Finance Xpress

What is the rank of the United States among countries with the largest proportion of book readers? According to Harper’s Magazine, the U.S. comes in at number six. The country with the largest proportion of readers: China. Some people love reading. For me, the sight of beautiful new books – glossy-covered and filled with words…

How to Save Money on Cheap Books – Read More While Spending Less is a post from the Money Crashers personal finance blog.

from Money Crashers


via Finance Xpress

Posted by: Richie Bernardo

 

Anyone who’s ever organized a wedding knows all too well how demanding and protracted the process can be. It’s the reason couples hire professional event planners to do the heavy lifting — and also why the term “bridezilla” became a permanent entry in the wedding glossary.

Between sending invitations, securing reservations, planning a menu and obsessing over final touches on the cake, it’s no wonder the big day is arranged months, even years, in advance — and deservingly so. Tying the knot is a huge commitment, and the $60 billion wedding industry ain’t one to complain.

At WalletHub, we understand the logistical and financial stresses of that typically long march to “I do.” So in order to assist with the planning process, our data team compared the 150 biggest cities to find the cheapest and most convenient wedding destinations that also promise a memorable occasion. We examined each city across 20 key indicators of nuptial-friendliness, ranging from “average wedding cost” to “venues and event spaces per capita” to “hotel availability.” Read on for the winners, meaningful advice from wedding and marriage experts, and a full description of our methodology.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/18721/geochart-married.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2kmik8W;  

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Effective	Annual	Difference	Annual	Adjusted
1	Las Vegas, NV	74.21	57	5	1
2	Orlando, FL	74.04	88	1	3
3	Atlanta, GA	69.99	64	2	9
4	Tampa, FL	65.43	41	11	5
5	Cincinnati, OH	64.63	27	8	27
6	Scottsdale, AZ	63.03	53	12	8
7	Salt Lake City, UT	62.92	92	3	22
8	Fort Lauderdale, FL	60.83	65	10	16
9	Knoxville, TN	60.59	4	29	42
10	Miami, FL	60.55	99	6	11
11	St. Louis, MO	59.78	82	7	25
12	New Orleans, LA	59.67	58	27	10
13	Springfield, MO	57.81	3	40	45
14	Boise, ID	57.14	9	49	32
15	Tucson, AZ	56.94	28	64	14
16	Birmingham, AL	56.13	19	26	59
17	Richmond, VA	55.95	63	13	36
18	Austin, TX	55.62	91	17	20
19	San Diego, CA	55.04	118	18	4
20	Tempe, AZ	55.03	47	34	23
21	Reno, NV	54.53	77	28	24
22	Albuquerque, NM	54.26	15	96	26
23	Portland, OR	53.36	116	15	13
24	Spokane, WA	52.49	22	50	43
25	Sacramento, CA	52.48	121	14	15
26	El Paso, TX	52.13	1	141	99
27	San Francisco, CA	52.13	150	4	2
28	Chattanooga, TN	51.91	12	43	83
29	Pittsburgh, PA	51.74	102	21	30
30	Denver, CO	51.56	115	19	18
31	Grand Rapids, MI	51.37	32	31	73
32	Seattle, WA	51.24	125	16	12
33	Baton Rouge, LA	50.47	34	48	46
34	Mobile, AL	50.07	8	87	85
35	Minneapolis, MN	49.31	96	32	31
36	Tulsa, OK	49.18	20	98	47
37	Honolulu, HI	48.84	145	9	6
38	St. Petersburg, FL	48.73	44	72	40
39	Los Angeles, CA	48.06	128	35	7
40	Modesto, CA	47.90	93	36	35
41	Kansas City, MO	47.86	50	83	37
42	Louisville, KY	47.47	26	92	66
43	Memphis, TN	47.36	5	127	100
44	Huntsville, AL	46.76	33	85	67
45	Omaha, NE	46.74	40	78	53
46	Houston, TX	46.54	97	46	33
47	Augusta, GA	46.49	10	94	110
48	Brownsville, TX	46.47	2	148	146
49	Tallahassee, FL	46.03	62	47	64
50	Phoenix, AZ	45.98	51	109	38
51	Shreveport, LA	45.79	7	118	113
52	Oklahoma City, OK	45.76	30	116	61
53	Madison, WI	45.53	66	69	48
54	Fayetteville, NC	45.43	16	75	114
55	Dallas, TX	45.24	73	55	55
56	San Antonio, TX	44.84	54	76	60
57	Rochester, NY	44.69	117	23	58
58	Nashville, TN	44.56	69	57	68
59	Colorado Springs, CO	44.54	94	73	39
60	Amarillo, TX	44.46	31	113	91
61	Bakersfield, CA	44.45	84	62	52
62	Raleigh, NC	44.39	74	56	69
63	Lubbock, TX	44.32	18	88	120
64	Anaheim, CA	44.06	126	37	28
65	Columbus, OH	44.06	49	105	57
66	Charlotte, NC	43.94	39	93	88
67	Lexington-Fayette, KY	43.78	35	124	78
68	Columbus, GA	43.67	13	114	119
69	Overland Park, KS	43.53	36	84	104
70	Laredo, TX	43.07	6	147	137
71	Glendale, CA	42.98	122	22	63
72	Mesa, AZ	42.96	47	104	75
73	Buffalo, NY	42.78	107	39	56
74	Montgomery, AL	42.75	11	117	135
75	Cleveland, OH	42.65	100	52	54
76	Durham, NC	42.45	60	81	89
77	Jackson, MS	42.34	21	111	123
78	Little Rock, AR	42.25	29	77	127
79	Washington, DC	41.92	143	30	17
80	Chandler, AZ	41.82	55	108	82
81	Plano, TX	41.62	81	66	95
82	Greensboro, NC	41.54	14	149	101
83	Fresno, CA	41.52	78	91	81
84	Lincoln, NE	41.45	68	82	96
85	Henderson, NV	41.42	61	126	71
86	Norfolk, VA	41.35	59	121	76
87	Sioux Falls, SD	41.32	43	95	107
88	Wichita, KS	41.25	23	120	118
89	Chicago, IL	41.09	131	58	29
90	Corpus Christi, TX	41.02	25	128	115
91	Milwaukee, WI	40.80	95	103	50
92	Santa Rosa, CA	40.67	132	20	74
93	Indianapolis, IN	40.66	46	145	79
94	Vancouver, WA	40.43	112	33	97
95	Akron, OH	39.93	42	97	121
96	Jacksonville, FL	39.84	87	110	77
97	Fort Worth, TX	39.78	79	107	87
98	North Las Vegas, NV	39.74	45	53	126
99	Virginia Beach, VA	39.63	98	90	72
100	Tacoma, WA	39.58	108	42	94
101	Des Moines, IA	39.51	76	79	109
102	Detroit, MI	39.42	67	140	80
103	Toledo, OH	39.42	17	138	138
104	Long Beach, CA	39.10	136	44	34
105	Garden Grove, CA	38.96	105	60	90
106	Winston-Salem, NC	38.95	24	150	103
107	Glendale, AZ	38.76	52	125	98
108	St. Paul, MN	38.73	103	71	93
109	Fort Wayne, IN	38.72	37	89	141
110	Irving, TX	38.37	71	67	128
111	Irvine, CA	38.22	127	38	70
112	Baltimore, MD	37.80	123	65	51
113	Cape Coral, FL	37.23	85	146	65
114	Arlington, TX	37.03	71	122	111
115	Gilbert, AZ	36.79	38	106	130
116	Hialeah, FL	36.48	80	102	122
117	Newport News, VA	36.16	75	131	116
118	Huntington Beach, CA	36.12	138	41	49
119	Philadelphia, PA	35.83	140	112	21
120	Oakland, CA	35.26	146	25	44
121	Stockton, CA	35.23	104	130	92
122	Chesapeake, VA	35.14	56	136	133
123	Peoria, AZ	35.07	86	133	112
124	Oceanside, CA	35.06	120	86	86
125	Pembroke Pines, FL	34.32	89	139	117
126	San Jose, CA	34.28	141	45	62
127	New York, NY	33.52	147	68	19
128	Riverside, CA	33.30	130	59	102
129	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	33.24	114	70	125
130	Santa Ana, CA	33.21	129	61	105
131	San Bernardino, CA	32.72	110	115	108
132	Ontario, CA	32.38	119	63	124
133	Aurora, CO	31.96	101	100	142
134	Garland, TX	31.87	90	135	139
135	Port St. Lucie, FL	31.48	83	142	148
136	Chula Vista, CA	31.40	109	80	144
137	Providence, RI	30.94	133	99	84
138	Grand Prairie, TX	30.75	70	144	140
139	Anchorage, AK	30.53	124	119	106
140	Boston, MA	30.15	149	54	41
141	Fontana, CA	27.78	110	132	147
142	Aurora, IL	25.92	106	137	149
143	Jersey City, NJ	25.91	139	74	132
144	Moreno Valley, CA	25.88	113	143	143
145	Santa Clarita, CA	25.77	134	101	131
146	Fremont, CA	25.70	142	51	136
147	Oxnard, CA	24.15	137	128	129
148	Worcester, MA	22.57	135	134	145
149	Yonkers, NY	21.00	148	24	150
150	Newark, NJ	20.31	144	123	134

Ask the Experts

Marriage is not only a big life decision, but it also can be a hefty financial commitment because money often dictates the extravagance and location of the wedding. But some couples have far fewer resources to dedicate for their special day. For advice on such matters and how to boost the local economy through the wedding business, we turned to a panel of experts in family studies, personal finance and local administration. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

1. How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding?
2. How should a couple decide where to get married?
3. What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget?
4. Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities?

