The Image of the NFL

By: Sarah Gorden, Breeah Bradshaw, Trey Pruente, Drew McManaman

I.

Introduction (what is this report about, what is the goal)

Our client, the National Football League, is interested in what the public opinion is of
their organization after the recent domestic violence cases that have taken place. This report is
the gathering of old, new, primary and secondary research and information in an attempt to
gather the public opinion of the NFL, and its image, among the leagues fans. The goal is
acquire the information needed to understand if fans perspective of the NFL has changed since
recent domestic abuse cases, which could affect the leagues revenue in the future. With this
information, the NFL wants to take steps to better their image and continue to grow their
fanbase.
II.

Situation Analysis (revised version of Short Report #1)

The NFL has come under fire lately with the way they have decided to handle the

immoral behaviors of some of their top players. Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson are two of the
most recent and widely known cases of NFL superstars in trouble with the law because of their
violent behaviors. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens running back, punched his then fianc, now wife,
unconscious on an elevator (ABC online). Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings running back,
repeatedly hit his son with a switch to the point of bruises and lacerations (ESPN online).
These crimes were not handled well by the front offices of the NFL. In fact, it is widely thought
that these crimes would have had no repercussions at all if it werent for public outcry. Roger
Goodell, the NFL's commissioner, initially handed down a very light three game suspension to
Ray Rice. It was not until videos surfaced of Ray Rice hitting his fiancee in the elevator, that
Goodell changed his initial decision of a light, two-game suspension to an indefinite suspension.
Days after the news of Ray Rices indefinite suspension came out, Adrian Peterson walks into
the hot-seat with the accusations of child abuse. The NFL used their knowledge of previous
experiences, and decided to suspend Adrian Peterson until all legal matters have been settled.
After all, Ray Rice was only suspended for the first two games of the season without pay until
the media got ahold of actual footage of him punching his wife in the face in the elevator.

Footage that the league claimed they never had seen, but somehow TMZ Sports found a way to
get ahold of it. Financial incentives appear to have been more effective than has any sense of
moral obligation in spurring the league to take steps to address the problem (IBT online). The
outcry of the public could lead to fans and consumers losing interest or not spending money
towards the league. But, these are just two, of what seems like too many, run-ins with the law
among NFL players.
With the current conditions of the league and the consistent, poor, off-the-field decision
making among the leagues players, we want to examine the league, its players and its fans as
a whole. We want to see the effects that these domestic disputes have on the league, its
players and most importantly its fans, which is where the leagues revenue comes from. Are
these scandals having a negative effect on the image of the NFL? Does the NFL need to soften
its image? What can be done to better the overall image of the NFL? Our client, the National
Football League, needs this pertinent information to continue to reign as the most successful
professional sports league in the country.
The National Football League was established on August 20, 1920, as the American
Professional Football Conference (APFA). The first president of the APFA was Jim Thorpe and
contained 14 select teams. Surprisingly only 2 out of the original 14 teams remain (Chicago
Bears and Arizona Cardinals). On June 24, 1922 the league changed its name to the National
Football League. At the corporate level, the NFL is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) association, which
excludes the NFL from taxes. In 1966, the NFL agreed to merge with the American Football
League (AFL), and only a year later America witnessed the first Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is known as one of the biggest club sporting events in the world. Many
individual Super Bowl games account for many of the most-watched television programs in
American history. Since the merger the NFL has taken America by storm. From 1960-1980 the
National Football League grew at a rate unimaginable. Under the commision of Pete Rozelle the

