From the Hardwood to the Gridiron to the Dorm: Influences on Attendance to Women’s Collegiate Basketball

This paper provides an empirical analysis of attendance to Division I women’s collegiate basketball programs from 2000-2009. The evidence suggests that women’s basketball attendance is sensitive to many of the same variables known to influence attendance to men’s collegiate basketball, including current and recent team quality, recent post-season success, and school characteristics. We further investigate whether college football is a complement, a substitute, or an independent of women’s basketball on campus. Investigating complementarity is of practical importance as schools continue to initiate or discontinue football programs. The impact of football on the other sports on campus should be considered in the net benefits of such decisions. The evidence suggests that among the very largest and very smallest schools, football and women’s basketball seem to be complements. For medium-sized schools, on the other hand, football and women’s basketball appear to be independent.