< >

• Luke Erickson Personal finance Educator at University of Idaho Extension, Madison County
• Diane Margaret Joyal Research Coordinator at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Owner and Lead Designer of Bowerbird Flowers and Apothecary
• Dorris Perryman Assistant Professor of Accounting at Bristol Community College
• Cameron Gordon Associate Professor of Psychology at University of North Carolina, Wilmington
• Carolyn Washburn Family and Consumer Sciences Agent at Utah State University Extension
• Karl Andrew Pillemer Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University
• Karen J. Prager Professor of Psychology and Program Head for Gender Studies in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at University of Texas at Dallas
• Dasha B. Marchetti Executive Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Business Studies at Bucks County Community College

Luke Erickson Personal finance Educator at University of Idaho Extension, Madison County How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? A good philosophy is to find a reasonable balance between creating a memorable, meaningful experience and preparing adequately for the months and years ahead. A dollar figure or even budget percentage is not an appropriate guideline as each couple will have to decide how to find this balance given their own unique circumstances. How should a couple decide where to get married? While and exotic location, or fancy reception hall might be unique and memorable, it won’t be nearly as meaningful without the people who mean the most to you. If your location is hard to get to and prohibits important friends and family members from being able to attend, consider alternatives. What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? A wedding that forces the couple to spend so much that they immediately face piles of debt at the start of the marriage is doomed from the start. What good is a grand wedding if the marriage doesn’t last due stresses aggravated by debt and financial woes? Find a good balance between creating a memorable wedding experience and a marriage that will endure. Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities? I’ve seen countless wedding pictures on social media. A local community/business can do well to ensure that they create/sponsor photogenic scenes that are unique and recognizable. You want the friends of that bride to post comments and questions on the picture like, “Where is that? It’s so beautiful!” Diane Margaret Joyal Research Coordinator at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Owner and Lead Designer of Bowerbird Flowers and Apothecary How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? Budget is a very sensitive and personal issue! They should only spend what they are completely comfortable with. I have seen couples very stressed out over the budget. Social media, wedding blogs and sites like Pinterest can set unrealistic expectations about what a wedding "should" look like. Since I am a floral designer, I try and guide couples and families towards what is in season, local or an alternative that would be more appropriate for their budget. If they have a favorite flower that they must have and it is expensive, we work from there. Compromise is key! I always reassure them that no matter what their budget is, the flowers will be beautiful and perfect for them! How should a couple decide where to get married? I live in an area that couples return to get married. I never thought of Durham and Chapel Hill as a destination wedding location but it really is now. Couples that met here while in school come back to gather their friends and family together and get married. I think that many couples that choose to get married here have very fond memories of their time here and they remember how beautiful it is. The southeast can be gorgeous in the spring and fall. As far as the physical location of the wedding, my impression of weddings right now is that the setting seems to reflect the personality of the couple. There are some fantastic wedding venues here and several have opened in the past couple of years (with more opening all of the time). They range from very formal old homes to industrial factory buildings that have been rehabbed to an old church that has been newly and beautifully restored to old barns with a little log cabin next door. All of these locations lend themselves to events with a different feel. Brides and grooms are drawn to the setting that reflects their style and the mood that they would like to create for their guests. This is their chance to convey who they are as a couple! What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? Choose a venue that makes you happy and shows who you are and that provides some items that you can use for your event. Most venues provide tables but some might also supply chairs and linens. Remember, if they don't have it, you will have to rent it! That being said, I encourage brides to rent, not buy items for their decor. No one wants 12 lanterns sitting in the garage for the next 5 years! Also, don't fall into the Pinterest trap and think you can or should be doing something crafty, that you end up not using or spending lots of money on, or make your wedding more extravagant then you are financially comfortable able to. Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities? I think that they can encourage weddings by encouraging small businesses, making sure that there are lots of choices for lodging and dining and promoting tourism in general. We are in an area with several large academic institutions which is great, but even these communities have had more development in the last few years, which has helped bolster the blossoming local wedding industry. Dorris Perryman Assistant Professor of Accounting at Bristol Community College How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? A couple should first assess their discretionary income available to spend for a wedding. This can be done by preparing a budget. Another option is to research and plan their ideal wedding from the smallest detail to the most expensive item (such as the bride’s dress) and then scale the wedding according to the couple’s discretionary funds available. I would recommend to first prepare a budget and see what their budget will allow them to spend on a wedding without taking on debt or depleting their savings. How should a couple decide where to get married? A couple should decide on a place that is special to them and it is within their budget. This is not the time to splurge on an exotic place unless you are well off and can afford the expenses. Also, a couple should consider their invited guests when picking the location. Is it accessible and will my guests be able to attend the wedding without breaking their budget? What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? If the couple is to stay on budget, review all of the options available to them. On large ticket items, make sure you get at least three bids. If one of their large ticket items is special and slightly above your budget, you may have to cut costs somewhere else to achieve your goal of the most expensive item. I would suggest that the couple look at renting the bride’s dress or buying a used dress and purchasing the male’s tuxedo. The bride will only wear this dress one time, whereas the groom will be able to wear his tuxedo on more than one occasion (I am currently wearing my dress on Halloween as the Bride of Dracula). Another tip when planning a wedding is to plan your wedding for the poorest invited guest that you want so very much to be there with you to witness your glorious celebration. If you do, you will keep your costs low. Do not plan “themed weddings” - it is inconsiderate and selfish of you to ask your guests to spend their only three day weekend off with the bride and groom for and adventure, unless the couple is taking care of all of the expenses. The couple should try and coordinate events close together so that the out of town guests who have to travel do not have to seek additional transportation while attending the wedding in another locale. If time is on the couple’s side, then I would suggest that the couple take the researched cost of their proposed wedding and divide it by the number of paychecks that are available up to a month before the wedding. Then the couple should open a separate bank account and deposit the funds into the account and take all of the wedding expenses from this account. The couple doesn’t have to worry or stress about commingling the wedding expenses with their current living expenses. This will give them a picture and let them know quickly if they are exceeding their budget or will require additional funds to offset unexpected expenses. There are many checklists on the internet to help the bride and groom accomplish this task. Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities? If a community wants to capitalize on the wedding business, venues should be inviting and reasonable, from the smallest wedding to the largest weddings. The grounds should be well maintained, access to a caterer, a photographer, a wedding planner, a florist, transportation, entertainment, etc. And not just one of each - there should be a book with several numbers for the bride and groom to choose, from the least expensive to the most expensive. This should be one-stop shopping. Also, don’t forget items that make your community different from others, such as horse drawn carriages, water cruises, party buses, etc. The key is to make every couple’s wedding magical, however small. These one-stop shopping communities are not mutually exclusive for weddings. These same areas are good for birthday parties, graduations, family reunions, or any other celebration where people want to celebrate. Cameron Gordon Associate Professor of Psychology at University of North Carolina, Wilmington How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? Issues regarding money in relationships can be surprisingly complex. At first glance, questions regarding spending and budgeting often appear to be a fairly straightforward matter of simple math. As such, couples who do not see eye to eye about spending can quickly become frustrated because each individual may consider his or her own point of view to be obviously and simply the “right” answer. The reality for many couples, however, is that money concerns do not represent only a mathematical issue, but also a psychological one. Each individual member of the couple has been developing a complex relationship with money his or her entire life. As such, complicated ideas about what money represents in life (e.g., a means for creating a safety net, expressing freedom, having fun, etc.) often underlie a person’s saving and spending habits. For most couples, each individual’s values related to money are valid, yet there can be great disparity between each person’s perspective that can leave couples bewildered and frustrated with one another. When it comes to planning for a wedding, budgeting decisions can quickly become even more complicated as other family members may contribute financially or with opinions regarding the ceremony which may have budgetary implications. Therefore, couples can help themselves a lot by approaching this question as the complex issue that it is, and prepare themselves for the possibility that they may need to come to the discussion with particular efforts toward patience and understanding for all those involved. Doing so can help the couple thoroughly communicate with one another and all of the relevant parties about their needs and values; both from a psychological and a mathematical standpoint. These discussions should not only involve the question of the wedding budget, but also the inextricably intertwined questions about each individual’s values pertaining to the wedding itself. For example, whether a couple wants a large celebration centered around a widespread community of loved ones or an intimate ceremony that emphasizes their transition into this phase of their relationship, obviously has large implications for budgeting decisions. With weddings that require extensive planning and larger budgets, a financial planner may also be a helpful asset. In short, planning a wedding can be a very enjoyable and also very stressful process. Spending time getting a clear sense of each individual’s needs and the reasons underlying them will help lay a stronger foundation for prioritizing and problem-solving as the couple (and perhaps family) addresses the wedding budget in an effort to reach everyone’s mutual satisfaction. How should a couple decide where to get married? This can also be a deceptively complex question. Similarly to addressing budgetary questions, the couple can benefit a lot from approaching this discussion with an effort to understand the values that a wedding ceremony represents to each individual. For instance, if the couple regards the wedding as primarily a way to celebrate the love shared among a community of supportive family and loved ones, then taking into account everyone’s ability to attend (as it pertains to timing, expense, size of the venue, geographical location, etc.) would be the most important consideration. In contrast, if the couple views the wedding as primarily a celebration of their personalities being joined together then an adventurous couple may wish to plan a destination wedding in an exotic location that represents their passions, even if it means fewer loved ones could attend. Thus, understanding the values that the wedding actually represents to each individual member of the couple can help aid in deciding where to hold the ceremony (whether that question pertains to geographical location or type of venue, etc.). What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? In addition to staying organized and thoughtful about the mathematical and the psychological aspects of money and weddings, I would encourage couples to consider erring on the side of simplifying their expenses. Although wedding budgets have grown tremendously over the past several decades, I have never once had a couple come to my therapy practice years after their wedding lamenting that they wished it had been larger or more complicated. I have seen many couples, though, who struggle with the frustrations and pressures that often come with debt. At the end of the day, it is the couple’s enduring relationship that matters most, and not the wedding ceremony. So whether a couple wishes to have an elaborate and expensive wedding, or a simple and more economical one, everyone can benefit from keeping the perspective that the relationship is more important than the flowers. Carolyn Washburn Family and Consumer Sciences Agent at Utah State University Extension How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? The best thing a couple can discuss before the wedding is their views on money. Each of us have a money style and couples who can understand one another’s money style will have much happier relationships. Discuss what is most important for your future happiness, the honeymoon, and future living styles before deciding how much will be practical for spending on the wedding. Yes, the wedding is built for wonderful memories, but too much spent on the wedding can lead to later despair when finances are hard. Do not go into debt to pay for a wedding. Credit card costs and loans and should be avoided to prevent beginning your future with a negative balance. How should a couple decide where to get married? Many couples choose a wedding location because of the value of the location in their lives. For some couples it will be a religious location, for others it may be the outdoors, a back yard setting, or even a beautiful special event center. What is of value to the couples will make the ceremony more valuable to them. Couples who can discuss values and goals that are important for their future family will have an easier time deciding which wedding location celebrates their views and values the most. This is an excellent time for couples to begin to build a “Family Crest”, or family identity. What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? Communicate about the wedding and the budget. Build a budget together focusing on the needs and wants of each partner. Look at it often and try to stay on target. When one line item must be increased, look at where another may be decreased. Discuss the budget weekly and make sure that each partner is sharing their thoughts and feelings about where the money is being spent. If discussing the wedding budget is difficult, each partner may choose a sucker and one partner put theirs in their mouth while the other partner talks about the finance and then trade turns. This helps each partner to really listen while one partner gets a chance to talk. Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities? Communities can help celebrate the importance of marriage in many ways. Marriage is important to communities. Marriage encourages healthier families, better economic situations, stronger schools and happier people. Communities can encourage wedding events and expos, an annual marriage celebration to honor long time successful marriages, and even a marriage “Hall of Fame” that encourages strong relationships and sets a standard of role models. Local TV and radio channels can have marriage enrichment topics along with free marriage enrichment classes. Local business could encourage a “Date Night” activity with a reduced price for married couples and local groups could provide babysitting. Communities who value family and marriage can encourage marriages which in turn will build stronger communities. Karl Andrew Pillemer Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? I’ve spent the past five years interviewing long-married couples – often together happily for a half-century or more – about their advice for making love last. In many cases, they pointed to their wedding as a signature event that set the tone for their marriage. One of their key pieces of advice is this: A couple should spend what they can afford on their wedding. It may sound like simple advice, but many young people violate this straightforward rule, going into debt or spending savings (or their parents’ savings) for enhancements that make little difference in the event and how it is remembered. And the money saved can often be better used to start a life together. Why do people spend so much? In part, because they believe everyone else does. They read often-quoted figures like “the average wedding costs $30,000.” Actually, better statistics suggest that the median cost is more like $15,000 – so around half of couples get married (and most enjoy the wedding) for much less than people believe. It’s hard to give a specific amount, but aiming for the realistic median makes sense to me. But the key advice from the long-married is: Stay within a comfortable amount, because you will enjoy the wedding as much in a $500 dress as a $5000 one. The worst mistake? Upping the ante to keep up with (or exceed) friends’ weddings. How should a couple decide where to get married? According to couples who have made it to the finish line of marriage, there are three fundamental rules to choosing a location. First, focus on a place that is significant to you. In many cases, this is where one (or both) of you grew up. Or it may be a beloved location where you vacationed as a child, or where you are living happily now. Less likely to make you happy, in their view, is a mass-produced wedding at a place like a theme park. Second, prioritize making it easy for the people you care about to join you on the occasion. A destination wedding in Fiji may seem wonderfully exotic – but it will be limited to those guests who can afford it. My respondents in their 80s and beyond assure you that what you will remember are the faces and voices of the people who shared this day with you, much more than the resort’s pool and spa. Again, think people first, and make it affordable for them to celebrate with you. Third, if you disagree on where to hold the wedding, do this: Instead of stressing about the difference of opinion, use it as communication practice for the rest of your married life together. Stop to remember: If this is the most stressful experience you have in your married life, you will be very lucky. Learn to use some good conflict resolution techniques recommended by people married a half century or more, including:

• Let the other person have his or her say before interrupting;
• Avoid letting anger lead you to contemptuous remarks, like insults or sarcasm;
• Take at time out if you need it – not everything needs to be discussed until resolved; drop a contentious issue and come back to it.

If you disagree on where your wedding should be, why not take advantage of the golden opportunity to practice good communication early on? What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? The elders worry about young people focusing too much on “stuff” at weddings, and not enough about savoring the people and experiences that come with it. Psychologists make this distinction, finding that greater happiness comes from activities that are rewarding in and of themselves rather than acquiring material possessions. When thinking about a wedding, you can be sure that 50 years from now, you will remember sharing the joy with friends and relatives and taking a great honeymoon trip than you will the cappuccino maker and the steak knives. When budgeting, thing about doing rather than getting. For example, having a wedding in a cheaper venue and lower-cost catering so you can invite more people you care about, in their view, is a good choice. And those gifts? Don’t forget to leave room in the budget for funding a trip that leaves life-long memories. You can more easily stay on budget if you focus on experiences over things – which is what research shows us makes us happy in general, too! Karen J. Prager Professor of Psychology and Program Head for Gender Studies in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at University of Texas at Dallas How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? They should look together and with their parents at their finances and decide together what they can afford. I recommend that no one go into debt to finance a wedding. How should a couple decide where to get married? Tradition says it is in the bride’s locale. Otherwise, it’s wherever will be meaningful to both of them. What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? Start 6-9 months before the wedding contacting venues, florists, photographers, etc. to get the best people for the price. Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities? Have lots of really nice places for couples to marry that don’t cost a lot of money to rent. Keep the city/community beautiful. Do things to encourage small businesses that do weddings. Dasha B. Marchetti Executive Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Business Studies at Bucks County Community College How should a couple decide how much they should spend on a wedding? Although there is an ‘older’ culture of having the bride or her family pay for the wedding, that is so yesterday. Before the couple even gets engaged they need to lay their finances, including debt, right on the table and be open about all of it. Yes, it will be tough for most, but will help in the long run. First of all, be reasonable. Look at your current expenses and see how much you can ‘save’ every month for a year towards your wedding. Some costs will be up front and right before a wedding (i.e., catering, flowers, final venue payment) so it’s important to lay out a budget and know that you will need a large lump sum towards the tail end of your wedding planning. How should a couple decide where to get married? Communication and understanding is key, however being brutally realistic is another piece to remember. Depending on your budget, although your dream might be to get married in a castle, your money might only be able to afford a fire hall. Do not go into debt for a wedding, which is only one day of your life. What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget? Look at all options and think outside the box. We got married at a church and had the reception at a winery where the tables, chairs, and all the wine you and your guests can drink were included. We were also able to use an outside caterer (got to pick our own food and cost to meet our budget) and bring in our own beer and liquor (anything you don’t use you don’t pay for!). Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What measures can local authorities undertake in order to stimulate weddings in their respective communities? We are from Bucks County, Pennsylvania and used all local vendors; from the florist, to the caterer, to the church and reception venue. Vendors need to showcase their assets in different markets – I found a lot of mine through going to local bridal open houses as well as recommendations on social media. I followed some on Instagram and Pinterest, which helped me in the end not only get the vendor I needed but also the ideas for my wedding. Hooking up with a local Community College and offering courses in their areas for non-credit can also be a great way to be a part of their community!

Methodology

In order to identify the best and worst cities in which to tie the knot, WalletHub’s analysts compared 150 of the most populated U.S. cities across three key dimensions: 1) Costs, 2) Facilities & Services and 3) Activities & Attractions.

We examined those dimensions using 20 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for weddings.

We then calculated the overall score for each city using its weighted average across all metrics and constructed the final ranking based on the resulting scores.

Costs – Total Points: 40

• Average Wedding Cost: Triple Weight (~24.00 Points)
• Price of a Three-Star Hotel: Full Weight (~8.00 Points)
• Restaurant-Meal Costs: Full Weight (~8.00 Points)Note: “Restaurant Meal” refers to a three-course meal for two.

Facilities & Services – Total Points: 30

• Wedding Chapels & Churches per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Venues & Event Spaces per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Party-Equipment Rentals per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Event Planners per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Videographers & Photographers per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Musicians & DJs per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Makeup Artists & Hair Salons per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Bridal Shops per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Flower Shops per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Limousine Rentals per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Foodie Cities ranking.
• Hotels per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ranking.
• Restaurants & Bars per Capita: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Most Fun Cities in America ranking.

Activities & Attractions – Total Points: 30

• Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)
• Popularity as a Travel Destination: Full Weight(~6.00 Points)
• Foodie-Friendliness: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)
• Weather: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)
• Amusement & Entertainment: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)

 

Sources: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Wedding Report, Kayak.com, Numbeo, Tripadvisor, Travbuddy.com, Yelp and WalletHub research.

from Wallet HubWallet Hub


via Finance Xpress

There are three major tax preparation software packages on the market that most do-it-yourself tax preparers will use – TurboTax, TaxACT and H&R Block. Comparing these three options to find the cheapest can be a real chore. Each has several editions with varying features. As a result, it is important to compare competing editions between the providers, not just to look simply at the lowest overall price that any seem to be offering.

What is vitally important in selecting the least expensive tax software is making sure that you get the right one based on your own individual income tax situation. Each of these providers has a very attractive “free” package. But with two of them, they charge for a state return. The one totally free option is only for very basic returns. It won’t help those who have a complex tax return.

To help you sort through this mess, let’s take a look at the offerings of all three companies, as well as the individual editions, and the charges related to each. Note that the costs listed below are for the online versions of each tax software. The cost for the downloadable versions is listed at the end of the article.