NFL saw their following grow from 3 million to 400 million viewers. According to ESPN, the NFL
has grown because of Fantasy Football and major television deals with CBS, Fox, and NBC.
The growing hobby of Fantasy Football is played by an estimated 33,559,990 people played
fantasy sports in the United States in 2013(Fantasy Sports Trade Association).
The NFL currently employs 32 profitable clubs that make up the NFL. It is broken down
into two conferences (NFL AND AFL) and consists of four divisions. The NFL season format
consists of a four-week preseason, a seventeen-week regular season, and a twelve-team single
elimination playoff culminating in the Super Bowl, the league's championship game(NFL). Each
team contains a roster of 53 players. These players are required to stay in tip top shape year
round. Their schedules are gruelling and each day they are faced with diversity and injury.
The NFL has been scrutinized over the past 10 years because of safety concerns and
the well-being of football players. Many studies have shown that NFL football players suffer from
a brain disease because of excessive trauma caused by repeated hits to the head. According to
a New York Times article, brain trauma will affect one in every three NFL players. These
diseases can cause many disorders such as memory loss, aggression, and depression (NY
Times online). The current commissioner Roger Goodell has implemented many new rules and
regulations not only on the field, but off of the field. He recently faced the largest scandal to ever
have been dealt with by the NFL.
The NFL has had a long history of its players having run-ins with the law. These crimes
range in varying degrees, but none the less all are illegal and should be dealt with accordingly.
The NFL has a player code of conduct. This code of conduct has a basic guideline of how
players should act on and off the football field. It also states that disciplinary actions may be

taken if you violate the code of conduct. The code of conduct states that the following offenses
are subject to disciplinary actions1:

Criminal offenses including, but not limited to, those involving: the use or threat of
violence; domestic violence and other forms of partner abuse; theft and other property
crimes; sex offenses; obstructing or resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; fraud;
racketeering; and money laundering;

Criminal offenses relating to steroids and prohibited substances, or substances of

abuse;

Violent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace;

Possession of a gun or other weapon in any workplace setting, including but not limited
to stadiums, team facilities, training camp, locker rooms, team planes, buses, parking
lots, etc., or unlawful possession of a weapon outside of the workplace;
5

Conduct that imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person;
and

Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL
clubs, or NFL players.

Though the player code of conduct clearly states the punishable offenses, it however, doesn't
clearly state the disciplinary actions that may be taken against a player or coach who violates
them.The following covers the basics of the disciplinary actions2:

1 NFL player code of conduct, https://www.nflplayers.com/about-us/Rules--Regulations/Player-Policies/ConductPolicy/

2 See Previous footnote

Discipline may take the form of fines, suspension, or banishment from the League and
may include a probationary period and conditions that must be satisfied prior to or following
reinstatement. The specifics of the disciplinary response will be based on the nature of the
incident, the actual or threatened risk to the participant and others, any prior or additional
misconduct (whether or not criminal charges were filed), and other relevant factors.
Unless the available facts clearly indicate egregious circumstances, significant bodily harm or
risk to third parties, or an immediate and substantial risk to the integrity and reputation of the
NFL, a first offense generally will not result in discipline until there has been a disposition of the
proceeding (or until the investigation is complete in the case of noncriminal misconduct).
The NFL bases its disciplinary actions on a case by case situation. Each offense is not exactly
the same in each situation, however, using prior offenses the NFL can construct a discipline that
fits the crime that was committed.
As it can be gathered from all the previous information presented, the NFL has survived
much crisis, crisis that would typically end a company or organization. Although the NFL is still
thriving as a business despite the constant dilemmas, the setbacks can be used to better the
overall image of the NFL and reach goals that have yet to be reached.

Strengths

loyal fan base

sponsors
history

Weakness

lacks fanbase outside US

numerous run-ins with the law
domestic abuse
performance enhancing drugs

Opportunities

continue to grow
change image/perception
partnerships

Threats

competitors (NBA, MLB, NHL)

the public opinion

Strengths
The biggest strengths of the NFL is its popularity, which brings dedicated fans from all
around the country. People love watching football because its exciting and competitive. Many
people associate their favorite team based with their culture, the state they live in, and even
individual players on a team. The loyal fans are a huge strength to the NFL because they either
sit at home and watch every game, or they purchase tickets to the games. The loyal fans are
often the season ticket holders, and that group of fans is very important to each individual team.
The fans are what keeps the ticket sales and viewership numbers increasing. Another strength
of the NFL is they have numerous support from top sponsors such as Nike, Radisson Hotel,
Procter & Gamble, etc.

