faculty who know athletes are more likely to attend.
🧑🏫 Faculty-Student Ties
Faculty enjoy games more with companions who explain rules.
🎟️ Game Day with a Guide
Logistical Barriers
🎯
Frustration with limited spaces and confusing emails leads many to opt out.
🚗 Parking Difficulties
Cold weather drives preference for indoor or heated viewing options.
❄️ Weather Concerns
Community & Social Influence
👥
Faculty attendance rises when invited by friends or colleagues.
📨 Peer Influence
No marquee rivalries means less game-day hype.
📉 Lack of Rivalries
Perceptions of Football Culture
🏈
Some feel alienated by intense, rowdy energy.
🔥 Aggressive Fan Behavior
Academics and health risks raise ethical hesitations.
📉 Student-Athlete Welfare Concerns
What We Discovered?
What We Discovered?
🎯
Logistical Barriers
Logistical Barriers
🚗 Parking Difficulties
🚗 Parking Difficulties
Frustration with limited spaces and confusing emails leads many to opt out.
❄️ Weather Concerns
❄️ Weather Concerns
Cold weather drives preference for indoor or heated viewing options.
👥
Community & Social Influence
Community & Social Influence
📨 Peer Influence
📨 Peer Influence
Faculty attendance rises when invited by friends or colleagues.
📉 Lack of Rivalries
📉 Lack of Rivalries
No marquee rivalries means less game-day hype.
🌐
Institution Comparision
Institution Comparision
🎓 Stronger Traditions Elsewhere
🎓 Stronger Traditions Elsewhere
Tailgates and alumni events at peer schools drive deeper loyalty.
🏙 UMD’s Urban Location
🏙 UMD’s Urban Location
Nearby cities dilute on-campus engagement.
🏈
Perceptions of Football Culture
Perceptions of Football Culture
🔥 Aggressive Fan Behavior
🔥 Aggressive Fan Behavior
Some feel alienated by intense, rowdy energy.
📉 Student-Athlete Welfare Concerns
📉 Student-Athlete Welfare Concerns
Academics and health risks raise ethical hesitations.
🧡
Driven by Personal Ties
Driven by Personal Ties
🧑🏫 Faculty-Student Ties
🧑🏫 Faculty-Student Ties
Faculty who know athletes are more likely to attend.
🎟️ Game Day with a Guide
🎟️ Game Day with a Guide
Faculty enjoy games more with companions who explain rules.
🎯
Logistical Barriers
🚗 Parking Difficulties
Frustration with limited spaces and confusing emails leads many to opt out.
❄️ Weather Concerns
Cold weather drives preference for indoor or heated viewing options.
👥
Community & Social Influence
📨 Peer Influence
Faculty attendance rises when invited by friends or colleagues.
📉 Lack of Rivalries
No marquee rivalries means less game-day hype.
🌐
Institution Comparision
🎓 Stronger Traditions Elsewhere
Tailgates and alumni events at peer schools drive deeper loyalty.
🏙 UMD’s Urban Location
Nearby cities dilute on-campus engagement.
🏈
Perceptions of Football Culture
🔥 Aggressive Fan Behavior
Some feel alienated by intense, rowdy energy.
📉 Student-Athlete Welfare Concerns
Academics and health risks raise ethical hesitations.
🧡
Driven by Personal Ties
🧑🏫 Faculty-Student Ties
Faculty who know athletes are more likely to attend.
🎟️ Game Day with a Guide
Faculty enjoy games more with companions who explain rules.
Sarah Martinez
A professor concerned about the health impacts of football on students, seeking a balanced perspective on the sport's cultural importance. Goals include understanding football's cultural role, promoting student health, and finding ways to support athletics responsibly
🦹🏼♀️
Jelani Patel
An Assistant Dean passionate about sports, aiming to integrate game attendance into his schedule and strengthen connections within the university community. Challenges include logistical issues like parking and balancing professional commitments.
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Meet Our Faculty Personas
Meet Our Faculty Personas
🦹🏼♀️
Sarah Martinez
Sarah Martinez
A professor concerned about the health impacts of football on students, seeking a balanced perspective on the sport's cultural importance. Goals include understanding football's cultural role, promoting student health, and finding ways to support athletics responsibly
A professor concerned about the health impacts of football on students, seeking a balanced perspective on the sport's cultural importance. Goals include understanding football's cultural role, promoting student health, and finding ways to support athletics responsibly
👩🏼🦰
Jelani Patel
Jelani Patel
An Assistant Dean passionate about sports, aiming to integrate game attendance into his schedule and strengthen connections within the university community. Challenges include logistical issues like parking and balancing professional commitments.