TurboTax

TurboTax is highly regarded in the self-prepared income tax universe, and it is the most popular tax software. But it has five different editions, and you have to choose the right one for your tax situation. Otherwise, you’ll need to upgrade.

Here are summaries of all five editions:

Free Edition

This version is for simple tax returns, such as Forms 1040EZ and 1040A. It is free for both federal (including the Earned Income Credit, or EIC) and state returns. There is also no fee paid to TurboTax, as the name implies, and no fee to e-file. But just in case you’re thinking this is the way to go, remember that this edition is very basic. Essentially, it does none of the work that TurboTax is so well-known for.

For example, it does not transfer your information from a previous year. It also doesn’t provide online access to all tax returns on file, or search for deductions and credits. Still, for simple returns, it is the only free option available.

Deluxe

This is TurboTax’s most popular edition, and it provides most of the services the product is known for. It is recommended if you have tax deductions, as the edition is specifically designed to maximize those deductions. The cost is $34.99, and the e-file is free. There is an additional charge of $36.99 for state returns (per state). So if you have to file in your state, you’re really looking at $71.98 – and that’s assuming you don’t have to file for more than one state. Check out the TurboTax Deluxe Edition here.

Premier

This is the TurboTax edition you will need if you have taxable investments or rental property. It does everything the Deluxe version does, but it adds sale of investment securities, automatic calculation of cost basis for investments sold, and preparation of Schedule E for rental properties. The cost is $54.99 and includes free e-file.

It has the same additional charge for preparation of your state return(s), at $36.99 per state. Plan that you’ll have to come up with $91.98 for this edition if you have to file in your state. Check out the TurboTax Premier Edition here.

Self-Employed

This edition does everything that the Premier edition does, but it also adds preparation of Schedule C (sole proprietors). It maximizes business tax deductions and depreciation, and also reports income and expenses from S-Corporations, C-Corporations, partnerships, and multi-member LLCs (but not the actual returns for each). The cost for this edition is $89.99 including free e-file. And once again, many of you will have to add in the per-state charge of $36.99, bringing the actual cost to $126.98. Check out the Self-Employed Edition here.

TurboTax Business

While TurboTax used to offer this edition in an online version, it is now software/download-only. They have instead improved the Self-Employed edition that I just mentioned, making it a viable option for even more filers. If you have a more complex return and need the Business edition, though, you will need to download it this year.

This is the edition for small businesses other than those using a Schedule C. It includes preparation of returns for small S-Corporations, C-Corporations, partnerships, estates, trusts, and multi-member LLCs (this is different from, and more complex than, the capabilities of the Self-Employed edition above).

So, if your business takes one of these forms, you’ll need this edition. The cost is $149.99, which includes free e-file, but once again there is a $36.99 per state charge. The true price is then $186.98.

Related: Do You Need a Sole Proprietorship, an S-Corp, or an LLC?

With each of the editions, you start the process for free and just pay when you are done and ready to file.

Go to TurboTax’s Official Website

TaxACT

TaxACT works much the same way as TurboTax, in that it has multiple editions. In the past, it had a confusing array of editions and bundles. Recently, however, they have greatly simplified their production into three editions.

Free Federal. The free edition from TaxACT is limited to simple returns filed on Form 1040EZ and 1040A.  It is free for both your federal and state returns. The free edition also includes free e-file with the IRS. Check out the TaxAct Free Edition here.

Plus: The next level up is ideal for home owners and investors, as well as those itemizing their deductions. It costs $27 for the federal return and $33 for the state return, bringing the total to $60. Check out the TaxAct Plus Edition here.

Premium: This edition is designed for those who are self-employed, contractors, or freelancers. It costs $37 for the federal return and $33 for a state return. Total cost for federal+state (assuming you’re only filing in one state)? $70. Check out the TaxAct Premium Edition here. Before buying either the Plus or Premium editions, however, you must like at the Ultimate Bundle.

Ultimate Bundle. TaxAct does something a bit odd with its pricing. After running through all of the above editions with different prices, it then offers all tax forms and includes both federal and state returns in one bundle that it appropriately calls its Ultimate Bundle. The cost–$29.99. And once again, e-file is free. So for those that aren’t filing a 1040EZ (where the free edition is available) and plan to file a state return, the Ultimate bundle is the way to go. Check out the TaxAct Ultimate Bundle here.

**Home and Business Bundles. TaxACT offers three separate bundles if you plan to download their software (versus using the online version). These include filing options for a 1065 partnership return, a 1120S Sub-S Corporation, or an 1120 (C Corporation) return, at just $99.99 for each bundle. Each includes the basic package from Deluxe Federal and one free e-file. That price includes both business and personal returns, and both federal and state returns.**

Go to TaxACT’s Official Website

H&R Block

H&R Block has five editions, and you have to choose the one that most closely matches your tax profile.

More Zero Free Edition. H&R Block offers a “free” edition designed for simple returns and first-time tax filers. Like TurboTax and TaxAct, there is also no fee for a state return. Check out the H&R Block Free Edition here.

Deluxe. This edition is recommended for those with a more complicated return, such as freelancers. It has all the features of the Basic edition, as well as the ability to add freelance and independent contractor expenses (Schedule C-EZ). You can also store your return for up to 6 years with this edition. The cost of the package is $29.74. A state return adds $36.99 per state, so the total cost for this edition (federal and state) is $66.73. Check out the H&R Block Deluxe Edition here.

Premium. This edition has all the features of the Deluxe edition, but it is geared toward investors, small business owners, and investment property owners (Schedule E). The cost for the Premium edition is $46.74. As with the other editions, a state return will cost $36.99. The total cost for the federal and state package is $83.73. Check out the H&R Block Premium Edition here.

**Premium & Business. This edition is downloadable software (not an online edition, like the three listed above). It has all the features of the Premium edition, but is for preparation of corporate (S and C corporations), partnership, LLC, estates and trusts, and even non-profit income tax returns. It also produces payroll and employer forms, and unlimited business state program downloads. The cost for this edition is $62.97, and federal e-file is free. Check out the H&R Block Business Edition here.

Go to H&R Block’s Official Website

Worth Mentioning…

There’s a newbie to the free online tax filing game this year, in the form of an already-popular credit checking company: Credit Karma. Their new program, called Credit Karma Tax, is guaranteed to be completely free for almost all filers. The only exceptions are those filing small business returns — those filing small business expenses, however, can still use the program. You can check out our review of Credit Karma Tax here, which is brand new for 2017 (tax year 2016).

In Summary

All three vendors above have very similar editions available based on your tax situation. There is a wide variation in what each charges for their plans. TurboTax is definitely the highest priced, while TaxACT is clearly the lowest and H&R Block rests comfortably in the middle. It may come down to which program you have used in the past, and are the most comfortable working with.

Here is a summary of the costs based on various tax situations:

	TurboTax	H&R Block	TaxACT
Simple Returns (Federal Only)	FREE	FREE	FREE
Simple Returns (Federal + 1 state)	FREE	$9.99	FREE
Returns with Itemized Deductions (Federal + 1 State)	$71.98 (Deluxe)	$81.18 (Basic)	$29.98 (Plus)
Returns with Investments (Federal + 1 State)	$91.98 (Premier)	$89.68 (Deluxe)	$29.98 (Plus)
Returns for Real Estate Investors (Federal + 1 State)	$91.98 (Premier)	$102.43 (Premium)	$29.98 (Plus)
Returns with Self-Employed or Small Business Income (Federal + 1 State)	$116.98 (Home & Business)	$102.43 (Premium)	$36.98 (Ultimate Bundle)
	Go to TurboTax	Go to H&R Block	Go to TaxACT

Downloadable Versions

For those that don’t want to prepare their taxes online, downloadable versions of the tax software are available:

TurboTax: $29.99 to $99.99

TaxACT: Up to $70

H&R Block: $25.46 to $74.64 plus the cost of state returns and state e-file.

Topics: Podcast • Taxes

The post The Cheapest Tax Software of 2017–TurboTax vs TaxAct vs H&R Block appeared first on The Dough Roller.

via Finance Xpress

Posted by: John S Kiernan

 

While the Roman numerals may take some getting used to, Super Bowl LI (51) is largely characterized by familiarities, as Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots make their seventh run at the Lombardi Trophy since 2002 in the big game’s third trip to Space City. As usual, millions of people will tune in on television. And we’ll again consume more than a billion chicken wings while advertisers spend billions of dollars trying to curry our favor during uniquely popular commercial breaks. Lurking behind the standard hoopla, however, are an upstart and an unanswered question.

The Atlanta Falcons are set to make just their second Super Bowl appearance, finally equaling the number of times their hometown has hosted the event. But do they have what it takes to bring down the Patriots? Or will they end up looking like a bunch of modern-day Benedict Arnolds, betraying the hopes of their fans with a loss on the field?

Only time will tell which team winds up going to Disneyland, as they say. But we can certainly get you prepared for the action in the meantime. Below, you’ll find an awesome infographic with our favorite factoids and tidbits about Super Bowl LI, plus a Q&A with a panel of leading sports business experts. Enjoy the game!

{article_social_buttons}

Embed on your website<a href="http://ift.tt/2kFeEw6; <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/images/posts/18920/super-bowl-50_infographic_0201161.png" width="700" height="5598" alt="super-bowl-50_Infographic_020116" /> </a> <div style="width:700px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2kiTzd7; Ask the Experts

For additional insight into the business of the big game, and the NFL more generally, we posed the following questions to a panel of leading experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.

1. Who's your pick to win?
2. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area?
3. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies?
4. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league?