Weaknesses
There are also a few weaknesses in the NFL that have been the topic of many
conversations lately. There has been several recent issue of domestic abuse and other related
crimes made by players on the teams. Recently, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian
Peterson was indicted on a felony charge of child abuse. Shortly after the news broke of this he
faces personal conduct suspension. Similar to this case, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray
Rice was suspended indefinitely after a video of him punching and dragging his wife in an

elevator was released. Primarily the NFL and the teams have been criticized for their actions
and responses to several acts of domestic violence. There has to be a consistent policy within
the company that deals directly with domestic violence issues. This could possibly act as a
precaution because domestic violence off the field often goes unspoken.

Threats
There are also a few possible threats to the NFL organization. Like major companies and
business they all have threats against them. The NFL in particular has threats that are shared
by most companies and business. These threats are, other competitors such as the NBA, NHL,
and MLB, and the public opinion of the league.These threats are detrimental to the operation of
the NFL and can have a negative effect on how they do business.
Other competitors are the NFLs biggest problem because they all conduct the same
sports business. The NBA, MLB, and NHL all have the same problems as the NFL, however,
how they handle these problems is what sets them apart. Much like the NFL, all the other
leagues have player codes of conducts. These codes of conduct, keep their players in line so
that the leagues are still held in high regards with the public. The MLB doesnt have a direct
policy in their code of conduct that talks about domestic violence, but the MLB commissioner
has the right to reprimand any player that commits an act that is deemed not in the best interest
of baseball3. As previously stated, the NFL had a problem dealing with the Ray Rice
controversies. This problem put a negative image around the NFL and how they conduct

3 Webb, Brant. "UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT: CURBING THE TREND OF DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL."
American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law 20.3 (2012): 742-61. Web.
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.depaul.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=1bd000c3-adb6-4db1-8a2f8504537109c3%40sessionmgr4002&vid=0&hid=4106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT
1zaXRl#db=ofs&AN=74993338>

business. With that negative image around the NFL, they can now be compared to other
leagues and how they would and have dealt with their similar problems.
A negative public image is detrimental to the league because without the support of the public
the league wouldnt be what it is today. When the league doesn't have the support of its fans, it
starts to lose viewers and fans stop paying to go to the games. The league stops making
money. A negative public image is also extremely hard to change. An example of a company or
organization that recently gained a negative public image is Sea World. A documentary called
Blackfish cited the negative treatment of whales by Seaworld. The companies stock is now
down 33% (Market Watch online). Gaining back the trust and support is not an easy thing to
accomplish. Not to mention, the high costs associated with public relations agencies and
attempting to get back on the countrys good side.
Opportunities
The NFL now has the opportunity to look at some of the similar issues faced by their
competitors and find a better way of handling them. Despite the recent conflicts, the NFL will
continue to have a huge following. They can now change how other people view the
organization and potentially gain new support. Also, because of the recent domestic violence
issues, this could be a great time to partner up with a few organizations who advocate against
domestic violence. The organization can let their viewers know that they are against violence
and open to finding ways to decrease the amount of off the field conflicts involving their players.
Secondary information sources were critical in the finding of background information and
current problems/situations with the NFL, but secondary information cannot answer all of our
questions. Our secondary sources gave us an overload of the NFLs history, facts about the
league, and stories of law violations, domestic violence, sexual assault, and a plethora of other
scandals that players were involved in. After reviewing all of the secondary information
gathered, here are the questions that we still need answered through primary research. The first
question is, what is the overall image of the NFL from the fans point of view? With all of the

recent abuse scandals taking place in the NFL among some of the leagues star players, how
have fans perceptions of the leagues shifted? None of our secondary sources were based
around fans perceptions of the league. All of our secondary sources contained more of
statistics, history and quantitative information rather than qualitative information. Qualitative
research consisting of the attitudes, beliefs and other psychological factors are of extreme
relevance to our research.
Some other questions that couldnt be directly answered in secondary research are the
following: Does the NFL need to soften its image? It can be assumed, from all of the secondary
information found, that the violent nature of the game of football and the constant run-ins
players have with law set the league up for a hard, maybe even savage-like image. So, do they
need to soften that image? If so, how can they soften their image? Could it be possible that part
of the reason this sport is so loved is because of this hard, savage-like image? All of these
questions that still need to be answered through primary research are all fan-based questions.
Therefore, it will be crucial to find, interview, survey and observe football fans of all
demographics.
To dive deeper into our research of the perceived image of the NFL, we decided to
interview 4 people based off of convenience sampling. These interviews were used to help us
correlate our first and secondary research.
III.
Interview Report (synthesize the 4 separate worksheets into a single paper here
say what the combined four interviews told your team about the topic. Include the
interview guide, but not the separate individual reports.) See more detailed instructions
for this section on D2L.
Introduction and Topic
The NFL has been a focal point of American sports culture since the the modern era of
football in the 1970s and 1980s. With the continuous growth of the leagues fans and the
culture surrounding it, the NFL constantly finds itself as a central focus of the media. Whether it
be regarding stories and situations on the field, or off the field, the NFL always has something

