Database of the Month: Sports Market Analytics (SMA)

Answering questions about sports as a business and analyzing consumer information relevant to sports are easy and fun tasks with Sports Market Analytics. Formerly called SBRNet, Sports Market Analytics (SMA) delivers industry news, summaries, metrics, articles and statistics about sports through a user-friendly and well-developed site. SMA organizes its demographic information into 2 spheres:

A. single sports (athletes who play sports) B. fan markets (spectators)

Both types of consumers are called participants.

Sample 1: Hockey Skates We can search SMA for the demographic information about skate purchases. We suggest searching the “single sport” menu, sorted alphabetically by sport on the front page. This consumer information will help our hypothetical business to advertise a new line of skate laces to people who buy hockey equipment.

The HOCKEY link directs us to information (Table 1) on ages of people who buy hockey skates. 

Table 1. The largest age group for hockey skate market is 14-17 years old

Sample 2: Preferred Vehicles Participants from the fan market enjoying professional hockey also have metrics in SMA. A notional company seeks to showcase a widget for vehicle owners. For this search, use the “Fan Markets” menu from the front page (circled below). 

Selecting NHL on the fan market menu leads us to a page with National Hockey League participant information. There is data on their most frequently purchased soft drinks, cars, running shoes, etc. Table 2 shows that the preferred car brand of National Hockey League participants has evolved from Ford to Toyota in recent years.

Table 2: NHL fans’ preferred car brands

The business of sports is big and so is SMA! SMA is versatile also. Sample questions that SMA has answered:

• Demographics: Average household income for fantasy football participants
• Industry info: Revenue for U.S. women’s college basketball in 2015
• Market segments: Number of people belonging to fitness clubs between ages X and Y
• Marketing agencies: Competitive cyclist in need of an agent/representative
• Sports sponsorship: Social media most frequently used by adult MLB fans
• Venue data: Attendance numbers at NFL arenas vs. online, mobile, or TV

Users seeking very granular fan market information will love the “Detailed Cross-tab Statistics” feature, a downloadable Excel spreadsheet which captures SMA tables from the screen and allows the user to sort, search, and manage data about fan markets.  Table 3: The Detailed Cross-tab Statistics spreadsheet is sorted by tabs promisingly labeled as fan activity total, watch by demo, attendance, mobile usage, and the like.

SMA sources its information from trade publications and trade groups (i.e. National Sporting Goods Association); government agencies (U.S. Department of Commerce); school and college programs; market research; and its own in-house research team called SBRNet. 

SMA is the perfect resource for students of sports management, sports communication, demographics, or marketing, and for entrepreneurs starting a business related to sports. Be sure to include Sports Market Analytics early in the research phase in any demographic, market share, or industry-related project. SMA goes head to head very well against other industry e-resources such as IBISWorld, Business Insights Essentials, Richard K. Miller, Business Source Complete, and Mediamark. SMA is a strong example of a niche resource with depth and unique content without much overlap.

Connect to Sports Market Analytics Visit our Databases A-Z page and select Sports Market Analytics (SMA).

Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to useful library databases, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of these resources for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.