< >

• Raymond Sauer Professor and Chair of the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University
• Tim Groseclose Professor in the Department of Economics and Adam Smith Chair in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
• Brian Larson Director of Sport Management and Associate Professor of Marketing in the School of Business Administration at Widener University
• Kevin W. Downer Director of Sport Management and Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Bluefield College
• Anthony G. Weaver Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sport & Event Management at Elon University
• Vassilis Dalakas Professor of Marketing in the College of Business Administration at California State University San Marcos
• Brandon Brown Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management at University of Tampa
• Peter A. Carfagna Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, and CEO of Magis, LLC

Raymond Sauer Professor and Chair of the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University Who's your pick to win? Carolina will win, by a touchdown or more. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? Zero economic impact. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Budweiser will do something silly, but also something fun with the Clydesdales. They have been buying ad time for decades and aren’t stupid, so for them, at least, I expect it’s a good investment. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? There will be a Super Bowl 60, but beyond a decade out nobody knows. Baseball is the only sport with a championship that looks similar to what is was 100 years ago. Player safety is the issue in professional football. The size and speed of the players in today’s game combine to destroy the bodies and minds of the participants. This is a critical issue and difficult to solve. Tim Groseclose Professor in the Department of Economics and Adam Smith Chair in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? I predict at least a hundred. The television shows that are hurting most with ad revenue seem to be the ones that viewers are most likely to TiVo. No one I know TiVos the Super Bowl. Consequently, I predict ad revenue with the Super Bowl to increase over the next several years. If I were the producer of a sit-com or news show, I'd be jealous of the folks running the Super Bowl. Brian Larson Director of Sport Management and Associate Professor of Marketing in the School of Business Administration at Widener University Who's your pick to win? Carolina Panthers. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? Economists estimate that the 70,000 attendees will spend between $2000 and $3000 dollars each. Moreover, the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to receive about 1 million extra visitors attributed to the Super Bowl festivities. Each of them needs a place to sleep and food to eat. It will be a large economic impact. However, the San Francisco area taxpayers have also invested approximately $5 million dollars that they need to recover (costs like additional security for instance). What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Commercials are more expensive than ever. However, they are a necessary investment for large brands that sell consumer goods and services. Few events capture more eyeballs than the Super Bowl. Promoting your brand to a massive audience is more difficult than ever so the Super Bowl remains a valuable and rare opportunity to complete a marketing promotion’s strategy. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? The Super Bowl will remain as long as fans stay engaged. Businesses will support the Super Bowl as long as it delivers returns on investment. If fans attend and support NFL sponsors, firms will stand in line to support the NFL. The biggest issue for the NFL is to continue to grow the market base (Europe, Asia, women, etc.). Kevin W. Downer Director of Sport Management and Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Bluefield College Who's your pick to win? Carolina Panthers. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? My estimate would be at around 200 million dollars. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? A trend to be expected this year would be consolidating brand loyalty. Super Bowl ad time could be an effective investment for companies; it depends on the goals of the ad campaign; it is always a matter of benefits, cost and value. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? There will be Super Bowls as long as fans buy tickets and merchandise, and watch games on TV. The biggest issues are faced by the NFL are the concussions, player safety, and grassroots development. Anthony G. Weaver Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sport & Event Management at Elon University Who's your pick to win? Carolina. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? It would not be a surprise if the economic impact has been overstated. Typically, the economic impact of hosting mega-events is not as great as many people believe. Although the public has become more aware of what is happening with their tax dollars and understand that the return on investment of major projects such as hosting the Super Bowl is limited, there still can be great value. For instance, putting San Jose on a very short list of cities that hosted the Super Bowl can have a dramatic impact on the increase in community visibility. The key is turning this visibility into sustainable opportunities that invites new money into the area. If you cannot turn the increased attention into new money, then the impact will be short-lived. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Companies will continue the trend of getting viewers interactive. An interactive media approach will allow companies to stay with a viewer for much longer than the 30 second ad spot will allow. Extended time on social media will give companies more time for consumers to focus on the product. Yes, I think Super Bowl ad time is an effective investment for companies, but you have to have a quality product behind it... advertising is such a small part of the overall marketing plan. If the marketing plan is strong, then yes, the Super Bowl will get your product in front of a captive audience. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? I do not see an end in sight. The biggest issue facing the league is injury to the players. If the quality of the game is diminished because athletes are choosing not to play football, than eventually fans will turn away... but, I don't see that happening any time soon. I think the league will continue to do everything they can to improve player safety while maintaining an entertaining product. However, it is not out of the realm of possibilities - look what has happened to boxing. Sports can lose their place quickly... it can be replaced with something more entertaining. I just don't see the NFL sitting back and letting that happen. Vassilis Dalakas Professor of Marketing in the College of Business Administration at California State University San Marcos Who's your pick to win? Well, the team wearing white jerseys won 10 of the last 11 Super Bowls. So, in that respect, the Broncos seem to have the advantage as they will be the team in white jerseys. Joking aside, having a match-up between the teams with the best regular season record in their conferences suggests it should be a competitive game. Denver has had its struggles but it’s managed to get through them, whereas Carolina has been quite dominant both in the regular season (almost undefeated) and the play-offs. I expect Carolina’s run will continue and they will win, elevating Cam Newton to an endorsement super star. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Super Bowl commercials traditionally rely on humor. Viewers look forward to them mostly because they expect them to be funny. I expect this trend to continue. I think brands have to be careful when trying to convey serious messages in this viewing context. The Nationwide commercial with the dying child from last year reminds us this fact very well. Of course, the challenge is to be humorous in a way that helps convey a message that builds the brand. In the past, we have had more misses than hits with humorous ads that either were just not that funny or their humor was not brand-related. I won’t be surprised to see a few like these again this year. I also expect this year the advertisers to actively integrate social media within their marketing around the Super Bowl spots. Many people are active on social media while watching television. Thus, it makes great sense to engage the TV audience through social media and get much more mileage from the commercial. Given this is Super Bowl 50, a special celebration, I think this may be a good opportunity for brands to highlight their own history, tradition, accomplishments, or prestige. I don’t know if any advertiser will end up using that approach, but, of all years, this would be the one that is a nice fit to do so. As far as ad time in the Super Bowl being an effective investment, it depends a lot on what a brand is trying to accomplish and whether that can be accomplished through other means for less money. Some brands (especially newer ones) see the Super Bowl as the Holy Grail and consider advertising there as the sign they have arrived. The Super Bowl in 2000 is a good reminder of that philosophy and how costly it can be: 19 online startups bought expensive Super Bowl spots expecting them to be the key to their success. Several of these companies did not last more than a year or two. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? I honestly can’t imagine there is an end. The NFL has faced serious issues and strong criticism but appears to be scandal-proof and remains strong as ever. This season began with the Deflate Gate fiasco and then we have had controversy regarding concussions. Last season started with a public outcry about how the NFL handled domestic violence. These kinds of crises would likely destroy most brands. However, the NFL is so strongly ingrained in our culture and an integral part of many people’s identity that it seems to be invincible. Whatever the issues (past, present, or future), they are able to get past them and not only survive but actually thrive. Brandon Brown Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management at University of Tampa Who's your pick to win? While it may be closer than many think, I think the Panthers will take this one (…again, in a close one!). What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? I’m a believer in positive economic impact. While it may be tough to give an exact figure, I will say that I believe in long term impact. That is, I believe aspects such as psychic income and civic pride play a larger role than many believe. As of yet, it’s been difficult, if not impossible, to track aspects like psychic impressions, and word of mouth – both of which can eventually sway future visits (that may even take place years later). What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? I think as social media grows, companies will realize that the ROI from Super Bowl social media campaigns will vastly outweigh the ROI from Super Bowl television commercials. I believe this will eventually influence the market, and the demand for such commercials at such a high price will go down. To be honest, I see this happening sooner rather than later. In turn, I think we’ll see (in the near future) less commercials from smaller companies, and lower priced commercials for large companies. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? As of now, the Super Bowl is directly embedded in American culture. That is, even if you don’t consider yourself a football fan, you’ll likely consume (i.e., watch and/or follow) the Super Bowl due to it being part of America’s everyday lifestyle. With all of this being said, I don’t see an end in the near future. I believe there are two main issues facing the league. As with many other leagues, there is the issue of in-stadium attendance. Households aren’t just purchasing more televisions and larger televisions, but studies have shown that the rise of social media is influencing consumers to watch sporting events with multiple screens (e.g., simultaneously using TV and Twitter via tablet/phone). All of this enhances the in-home experience and lessens the demand for in-stadium attendance. The other issue if that of concussions. I can’t say much other than what has already been said. Studies are showing that parents (who themselves have played and are fans of football) are either swaying or not allowing their children to play football. While there will always be some type of demand for the sport of football, this issue may cause a drop off in the sport’s popularity here in America. Peter A. Carfagna Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, and CEO of Magis, LLC Who's your pick to win? Panthers by 6 or more -- Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly will be too much for the Broncos to handle. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? Many millions of incoming dollars -- but with dislocation of local events and venues, including the youth soccer fields that were closed to accommodate the Super Bowl Events and parking. There are always "unintended consequences" like that whenever a city hosts a major sporting event like a Super Bowl or the Olympics. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Quicker/faster -- more immediate "direct hits" aimed at the heart of the ad sponsors' relevant demographics --"the simpler the better" with at least one memorable/distinctive leave-behind impression that will (hopefully) subliminally lead to product purchases. Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Yes -- if it is used effectively, and targeted at just the right audiences/demographics. "Proof of performance" reports after the game will inform ad sponsors if they "hit or missed the mark," which will guide their judgment for next year -- "to advertise, or not to advertise"-- that will be the abiding question each year, given the escalating prices for the ads. But advertisers wouldn't keep buying all available Inventory if they didn't think it was a good Investment. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? 100 or more. There is no end in sight -- "the best is yet to come" as the NFL expands internationally -- it might become the Intergalactic Super Bowl, if we give it enough time! How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? The concussion crisis -- we may be seeing "flag or touch football" in the future, as we recently saw at the NFL Pro Bowl -- very limited tackling, and only "from the side" -- as in rugby. No more "direct hits" to the head -- that will likely become the new rule at all levels of the game.

from Wallet HubWallet Hub


via Finance Xpress

Posted by: Richie Bernardo

To call yourself a true fan of football is to acknowledge that the sport is more than a game: it’s a sacred American tradition. You’re not just a spectator but also a participant. You don’t just proudly wear your team’s jersey, perfect your game-day chili or tailgate with fellow fans. You must roar like an American when your team scores a touchdown — or express supreme dismay when their asses are handed to them on a platter.