going on. Most recently, the NFL has been dealing with off-the-field misconduct regarding
multiple star players. Athletes in all sports leagues have had run-ins with the law, but few run-ins
have had an impact on the media, fans and culture of the league like the scandals surrounding
Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, just to name two.
Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson are two of the NFLs bigger star athletes and they're off
the field actions took the NFL by storm and captured the attention of the entire country. Ray
Rice was captured on video punching his then fiance unconscious, then dragging her limp body
out of the elevator and leaving her on the ground. Pictures captured Adrian Petersons 4 year
old son bruises and lacerations after being beat with a tree branch. With both cases of domestic
abuse being extremely well documented with videos and photos, the NFL has found itself in a
situation with its image at stake. We aim to find out the perception of the NFL among its fans
and how has it changed since the most recent cases of domestic abuse. We will use an
extensive interview to gain knowledge of the league's fans and their history with the league and
sport. We will do this to try to understand what fans believe and feel about the NFLs image
after the recent scandals and the way they were handled by Roger Goodell, the leagues
commissioner. After conducting our primary research, we hope to be able to decide if the NFLs
image is perceived negatively and if steps need to be taken to alter it. And if so, how they are
going to work to better their image. We will use the input from the people who matter most to the
NFL, the fans.
Key Questions
In our survey, we asked our participants several different questions to gain an
understanding of who they are, and what type of fan and consumer they are to the NFL.
Demographic questions are where we started. We first asked the gender of our participants.
Then we went right in to see the amount of history and experience they have with the NFL. This

gave us an understanding of the level of commitment they have towards the NFL and how
important their opinion is to the business side of the NFL. Then we got to the more intense
questions. We asked, Have you seen the Ray Rice video? and Have you seen the Adrian
Peterson pictures?. We continued by asking, How do these examples making you feel?,
After seeing these examples, has your perception of the NFL changed? and Have the amount
of hours you spend watching the NFL games/coverage changed since the recent scandals?.
Lastly, we asked In your mind, what could be changed by the NFL to boost its overall image?.
We found that these questions are the most important because they give us the answers we are
looking for and that enables us to come to the conclusion we are looking for.
Method
We are conducting a survey to find out the perception people have of the NFL. This
includes before and after the recent domestic and child abuse issues surfaced involving players.
This survey will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. We think that a survey is
an appropriate method to answer our research questions because we included background
questions, and short answer. Our background questions let us know more about the person and
the amount of interest they have in the NFL. We also have short answer questions where the
respondent can give a more in-depth answer regarding their feelings about the NFL after the
recent scandals. The survey is very broad and will give us a better sense of a persons
perception of the NFL before and after the latest issues[DS2] .
Sampling
We used convenience sampling for our pilot test. Convenience sampling means that we
chose participants for our survey based on convenience accessibility and proximity. We used
this method because we wanted to see the different perceptions of the NFL and we wanted to
make sure we included all types of NFL fans and non fans. We needed as many people as

