Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Science in Information Systems and Technology

Department

Information and Decision Sciences

First Reader/Committee Chair

Shayo, Conrad

Abstract

This culminating experience project investigates the challenges the sporting industry faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focused look at the National Basketball Association. The research questions are: (Q1) How did the NBA arena shutdowns impact fan attendance for each team during the COVID-19 pandemic? (Q2) What factors influenced NBA arena attendance before the COVID-19 shutdowns? (Q3) What factors influenced NBA arena attendance after the COVID-19 shutdown? The data collected includes all 30 NBA teams from 2019 through the 2024 seasons. The research questions were analyzed using multilinear regression analysis and comparison of attendance data over 6 seasons including the immediate seasons before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings and conclusions for each question are: (Q1) Involves comparing the seasonal attendance data for each team and the percentage change between each year, highlighting the pivotal 2021 pandemic year. (Q2) A focus on factors that influenced NBA attendance before the shutdowns, with a focus on arena capacity, winning percentage, key performance statistics per game, and revenue. (Q3) A focus on factors after the shutdowns, with statistical analysis of models comparing the NBA with the MLB, MLS, and NFL.

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