But to show your passion for the sport, you need the best seats in the house. With Super Bowl LI upon us, WalletHub’s number crunchers compared 244 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team across 17 key metrics. Our data set ranges from “number of NFL and college football teams” to “average ticket price for an NFL game” to “fan friendliness.” Read on for the winners, expert sports commentary and a full description of how we ranked the cities. For fun and interesting facts about the biggest sporting event of the year, make sure to check out WalletHub’s Super Bowl LI By The Numbers infographic.

1. Main Findings
2. Rankings by City Size
3. Ask the Experts
4. Methodology

Main Findings

  Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/9691/geochart-sportfans.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2juCNUv;  

Best Football Cities for Fans

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	‘NFL’ Rank	‘NCAA (FBS & FCS)’ Rank
1	Green Bay, WI	63.69	1	235
2	Pittsburgh, PA	50.45	2	4
3	New York, NY	43.30	4	18
4	Dallas, TX	41.04	3	235
5	Boston, MA	39.91	5	120
6	Seattle, WA	39.28	9	71
7	Philadelphia, PA	39.18	17	3
8	Indianapolis, IN	38.44	7	138
9	Glendale, AZ	36.94	6	235
10	Minneapolis, MN	36.82	14	31
11	Atlanta, GA	36.48	16	22
12	Kansas City, MO	36.41	8	235
13	Houston, TX	36.07	24	7
14	Charlotte, NC	35.50	12	174
15	Miami, FL	35.29	19	27
16	Denver, CO	35.24	10	235
17	Oakland, CA	34.45	11	235
18	Nashville, TN	33.34	23	74
19	Tampa, FL	33.29	26	61
20	Cleveland, OH	32.94	13	235
21	Buffalo, NY	32.89	20	150
22	Los Angeles, CA	32.57	21	145
23	New Orleans, LA	32.07	18	192
24	San Diego, CA	32.05	31	8
25	Washington, DC	31.81	30	66
26	Cincinnati, OH	31.65	15	214
27	Baltimore, MD	31.20	28	139
28	Clemson, SC	30.42	32	1
29	Tuscaloosa, AL	30.32	32	2
30	Jacksonville, FL	29.49	29	200
31	San Francisco, CA	29.21	22	235
32	Chicago, IL	28.72	25	235
33	Detroit, MI	28.60	27	235
34	Fayette, MS	23.24	32	5
35	Baton Rouge, LA	23.06	32	6
36	Cambridge, MA	21.54	32	9
37	Tallahassee, FL	21.49	32	10
38	Gainesville, FL	21.40	32	11
39	Athens, GA	21.00	32	13
40	Chapel Hill, NC	20.92	32	14
41	Huntington, WV	20.83	32	15
42	Fargo, ND	20.73	32	16
43	DeKalb, IL	20.69	32	17
44	State College, PA	20.37	32	19
45	Toledo, OH	20.29	32	20
46	Lincoln, NE	20.17	32	23
47	Jacksonville, AL	20.10	32	24
48	Grambling, LA	19.78	32	25
49	Dayton, OH	19.65	32	26
50	Princeton, NJ	19.61	32	12
51	Boise, ID	19.40	32	28
52	Boone, NC	19.38	32	29
53	Eugene, OR	19.36	32	30
54	Huntsville, TX	19.22	32	32
55	Durham, NC	19.20	32	33
56	Statesboro, GA	19.17	32	34
57	Hanover, NH	19.08	32	35
58	Harrisonburg, VA	19.00	32	36
59	Conway, SC	18.97	32	38
60	Bowling Green, KY	18.88	32	40
61	Norman, OK	18.85	32	41
62	Madison, WI	18.75	32	42
63	Cheney, WA	18.72	32	43
64	Ruston, LA	18.62	32	44
65	New Haven, CT	18.62	32	21
66	Annapolis, MD	18.53	32	45
67	Bowling Green, OH	18.50	32	46
68	Conway, AR	18.49	32	47
69	West Point, NY	18.47	32	48
70	Durham, NH	18.34	32	50
71	Norfolk, VA	18.31	32	51
72	Fayetteville, AR	18.31	32	52
73	Hamilton, NY	18.29	32	53
74	Prairie View, TX	18.27	32	54
75	Morgantown, WV	18.26	32	55
76	Youngstown, OH	18.23	32	56
77	Lake Charles, LA	18.18	32	57
78	Knoxville, TN	18.13	32	58
79	Provo, UT	18.12	32	59
80	Normal, IL	17.97	32	60
81	Stillwater, OK	17.96	32	63
81	Athens, OH	17.96	32	62
83	Colorado Springs, CO	17.93	32	64
84	Chattanooga, TN	17.89	32	65
85	Mount Pleasant, MI	17.86	32	67
86	Waco, TX	17.85	32	68
87	Fort Worth, TX	17.84	32	69
88	Richmond, VA	17.82	32	70
89	Jonesboro, AR	17.74	32	72
90	Memphis, TN	17.74	32	73
91	Brookings, SD	17.55	32	75
92	Ann Arbor, MI	17.47	32	37
93	Grand Forks, ND	17.41	32	76
94	East Lansing, MI	17.39	32	39
95	Martin, TN	17.19	32	77
96	Orangeburg, SC	17.15	32	78
97	Richmond, KY	17.14	32	79
98	Williamsburg, VA	17.11	32	80
99	Lewisburg, PA	16.98	32	81
100	Birmingham, AL	16.98	32	82
101	Charleston, SC	16.96	32	83
102	Columbus, OH	16.94	32	49
103	Pasadena, CA	16.94	32	84
104	Champaign, IL	16.94	32	85
105	Des Moines, IA	16.87	32	86
106	Louisville, KY	16.84	32	87
107	Iowa City, IA	16.81	32	88
108	Smithfield, RI	16.81	32	89
109	Spartanburg, SC	16.77	32	90
110	Hammond, LA	16.75	32	91
111	Cullowhee, NC	16.73	32	92
112	Oxford, OH	16.72	32	93
113	Boulder, CO	16.72	32	94
114	Akron, OH	16.70	32	96
115	Missoula, MT	16.63	32	97
116	Kennesaw, GA	16.63	32	98
117	West Long Branch, NJ	16.61	32	99
118	Tempe, AZ	16.58	32	100
119	San Antonio, TX	16.53	32	101
120	Murfreesboro, TN	16.53	32	102
121	Manhattan, KS	16.51	32	103
122	Macomb, IL	16.50	32	104
123	Evanston, IL	16.46	32	105
124	Flagstaff, AZ	16.44	32	106
125	Bethlehem, PA	16.43	32	107
126	Troy, AL	16.37	32	108
127	Charleston, IL	16.34	32	109
128	San Luis Obispo, CA	16.30	32	110
129	Logan, UT	16.30	32	111
130	Tucson, AZ	16.29	32	112
131	College Park, MD	16.24	32	113
132	Cedar City, UT	16.19	32	114
133	Berkeley, CA	16.15	32	115
134	Nacogdoches, TX	16.11	32	116
135	Albuquerque, NM	16.11	32	117
136	Abilene, TX	16.04	32	119
137	Piscatawayship, NJ	15.98	32	121
138	Reno, NV	15.96	32	122
139	Beaumont, TX	15.95	32	123
140	Orono, ME	15.95	32	124
141	Terre Haute, IN	15.94	32	125
142	Macon, GA	15.90	32	126
142	Pullman, WA	15.90	32	126
144	Orlando, FL	15.90	32	128
145	Lafayette, LA	15.81	32	130
146	Austin, TX	15.80	32	131
147	Providence, RI	15.79	32	132
148	Greeley, CO	15.74	32	133
149	Tulsa, OK	15.72	32	134
150	Cookeville, TN	15.66	32	135
151	University Park, TX	15.55	32	136
152	Poughkeepsie, NY	15.53	32	137
153	Boiling Springs, NC	15.44	32	140
154	Towson, MD	15.44	32	141
155	Carbondale, IL	15.42	32	142
156	Ithaca, NY	15.42	32	143
157	El Paso, TX	15.40	32	144
158	Stanford, CA	15.37	32	95
159	Greenville, NC	15.25	32	146
160	Lexington, KY	15.20	32	147
161	Lubbock, TX	15.17	32	148
162	Hampton, VA	15.03	32	149
163	Pocatello, ID	14.93	32	151
164	Natchitoches, LA	14.90	32	152
165	Easton, PA	14.79	32	153
166	Auburn, AL	14.77	32	118
167	Raleigh, NC	14.75	32	154
168	Murray, KY	14.68	32	155
169	Greenville, SC	14.67	32	156
170	San Marcos, TX	14.66	32	157
171	Clinton, SC	14.65	32	158
172	San Jose, CA	14.55	32	159
173	Oxford, MS	14.55	32	129
174	Jackson, MS	14.55	32	160
175	Vermillion, SD	14.54	32	161
176	Columbia, SC	14.53	32	162
177	Honolulu, HI	14.49	32	163
178	Ypsilanti, MI	14.42	32	164
179	Sacramento, CA	14.42	32	165
180	Syracuse, NY	14.42	32	166
181	Monroe, LA	14.37	32	167
182	Elon, NC	14.34	32	168
183	Winston-Salem, NC	14.33	32	169
184	Charlottesville, VA	14.26	32	170
184	Itta Bena, MS	14.26	32	170
186	Johnson City, TN	14.26	32	172
187	Kent, OH	14.25	32	173
188	Denton, TX	14.05	32	175
189	West Lafayette, IN	14.03	32	176
190	Springfield, MO	14.02	32	178
191	Corvallis, OR	14.00	32	179
192	Huntsville, AL	13.99	32	180
193	Fresno, CA	13.96	32	181
194	Boca Raton, FL	13.93	32	182
195	Thibodaux, LA	13.86	32	183
196	Morehead, KY	13.78	32	184
197	Portland, OR	13.77	32	185
197	Ames, IA	13.77	32	185
199	South Bend, IN	13.74	32	187
200	Las Cruces, NM	13.73	32	188
201	Davis, CA	13.57	32	189
202	Las Vegas, NV	13.50	32	190
203	Kingston, RI	13.02	32	193
204	Starkville, MS	12.90	32	177
205	Savannah, GA	12.76	32	196
206	College Station, TX	12.27	32	191
207	Lawrence, KS	12.07	32	197
208	Dover, DE	11.91	32	198
209	Clarksville, TN	11.88	32	199
210	Kalamazoo, MI	11.82	32	194
211	Greensboro, NC	11.78	32	195
212	Salt Lake City, UT	10.64	32	201
213	Loretto, PA	10.48	32	202
214	Columbia, MO	10.25	32	203
215	North Charleston, SC	10.00	32	204
216	Blacksburg, VA	9.83	32	205
217	Daytona Beach, FL	9.47	32	206
218	Newark, DE	9.41	32	207
219	Fairfield, CT	9.36	32	208
220	Fort Collins, CO	9.10	32	209
221	Cedar Falls, IA	9.01	32	210
222	Bozeman, MT	8.87	32	211
223	Lynchburg, VA	8.72	32	212
224	Buies Creek, NC	8.55	32	213
225	Hattiesburg, MS	7.95	32	215
226	Laramie, WY	7.81	32	216
227	Montgomery, AL	7.79	32	217
228	Albany, NY	7.78	32	218
229	Stony Brook, NY	7.62	32	219
230	Bloomington, IN	7.34	32	220
231	Muncie, IN	7.33	32	221
232	Mobile, AL	7.31	32	222
233	Ogden, UT	7.14	32	223
234	Moscow, ID	6.96	32	224
235	Worcester, MA	6.92	32	225
236	DeLand, FL	6.36	32	226
237	Cape Girardeau, MO	6.35	32	227
238	Valparaiso, IN	6.07	32	228
239	East Hartford, CT	6.03	32	229
240	Amherst, MA	5.74	32	230
241	Lexington, VA	5.50	32	231
242	New Britain, CT	5.37	32	232
243	Pine Bluff, AR	4.91	32	233
244	Davidson, NC	4.33	32	234