possible to take our survey in order to find out how people perceive the NFL. This sample was
selected because the respondents were convenient. The respondents were selected based
upon who we sent the survey to which included both men and women of a range of ages.
Another way we could sample would be to use random sampling. This way would allow us to
understand different aspects of people who watch the NFL and do not watch the NFL. The
survey would be given on the internet would save money because we would not have to travel
around the U.S. to administer the survey.
Administration
For our survey, we decided that it was most effective if conducted online. It was also
most efficient for both us and the participants. We constructed our survey on Qualtrics Survey
Software. We decided to use Qualtrics because we found that this type survey allows us to
create exactly what we wanted. We enlisted our friends, family, classmates and anybody willing
to take our survey. We first posted our survey link on Facebook and Twitter. Then we sent it out
by email to other people not on social media. We also sent the survey to all of the members of
our class. We wanted to get a wide demographic and a wide variety of answers.
Variable
We are measuring three variables to gain an understanding of the image perceived of
the NFL after the domestic abuse scandals took place. Here are three examples of the most
important variables we are measuring.
Variable 1: How actively do people watch the NFL? This question determines how
many people out of the 40 actually follow the NFL, more specifically, how many hours they
watch in a typical week. This will also tell us if they are a heavy, moderate or light NFL
consumer. It must be remembered that the NFL is a business. This means that the heavier the

consumer, the more concerned the NFL should be with their thoughts on the matter. (Measured
in questions 6, 17, 20)
Variable 2: Did the domestic abuse scandals change the perception of the NFL?
The questions determines how the scandals of the NFL positively or negatively affected the
viewers perception and loyalty to the NFL. Although it is almost completely agreed upon that
these domestic cases are unethical and wrong, that does not necessarily mean that fans look at
the NFL negatively now.
(Measured in questions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Variable 3: Did the NFL do a good job handling the domestic abuse scandals? This
determines if people believe the NFL has done all that they could to properly handle the
scandals and if they believe the NFL has implemented the proper procedures to handles issues
like these in the future. The biggest problem we have with this question is, we want to get
participants true answers on the matter and not what they think they should answer.
(Measured in questions: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Some of the relationships between the variables are: 1) if those that already watch NFL
football games are likely to care more or less about the domestic abuse scandals of the NFL; 2)
how demographic factors such a gender, age, and income (all independent variables) affect the
following of the NFL; 3) if those that have seen the video of Ray Rice hitting his wife and the
pictures of Adrian Petersons son are more likely to give a negative perception of the NFL
(dependent variable).
Analyze the data
In our analysis of the data we found that the majority 58% of people watched NFL
football games, while the minority of those we surveyed 42% said that they dont watch NFL

football games. When asking whether the participants perception of the NFL had changed after
the domestic abuse scandals 85% had negatively changed, while 15% of the 40 people had no
change. None of the participants were positively affected by the scandals. After analyzing the
data we found many surprising outcomes. We found out that over 80% percent of participants
had seen the Ray Rice video or the pictures of Adrian Petersons son. What was surprising was
that the perception of the NFL had negatively changed, but many of the participants would not
change their consumption of NFL football games. Many did say that if another scenario like the
two would arise, that it would most likely change their perception and negatively affect their
consumption of games.
Discussion
We discovered that all 40 participants were affected negatively by the domestic abuse
scandals. We expected that no one would have a positive reaction to the scandals. We believe
our questions were sufficient in finding the information needed to perceive the image of the NFL.
The questions were very straight forward and covered material needed to analyze the
perception. More questions could be added in order to further understand a particular
demographic. It would be much more helpful to portray the perception of the NFL by surveying a
larger cohort. Some respondents were confused by the survey because they did not know
certain information about the NFL. For one of our questions we asked if Roger Goodell handled
the situation properly. A couple of our participants did not know who he was. We need to make
sure that the survey applies to the general public and not just NFL fans.
The other issue we considered is if people were truthfully answering questions or just
answering what they thought was the right answer. When ethics and morals plays a role into the
answers, people sometimes choose an answer because they feel they are wrong for feeling a
certain way. For instance somebody may say they view the NFLs image negatively because of

the scandals, but only because they feel that is what they should say because of the severity of
the abuse.
The data we collected was very insightful and informative. The process was not hard
because of the use of Qualtrics, which allowed the survey to be administered without being face
to face. It also gave quite a nice variety to the way the questions could be administered. Overall
the experience of the survey was very insightful and helpful.

V.