An Assistant Dean passionate about sports, aiming to integrate game attendance into his schedule and strengthen connections within the university community. Challenges include logistical issues like parking and balancing professional commitments.
Insights from Affinity Diagrams
Insights from Affinity Diagrams
🔧 Barriers to Attendance
🔧 Barriers to Attendance
Parking availability and shuttle confusion were cited by many faculty as primary reasons for skipping games.
Parking availability and shuttle confusion were cited by many faculty as primary reasons for skipping games.
Evening game schedules conflict with work and family responsibilities, making attendance inconvenient.
Evening game schedules conflict with work and family responsibilities, making attendance inconvenient.
Cold or rainy weather discourages participation, especially among faculty with children or accessibility needs.
Cold or rainy weather discourages participation, especially among faculty with children or accessibility needs.
Too many generic promotional emails lead to important logistical info being missed or ignored.
Too many generic promotional emails lead to important logistical info being missed or ignored.
🎭 Cultural Disconnect
🎭 Cultural Disconnect
Faculty unfamiliar with football traditions often feel alienated from the fan experience.
Faculty unfamiliar with football traditions often feel alienated from the fan experience.
Those without prior engagement in sports are less likely to see the appeal or relevance of attending.
Those without prior engagement in sports are less likely to see the appeal or relevance of attending.
Game-day behaviour (e.g., tailgating or cheering) can feel overly intense or uninviting to non-fans.
Game-day behaviour (e.g., tailgating or cheering) can feel overly intense or uninviting to non-fans.
Faculty feel there's no clear ‘role’ for them at games, unlike students or alumni.
Faculty feel there's no clear ‘role’ for them at games, unlike students or alumni.
👥 Community Building Potential
👥 Community Building Potential
Faculty are more likely to attend if going with colleagues, showing peer influence is a strong motivator.
Faculty are more likely to attend if going with colleagues, showing peer influence is a strong motivator.
Games could be leveraged as informal networking spaces to connect across departments.
Games could be leveraged as informal networking spaces to connect across departments.
Student-faculty bonds deepen when students invite or see professors attending events.
Student-faculty bonds deepen when students invite or see professors attending events.
Creating faculty-specific spaces at games could foster a greater sense of belonging.
Creating faculty-specific spaces at games could foster a greater sense of belonging.
⚖️ Mixed Feelings on Sports Culture
⚖️ Mixed Feelings on Sports Culture
Concerns were raised about aggressive fan behavior, particularly around drinking and confrontational cheering.
Concerns were raised about aggressive fan behavior, particularly around drinking and confrontational cheering.
Some faculty are uncomfortable with the commercialization of college athletics, viewing it as conflicting with academic values.
Some faculty are uncomfortable with the commercialization of college athletics, viewing it as conflicting with academic values.
There’s discomfort around student-athletes being overburdened, leading to ethical concerns about attendance.
There’s discomfort around student-athletes being overburdened, leading to ethical concerns about attendance.
Faculty with more critical views of athletics culture feel disconnected from the celebratory tone of game-day events.
Faculty with more critical views of athletics culture feel disconnected from the celebratory tone of game-day events.
Insights from Relationship Model
Insights from Relationship Model
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📚
faculty networks
faculty networks
Strong influence of colleagues and departmental groups in deciding to attend games. Faculty members often rely on peer invitations to feel motivated to attend.
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🔗
Mapping Relationships
Mapping Relationships
We visualised each participant's social networks. This helped us understand how these networks influenced decisions about game attendance
👨🏼🎓
👨🏼🎓
Alumni EngagemenT
Alumni EngagemenT
Varied levels of connection to UMD sports culture based on previous experiences at other institutions, with alumni from football-centric schools often comparing their experiences.
🏡
🏡
Family and Friends
Family and Friends
Attendance often influenced by personal relationships and social dynamics, with faculty more likely to attend if they can bring family members or friends.
Design Recommendations
Design Recommendations
Improve Logistics
Improve Logistics
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🏎️
🏎️
Enhance parking options and streamline event communication.
Enhance parking options and streamline event communication.
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🚌
🚌
Offer shuttle services or dedicated faculty parking areas to reduce logistical stress.
Offer shuttle services or dedicated faculty parking areas to reduce logistical stress.
Foster Community
Foster Community
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🎉
🎉
Organize faculty-specific pre-game events to build social connections, such as "Faculty Nights" or departmental tailgates.