Rankings by City Size

Rank	Large City (Score)		Rank	Midsize City (Score)		Rank	Small City (Score)
1	Pittsburgh, PA (50.45)		1	Glendale, AZ (36.94)		1	Green Bay, WI (63.69)
2	New York, NY (43.30)		2	Buffalo, NY (32.89)		2	Clemson, SC (30.42)
3	Dallas, TX (41.04)		3	Cincinnati, OH (31.65)		3	Tuscaloosa, AL (30.32)
4	Boston, MA (39.91)		4	Baton Rouge, LA (23.06)		4	Fayette, MS (23.24)
5	Seattle, WA (39.28)		5	Tallahassee, FL (21.49)		5	Cambridge, MA (21.54)
6	Philadelphia, PA (39.18)		6	Gainesville, FL (21.40)		6	Athens, GA (21.00)
7	Indianapolis, IN (38.44)		7	Toledo, OH (20.29)		7	Chapel Hill, NC (20.92)
8	Minneapolis, MN (36.82)		8	Lincoln, NE (20.17)		8	Huntington, WV (20.83)
9	Atlanta, GA (36.48)		9	Dayton, OH (19.65)		9	Fargo, ND (20.73)
10	Kansas City, MO (36.41)		10	Boise, ID (19.40)		10	DeKalb, IL (20.69)
11	Houston, TX (36.07)		11	Eugene, OR (19.36)		11	State College, PA (20.37)
12	Charlotte, NC (35.50)		12	Durham, NC (19.20)		12	Jacksonville, AL (20.10)
13	Miami, FL (35.29)		13	Madison, WI (18.75)		13	Grambling, LA (19.78)
14	Denver, CO (35.24)		14	New Haven, CT (18.62)		14	Princeton, NJ (19.61)
15	Oakland, CA (34.45)		15	Norfolk, VA (18.31)		15	Boone, NC (19.38)
16	Nashville, TN (33.34)		16	Knoxville, TN (18.13)		16	Huntsville, TX (19.22)
17	Tampa, FL (33.29)		17	Chattanooga, TN (17.89)		17	Statesboro, GA (19.17)
18	Cleveland, OH (32.94)		18	Waco, TX (17.85)		18	Hanover, NH (19.08)
19	Los Angeles, CA (32.57)		19	Richmond, VA (17.82)		19	Harrisonburg, VA (19.00)
20	New Orleans, LA (32.07)		20	Birmingham, AL (16.98)		20	Conway, SC (18.97)
21	San Diego, CA (32.05)		21	Charleston, SC (16.96)		21	Bowling Green, KY (18.88)
22	Washington, DC (31.81)		22	Pasadena, CA (16.94)		22	Norman, OK (18.85)
23	Baltimore, MD (31.20)		23	Des Moines, IA (16.87)		23	Cheney, WA (18.72)
24	Jacksonville, FL (29.49)		24	Akron, OH (16.70)		24	Ruston, LA (18.62)
25	San Francisco, CA (29.21)		25	Tempe, AZ (16.58)		25	Annapolis, MD (18.53)
26	Chicago, IL (28.72)		26	Reno, NV (15.96)		26	Bowling Green, OH (18.50)
27	Detroit, MI (28.60)		27	Macon, GA (15.90)		27	Conway, AR (18.49)
28	Colorado Springs, CO (17.93)		28	Orlando, FL (15.90)		28	West Point, NY (18.47)
29	Fort Worth, TX (17.84)		29	Providence, RI (15.79)		29	Durham, NH (18.34)
30	Memphis, TN (17.74)		30	Lubbock, TX (15.17)		30	Fayetteville, AR (18.31)
31	Columbus, OH (16.94)		31	Hampton, VA (15.03)		31	Hamilton, NY (18.29)
32	Louisville, KY (16.84)		32	Jackson, MS (14.55)		32	Prairie View, TX (18.27)
33	San Antonio, TX (16.53)		33	Columbia, SC (14.53)		33	Morgantown, WV (18.26)
34	Tucson, AZ (16.29)		34	Syracuse, NY (14.42)		34	Youngstown, OH (18.23)
35	Albuquerque, NM (16.11)		35	Winston-Salem, NC (14.33)		35	Lake Charles, LA (18.18)
36	Austin, TX (15.80)		36	Denton, TX (14.05)		36	Provo, UT (18.12)
37	Tulsa, OK (15.72)		37	Springfield, MO (14.02)		37	Normal, IL (17.97)
38	El Paso, TX (15.40)		38	Huntsville, AL (13.99)		38	Stillwater, OK (17.96)
39	Lexington, KY (15.20)		39	Savannah, GA (12.76)		38	Athens, OH (17.96)
40	Raleigh, NC (14.75)		40	Clarksville, TN (11.88)		40	Mount Pleasant, MI (17.86)
41	San Jose, CA (14.55)		41	Greensboro, NC (11.78)		41	Jonesboro, AR (17.74)
42	Honolulu, HI (14.49)		42	Salt Lake City, UT (10.64)		42	Brookings, SD (17.55)
43	Sacramento, CA (14.42)		43	Fort Collins, CO (9.10)		43	Ann Arbor, MI (17.47)
44	Fresno, CA (13.96)		44	Montgomery, AL (7.79)		44	Grand Forks, ND (17.41)
45	Portland, OR (13.77)		45	Mobile, AL (7.31)		45	East Lansing, MI (17.39)
46	Las Vegas, NV (13.50)		46	Worcester, MA (6.92)		46	Martin, TN (17.19)
						47	Orangeburg, SC (17.15)
						48	Richmond, KY (17.14)
						49	Williamsburg, VA (17.11)
						50	Lewisburg, PA (16.98)
						51	Champaign, IL (16.94)
						52	Iowa City, IA (16.81)
						53	Smithfield, RI (16.81)
						54	Spartanburg, SC (16.77)
						55	Hammond, LA (16.75)
						56	Cullowhee, NC (16.73)
						57	Oxford, OH (16.72)
						58	Boulder, CO (16.72)
						59	Missoula, MT (16.63)
						60	Kennesaw, GA (16.63)
						61	West Long Branch, NJ (16.61)
						62	Murfreesboro, TN (16.53)
						63	Manhattan, KS (16.51)
						64	Macomb, IL (16.50)
						65	Evanston, IL (16.46)
						66	Flagstaff, AZ (16.44)
						67	Bethlehem, PA (16.43)
						68	Troy, AL (16.37)
						69	Charleston, IL (16.34)
						70	San Luis Obispo, CA (16.30)
						71	Logan, UT (16.30)
						72	College Park, MD (16.24)
						73	Cedar City, UT (16.19)
						74	Berkeley, CA (16.15)
						75	Nacogdoches, TX (16.11)
						76	Abilene, TX (16.04)
						77	Piscatawayship, NJ (15.98)
						78	Beaumont, TX (15.95)
						79	Orono, ME (15.95)
						80	Terre Haute, IN (15.94)
						81	Pullman, WA (15.90)
						82	Lafayette, LA (15.81)
						83	Greeley, CO (15.74)
						84	Cookeville, TN (15.66)
						85	University Park, TX (15.55)
						86	Poughkeepsie, NY (15.53)
						87	Boiling Springs, NC (15.44)
						88	Towson, MD (15.44)
						89	Carbondale, IL (15.42)
						90	Ithaca, NY (15.42)
						91	Stanford, CA (15.37)
						92	Greenville, NC (15.25)
						93	Pocatello, ID (14.93)
						94	Natchitoches, LA (14.90)
						95	Easton, PA (14.79)
						96	Auburn, AL (14.77)
						97	Murray, KY (14.68)
						98	Greenville, SC (14.67)
						99	San Marcos, TX (14.66)
						100	Clinton, SC (14.65)
						101	Oxford, MS (14.55)
						102	Vermillion, SD (14.54)
						103	Ypsilanti, MI (14.42)
						104	Monroe, LA (14.37)
						105	Elon, NC (14.34)
						106	Charlottesville, VA (14.26)
						106	Itta Bena, MS (14.26)
						108	Johnson City, TN (14.26)
						109	Kent, OH (14.25)
						110	West Lafayette, IN (14.03)
						111	Corvallis, OR (14.00)
						112	Boca Raton, FL (13.93)
						113	Thibodaux, LA (13.86)
						114	Morehead, KY (13.78)
						115	Ames, IA (13.77)
						116	South Bend, IN (13.74)
						117	Las Cruces, NM (13.73)
						118	Davis, CA (13.57)
						119	Kingston, RI (13.02)
						120	Starkville, MS (12.90)
						121	College Station, TX (12.27)
						122	Lawrence, KS (12.07)
						123	Dover, DE (11.91)
						124	Kalamazoo, MI (11.82)
						125	Loretto, PA (10.48)
						126	Columbia, MO (10.25)
						127	North Charleston, SC (10.00)
						128	Blacksburg, VA (9.83)
						129	Daytona Beach, FL (9.47)
						130	Newark, DE (9.41)
						131	Fairfield, CT (9.36)
						132	Cedar Falls, IA (9.01)
						133	Bozeman, MT (8.87)
						134	Lynchburg, VA (8.72)
						135	Buies Creek, NC (8.55)
						136	Hattiesburg, MS (7.95)
						137	Laramie, WY (7.81)
						138	Albany, NY (7.78)
						139	Stony Brook, NY (7.62)
						140	Bloomington, IN (7.34)
						141	Muncie, IN (7.33)
						142	Ogden, UT (7.14)
						143	Moscow, ID (6.96)
						144	DeLand, FL (6.36)
						145	Cape Girardeau, MO (6.35)
						146	Valparaiso, IN (6.07)
						147	East Hartford, CT (6.03)
						148	Amherst, MA (5.74)
						149	Lexington, VA (5.50)
						150	New Britain, CT (5.37)
						151	Pine Bluff, AR (4.91)
						152	Davidson, NC (4.33)