Recommendations for Further Research (NEW section)

1.Through our surveys and situation analysis we learned that most people still support the
NFL despite its recent scandals involving their players. People continue to watch NFL games
because of the sport and the organization as a whole. The players are responsible for their
actions and they should be held accountable; not the NFL. Most of our survey respondents
stated that their perception of the NFL has stayed the same.
2. Questions that still may need to be answered is how women specifically view the NFL after
the incidents. We did have a few respondents who were women but it didnt give us a huge
understanding of their perception solely. This would benefit our client because many of the
incidents regarding the players involved women; and women are a large part of their audience.
It would be beneficial to find out if the NFL has lost a lot of support from due to the recent
issues.
3. A recommended data collection plan would be a focus group and more interviews. Focus
groups are a great way to get an in depth understanding of how people feel about a situation. It
gives the respondents a chance to really explain their answer without limiting them to a simple

five choice selection of answers. A focus group would include a group setting where participants
are allowed to interact with each other. There would be a variety of questions that you may ask,
or even to find out opinions on a situation. A great focus group would be to gather all women
and find out their views on the current scandal. This could provide much more information about
the new perception after the recent scandals. Questions to ask would be Do you support the
NFL why or why not and Does your answer to this question having anything to do with the
recent domestic and child abuse issues regarding NFL players?
We also recommend that the NFL do more interviews. An in depth interview is conducted in a
quiet environment. These are one on one interviews consisting of the interviewer and the
interviewee. These interviews are great because it gives the interviewee a chance to answer
questions honestly without influence or pressure from others. Questions to ask would include
How has the recent domestic and child abuse scandals involving NFL players affected your
personal view of the NFL? Random sampling would work for this interview because you dont
want to ask only a certain group of people. You are looking for someone who would be unbiased
on the situation. Asking a 40 year NFL watcher would not help; you would probably be able to
predict their answer because they would most likely be in favor of the NFL.
VI.

Bibliography
Work Cited

"7 Companies Hurt by Bad Publicity." MarketWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Belson, Ken. "Brain Trauma to Affect One in Three Players, N.F.L. Agrees."The New York
Times. The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
"Conduct Policy." Conduct-Policy. NFL Players Association, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
Janusz, S. (2012). THE NFL'S STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF ITS PERSONAL CONDUCT
POLICY FOR CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN: A USEFUL TOOL FOR COMBATING VIOLENCE
OR AN ATTEMPT TO PUNISH MORALITY?. Seton Hall Journal Of Sports & Entertainment
Law, 22(1), 93-128.

|, Joel Anderson. "Peterson's Hometown Still supportive." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, n.d.
Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
"Learning from the NFL Expanding Your Audience." Quaintise. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
Martin, C. A. (2013). Investigating National Football League (NFL) Fan Loyalty. Journal Of
Marketing Development & Competitiveness, 7(1), 42-53.
Murray, Rheana. "Ray Rice Cut by Baltimore Ravens After Video of Elevator Punch." ABC
News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
"NFL Arrests Database." San Diego News, Local, California and National News. N.p., n.d. Web.
12 Oct. 2014.
"NFL's History Of Domestic Violence Extends Beyond Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson Abuse
Cases." International Business Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Webb, B. (2012). UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT: CURBING THE TREND OF DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.
American University Journal Of Gender, Social Policy & The Law, 20(3), 742-761.
White, G. F. (1989). Media and Violence: The Case of Professional Football Championship
Games. Aggressive Behavior, 15(6), 423-433.

VII.
Appendices (copy of one revised interview guide; copy of revised survey (fix
problem questions, add new ones as needed based on your pilot test and my
comments); if you wish you may add the individual interview reports/worksheets not
required)
Interview Guide: Our groups overall goal in conducting in-depth interviews is to answer the
following question: has the current outbreak of domestic violence in the NFL changed the
football lovers perception on the NFLs image? We will be attempting to answer multiple
research questions in this interview. These questions include, what is your perception of the
NFLs image? Has that perception changed since 2 years ago? Have the recent abuse scandals
and onsets of violence altered your view of the NFLs image?
Introduction

The following interview will be conducted to gain a better understanding of how the fans
of the NFL feel after their recent domestic violence issues. The following interview will be
conducted by four students at DePaul University and the interview will last at least 30 minutes.
There are no right or wrong answers, we are simply looking to gain knowledge of the fans
reactions and opinions on the NFL following recent issues. The interviewer will be taking notes
during this interview. Before the interview, the interviewee must sign a consent form. At any time
the interviewee has the right to discontinue the interview without consequences.
Relationship between the NFL and the Interviewee
I will began asking background information on the interviewee. This is to get an
understanding of who they are and where they are from. I will also ask their relationship to
football and their knowledge of the sport. This is important because we really need someone
who has had an opinion about the NFL and the sport of football before the recent scandals.