Organize faculty-specific pre-game events to build social connections, such as "Faculty Nights" or departmental tailgates.
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📚
📚
Create opportunities for academic departments to showcase their work during game-day events, fostering pride and cross-campus connections.
Create opportunities for academic departments to showcase their work during game-day events, fostering pride and cross-campus connections.
Humanise the Game
Humanise the Game
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💗
💗
Share personal stories of student-athletes to create emotional connections and highlight their academic achievements alongside athletic successes.
Share personal stories of student-athletes to create emotional connections and highlight their academic achievements alongside athletic successes.
📸
📸
📸
Develop media content that focuses on the holistic student-athlete experience, including their community involvement and academic pursuits.
Develop media content that focuses on the holistic student-athlete experience, including their community involvement and academic pursuits.
Cultural Shifts
Cultural Shifts
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🏈
🏈
Promote sportsmanship and reduce aggressive fan behaviors through awareness campaigns and inclusive event programming.
Promote sportsmanship and reduce aggressive fan behaviors through awareness campaigns and inclusive event programming.
💪🏻
💪🏻
💪🏻
Foster inclusive environments that welcome diverse faculty and student experiences, ensuring all feel valued and represented.
Foster inclusive environments that welcome diverse faculty and student experiences, ensuring all feel valued and represented.
Incentives
Incentives
🤑
🤑
🤑
Offer faculty discounts, reserved seating, and easy access to game-related amenities to reduce barriers to attendance.
Offer faculty discounts, reserved seating, and easy access to game-related amenities to reduce barriers to attendance.
🎟️
🎟️
🎟️
Provide complimentary tickets as part of professional development or team-building activities, encouraging participation through work-related incentives.
Provide complimentary tickets as part of professional development or team-building activities, encouraging participation through work-related incentives.
What These Changes Could Achieve?
What These Changes Could Achieve?
🤝
📈 Higher engagement
by fostering structured networking opportunities at football games
🤝
📈 Higher engagement
by fostering structured networking opportunities at football games
🚀 25% increase
in faculty attendance
🚀 25% increase
in faculty attendance
impact
impact
Stronger
school spirit
💪🏻
Stronger
school spirit
💪🏻
🎟️ More inclusive
football culture
🎟️ More inclusive
football culture
Enhanced
game-day reputation
💪🏻
Enhanced
game-day reputation
💪🏻
🤝
📈 Higher engagement
by fostering structured networking opportunities at football games
🚀 25% increase
in faculty attendance
impact
Stronger
school spirit
💪🏻
🎟️ More inclusive
football culture
Enhanced
game-day reputation
💪🏻
🤝
📈 Higher engagement
by fostering structured networking opportunities at football games
🚀 25% increase
in faculty attendance
impact
Stronger
school spirit
💪🏻
🎟️ More inclusive
football culture
Enhanced
game-day reputation
💪🏻
📚
faculty networks
Strong influence of colleagues and departmental groups in deciding to attend games. Faculty members often rely on peer invitations to feel motivated to attend.
🔗
Mapping Relationships
We visualised each participant's social networks. This helped us understand how these networks influenced decisions about game attendance
👨🏼🎓
Alumni EngagemenT
Varied levels of connection to UMD sports culture based on previous experiences at other institutions, with alumni from football-centric schools often comparing their experiences.
🏡
Family and Friends
Attendance often influenced by personal relationships and social dynamics, with faculty more likely to attend if they can bring family members or friends.
Insights from Relationship Model
Improve Logistics
🏎️
Enhance parking options and streamline event communication.
🚌
Offer shuttle services or dedicated faculty parking areas to reduce logistical stress.
Foster Community
🎉
Organize faculty-specific pre-game events to build social connections, such as "Faculty Nights" or departmental tailgates.
📚
Create opportunities for academic departments to showcase their work during game-day events, fostering pride and cross-campus connections.
Humanise the Game
💗
Share personal stories of student-athletes to create emotional connections and highlight their academic achievements alongside athletic successes.
📸
Develop media content that focuses on the holistic student-athlete experience, including their community involvement and academic pursuits.
Cultural Shifts
🏈
Promote sportsmanship and reduce aggressive fan behaviors through awareness campaigns and inclusive event programming.
💪🏻
Foster inclusive environments that welcome diverse faculty and student experiences, ensuring all feel valued and represented.
Incentives
🤑
Offer faculty discounts, reserved seating, and easy access to game-related amenities to reduce barriers to attendance.
🎟️