4. Define an appropriate marketing research problem corresponding to the management-decision problem in question 2.

The National Football League (www.nfl.com) is considered the king of all professional sports in the United States. It was formed by 11 teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association and adopted the name National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of 32 teams from American cities and regions, divided evenly into two conferences (AFC and NFC), with four, four-team divisions.
The NFL governs and promotes the game, sets and enforces rules, and regulates team ownership. It generates revenue mostly through sponsorships, licensing of merchandise, and selling national broadcasting rights. It has been extremely successful because it is advertiser-friendly. The teams operate as separate businesses but share a percentage of their revenue. NFL revenues amounted to about $8 billion in 2010, and the average player salary was about $1.5 million in the same period.
Tough, strong, and fiercely competitive on the field, but remove the players’
helmets and a softer side emerges. Marketing research has documented the positive impact of cause-related marketing on corporate image. The NFL has a strong tradition of public service and is an active contributor to various social causes.
Bettering communities and helping others ties into the basic team concept and is an extension of the NFL’s philosophy. NFL players strongly believe and encourage others to get involved, whether it is time or money or anything else—even the smallest of gestures can make a big difference to someone else.