Where are you originally from?

What is your Favorite NFL team?

Have you ever played football? How long?

How often do you watch football?

Interviewees perception of the NFL

I wanted to be sure that my interviewee has seen both the Ray Rice video and the
Adrian Peterson child abuse pictures. My interviewee had seen the Ray Rice video but not the
photos of Adrian Petersons abused child. It was essential to show him these images to see if
they will change how he feels about the NFL. It was also important to see the effect these
issues had on his opinion of the NFL at this very moment.

What is your initial perception of the NFL?

Are you aware of the recent scandals?

Are you familiar with Ray Rice? Have you seen the Ray Rice videos?

Are you familiar with Adrian Peterson? Have you seen the Adrian Peterson pictures?

Has your perception changed following the recent issues surrounding the NFL?

Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. Your opinion and feedback
is very useful. I would like to assure you that your responses will be kept anonymous.

NFL

Q1 What is your sex?

Male (1)

Female (2)

Other (3)

Q2 What is your favorite NFL team?

Q3 Who is your favorite NFL player?

Q4 Rank your favorite sports leagues. (Drag and drop)

______ NFL (1)
______ NBA (2)
______ MLB (3)
______ NHL (4)
______ Other (5)

Q5 How many hours a week do you spend watching the NFL?

I don't watch the NFL (1)

1-2 hours per week (2)

3-4 hours per week (3)

5-6 hours per week (4)

7+ (5)

Q6 How many years have you watched/followed the NFL?(Slide Bar)

______ Years watched (1)

Q7 Do you purchase NFL apparel?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Yes but for someone else. (3)

No but I have received NFL apparel as a gift (4)

Q8 Do you play fantasy football?

Yes (1)

No (2)

I have before (3)

I want to in the future (4)

Q9 What scandals have recently surrounded the NFL? Mark all that apply.

Domestic Abuse (1)

Cheating (2)

Sports gambling (3)

None of the above (4)

Q10 Have you seen the Ray Rice domestic abuse video?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Answer If Have you scene the Ray Rice domestic abuse video?&nbsp; No Is Selected
Q11 View then move to the next question

Q12 Have you seen the Adrian Peterson domestic abuse pictures?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Answer If Have you seen the Adrian Peterson domestic abuse pictures? No Is Selected
Q13 View then move to the next question

Q14 How did these examples of domestic abuse make you feel? (Slide Bar)

1 (1)

2 (2)

3 (3)

4 (4)

5 (5)

Q15 After seeing these examples has your perception of the NFL changed?

Q16 Is indefinite suspensions for both players fair?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q17 What letter grade would you give the NFL on handling the Ray Rice scandal? (Slide Bar)

1 (1)

2 (2)

3 (3)

4 (4)

5 (5)

6 (6)

7 (7)

8 (8)

9 (9)

10 (10)

11 (11)

12 (12)

13 (13)

Q18 What letter grade would you give the NFL on handling the Adrian Peterson scandal?

1 (1)

2 (2)

3 (3)

4 (4)

5 (5)

6 (6)

7 (7)

8 (8)

9 (9)

10 (10)

11 (11)

12 (12)

13 (13)

Q19 Have the amount of hours you spend watching NFL games/coverage changed since the
recent scandals?

Q20 Has the amount of money you have spent on anything associated with the NFL changed
from last year?

Q21 In your mind, what could be changed by the NFL to boost it's overall image?

Q22 What factors determine if you will watch a football game or not?

You're favorite football team is playing. (1)

You watch because you play Fantasy Football (2)

You don't watch NFL Football games. (3)

Other. Please Explain (4) ____________________

Q23 What would have to happen for the NFL to lose you as a customer/fan of the sport/league?