Seton Hall Sports Poll Celebrates 20 Years

The Seton Hall Sports Poll is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades since its first press release was published February 7, 2006. The Poll is the first and only ongoing, university-based polling service focused solely on the multi-billion dollar sports industry, making it a key resource for gauging public opinion on significant sports-related issues.

The Seton Hall Sports Poll, created by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, aims to deliver scientific data on Americans’ views of sports issues that touch on culture, politics and society. Its first press release, issued on February 22, 2006, covered public attitudes toward the Olympic Games, showing the Poll’s focus on how sports impact society.

The poll was founded by Rick Gentile, a former CBS Sports executive producer, who initially wanted to teach a course at the University on the business of sports television. He was encouraged by Ann Mayo, then director of the Center for Sports Management, to turn towards a sports polling initiative. Gentile soon brought in publicist Marty Appel, who previously worked for the New York Yankees, to help shape the poll’s development and outreach. The Seton Hall Sports Poll became the first university-based polling service focused on the sports industry. “There was nothing like it out there. There was no university poll in the United States that dealt strictly with sports matters,” said Appel.

Reflecting on the creation of the poll, Gentile recalled a key moment in a conversation with Mayo that inspired the poll’s start, “[She] had this idea to do this poll, I believe the genesis of it was when P.J. Carlesimo was choked as an NBA coach by one of his players. She said somebody should do something about this, see what the public thinks,” he said.

From the start, the poll was meant to be both a research project and an educational experience. “The entirety of these centers came about because alumni were willing to make investments in the School,” said Karen Boroff, Ph.D., dean emerita of Seton Hall’s Stillman School of Business. “Faculty were willing to take leadership roles in every way to make good on the investments our alumni made, all ultimately for the betterment of our students.”

The Seton Hall Sports Poll is part of the Stillman School’s Center for Sport Management, which is under the direction of professor Charles Grantham, M.B.A., former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association. Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the marketing department, is the Poll’s chief methodologist.

Seton Hall students are directly involved in designing surveys, analyzing results and sharing findings. This hands-on work allows them to use ideas from statistics, communications and sports management in real research, while also contributing to nationally recognized polling results. “Being a member of the Seton Hall Sports Poll has been one of the most rewarding parts of my college experience, allowing me to strengthen key skills, learn from a dedicated team, and contribute to impactful discussion in sports,” said member Maya Winczura, a senior majoring in marketing and sport management.

Over the past two decades, the Seton Hall Sports Poll has looked at many issues that shape the sports world, like stadium funding, sports gambling, athlete behavior, labor disputes, drug testing, gender equity and the impact of big sporting events. Through these topics, the poll has become a trusted way to measure public opinion in the huge sports industry.

Notably, the Poll’s most recent press release also focuses on the Olympic Games, echoing the theme of its very first press release two decades ago. This milestone highlights how the Seton Hall Sports Poll has consistently examined sports not only as entertainment, but as a powerful reflection of cultural values and public attitudes.

Students have consistently been vital to the Seton Hall Sports Poll, initially honing communication skills through direct phone surveys. Today, with 22 undergraduates and four graduate students, they gain practical experience in research, media production and data analysis across various teams. Their roles have expanded to include podcast production, press release writing, data analysis, social media content creation and visual design.

Reflecting on the collaborative aspect of the Poll, member and senior Ace Crawford said, “the Poll is a very collaborative environment. Everything we do, from poll questions and press releases to social media posts, is worked on by multiple people all from different academic backgrounds. This allows us to make the best research and content that we can.” Ace majors in visual and sound media, with a concentration in sports media.

More recently, students have become involved in every stage of the Poll's development, acquiring hands-on experience in writing, storytelling, analytics, public relations, social media strategy and graphic design, all while learning from polling experts and sports media professionals. As a result, the Seton Hall Sports Poll operates as a daily laboratory focused on a real-world curriculum that mirrors the most significant trends in the sports entertainment industry, embodying the Stillman School’s mission of transforming concepts into practice. “Working for the Sports Poll is an adventure every day,” added member Christian Hui, a senior studying sports management, information technology, business analytics and supply chain management. “There’s always something new to learn or get involved in. It’s as dynamic as the industry it covers.”

Entering its third decade, the Seton Hall Sports Poll remains a reliable source for understanding American perspectives on the changing role of sports in society. It also provides students with a valuable chance to engage in significant research at the crossroads of sports, media and public opinion.

“Working at the sports poll is a wonderful experience that invites discourse between doctors and students with nobody’s voice getting lost in the mix,” said member Justin Loretz, a sophomore studying management, finance and psychology. “Even in times of intensity, urgency and disagreement, we are able to respect one another and work together at a fast pace while delivering high quality production.”

About the Poll
The Seton Hall Sports Poll, conducted regularly since 2006, is performed by the Sharkey Institute within the Stillman School of Business. The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been chosen for inclusion in iPoll by Cornell’s Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and its findings have been published everywhere from The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, ESPN, The New York Times, Washington Post, AP, and Reuters to CNBC, NPR, Yahoo Finance, Fox News and many points in between. For more information, click here. 

Categories: Athletics, Business, Nation and World, Research