Differentiation of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in Small Market and Large Market NFL Franchises

Abstract

Using the framework established in Lough & Pharr (2012), as well as Lough & Pharr (2010), this study differentiated the CSR initiatives of specific NFL franchises as cause-related (CRM) or social marketing based on five variables: 1) locus of benefit; 2) outcomes/objectives sought; 3) target market; 4) voluntary exchange; and 5) marketing perspective. The NFL franchises investigated were the New York Giants whom inhabit the NFL’s largest television market, and the Green Bay Packers whom inhabit the NFL’s smallest television market (NFL, 2012). A content analysis was conducted on the “Community” section of each team’s respective website which described their various outreach programs. Following the investigation of each franchise’s CSR initiatives, the franchises were compared to each other as well as compared to the NFL. It was discovered that the Packers (45) had twice as many CSR initiatives as the Giants (22). The Packers utilized CRM (40%) most often while the Giants utilized social marketing (40.9%) most often. These findings help illustrate how NFL teams operate differently in different sized markets. Keywords: sport marketing, cause-related marketing, social marketing, corporate social responsibilit