Ask the Experts

Certain qualities make a city a good environment for football fans. For more insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today?
2. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long-term health and safety of players?
3. What makes a good football fan?
4. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football — at home, in a bar or at the stadium, for instance — without breaking the bank?
5. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities?
6. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city?

< >

• Robert Boland Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Sports Administration at the Ohio University College of Business
• Patrick Walsh Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University
• Yuhei Inoue Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Kinesiology at University of Minnesota
• Tim DeSchriver Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at University of Delaware
• Elizabeth B. Delia Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst
• William P. Putsis Professor of Marketing in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Matt Katz Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst
• William A. Sutton Director of the Sport & Entertainment Business Program in the Muma College of Business at University of South Florida
• David Berri Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University
• Michael R. Lysko Professor of Practice and Director of the Sport Management Program at Southern Methodist University

Robert Boland Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Sports Administration at the Ohio University College of Business What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The biggest challenge facing pro football is the overall health and well-being crisis regarding current and former players. It threatens the sport on two levels: first, it has the potential to marginalize the sport, causing fans and, perhaps more crucially, sponsors to turn away; second, it has the potential to diminish the flow of young players moving up the ranks which is a pipeline that keeps the sport growing. Boxing has endured both of these effects in the last two decades. Football's popularity hasn't ticked measurably downward but the constant drumbeat of safety concerns is having an effect on those who are playing the game and how and where opportunities to play exist at the youth and scholastic levels. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Rules changes are helpful. Independent concussion protocols and improvement in practice and training that have been enacted also help. But a focus on transition issues for retiring professional players would do the most good and have been the most ignored. It's long been said that a pro athlete suffers two deaths, the first when he leaves the game that has shaped his life. This is sadly too true for pro football players. They retire often earlier than anticipated and with too little money and no more coming in. It is when they have to move forward without any of the support systems that they have come to depend on in college and in the pros, even losing their paid health insurance after 5 years, often, that the most serious issues begin to arise. So the solution needs to be an overarching and widely available program that focuses on post-career transition that includes deferred salary and insurance benefits, continuous medical, psychological and educational support. Many of these programs exist on a piecemeal basis and some players take advantage, but having a measurable holistic transitional management process in place is now very much a business issue for the NFL, its owners and the players union. What makes a good football fan? A very fair question because the fan of pro football is undergoing a fairly significant change. The years since World War II the NFL really built its success around the significance of football as a sport in towns, schools and in the fabric of society, and it used both the excitement of its live product and its extraordinary television capability to move those fans. But those fans typically were male and had played the sport of tackle football at some point in their life and had shared some common beliefs on the value of the sport. The present day football fan is increasingly likely not to have ever played tackle football, ever attended an NFL game in person and shares no common opinion on the meaning of the game and is now reached through an alternative means such as fantasy or video gaming. So the current fan is certainly different than a generation ago and that is a source of some disruption. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? The Super Bowl has certainly become our national watch, whether at home or in a bar. This may still be the singular power of football - that since the games are played at a time (weekends or evenings) when most of us can watch, we do come together as a nation more to watch football than to do almost anything else. Everybody has their own strategy. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? It would be rare to say having a pro football team is an economic drain for any city. You'd have to look at a city where the stadium deal has been a particularly poor one for taxpayers to consider having a team to be any kind of a net drain; Cincinnati and Hamilton County come to mind. Most NFL cities are diverse enough that having a team is but one aspect of economic infrastructure and development for the city. But if the possibility of having a team means having a stadium that could host other major events, help support hotel and hospitality infrastructure that can bring significant visitors to the city and create recognition for the other attributes of that city, having an NFL team is a plus. How much of a plus varies city by city. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? The studies vary wildly but usually are produced either by proponents that show inflated numbers or opponents that show little, if any, net benefit. I've independently studied this and find the truth is somewhere in the middle. Typically, Super Bowls do little to displace ordinary tourism or local activities in early February; the Florida ones perhaps being the biggest exception, as Miami and Tampa do get significant early February tourism, they bring in a reliable number of visitors and people working in and around the game, although perhaps fewer than the most optimistic projections hotel operators make, and they highlight many of the best attributes of the host city so the host site can fight for future meetings and conventions and visits, apart from football. We found in New York, even with an outdoor Super Bowl in cold weather, that the game produced a positive economic impact on the city and created a very positive synergy in and around Times Square during the week long build up to the game. Certainly, corporate parties and other events generate economic impact that varies a bit by location. But few instances of hurting a city exist. The one negative note, if there is one, is because municipalities surrounding a stadium touch the event in different ways; some municipalities get more benefit while others are burdened with more cost. In the NY/NJ game, Manhattan received much of the spending and the visits, while New Jersey had a greater share of security, traffic and logistical burdens. Still, even then, New Jersey received record hotel occupancy and rates, while New York was comparatively flatter in both categories. One can expect this to be similar as San Francisco and, maybe to a lesser degree, Palo Alto and San Jose will get much of the attention and spending, and Santa Clara will have the highest costs. So the only negative note on harm is, whether the benefits and costs are shared equally by the municipalities in the region, and that is up to the organizing committee and host team to manage. Patrick Walsh Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? One of the biggest challenges the NFL is facing is in part due to their own success. As the most popular spectator sport in the United States, this market is saturated and the NFL must figure out ways to expand their fan base. The move of the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles will help gain some additional interest in that key market, and the NFL has some strides in expanding their international fan base – particularly in the U.K. In addition, the safety of the game and the long term health impact on the players remains a concern. This concern is passed down all the way to the youth level where participation in youth football continues to decline in part due to the health concerns but for a variety of other reasons as well. Regardless of the reasons for the decline, it is important that the NFL cultivates an interest in football so this younger fan base grows up with an interest in the sport and ultimately becomes a loyal fan and consumer of the NFL. What makes a good football fan? From a business perspective there is no one profile of a “good” football fan. However, loyal fans who continue to generate revenue by purchasing tickets, merchandise, and engaging in sponsored promotions are of course highly desirable. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? One of the biggest competitors the NFL, or any other sport, has right now is fans actually staying home to watch games as opposed to attending them in person. For the fan, you obviously have your own food, drinks, etc. in the comfort of your own home. In addition, you have access to all of your technology to enhance your game viewing experience (big screen HD TV, Wi-Fi, connecting to multiple devices, etc.). Many fans are opting for this experience over the in-stadium experience as it not only saves money on the game ticket, parking, gas for your car, concessions, etc., but it also saves the time of travel to and from the game. As the total cost to attend an event continues to increase, more fans are opting to watch games at home due to the comfort and cost/time savings. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? There is much debate over the actual economic benefit of hosting major sport events and having teams in the region. Depending on the calculations used to measure this impact, supporters have provided figures which have shown that hosting major events will create jobs, leave a lasting legacy for the city, positively impact the brand image of the city, and ultimately create revenue from the number of out of town visitors who travel to the events/games, eat in the local restaurants, shop in the area, and stay at local hotels. Detractors will claim that the costs to the city to actually host the event are more than the economic benefits of hosting these events, and this money may be better invested in items such as the local schools or infrastructure. Yuhei Inoue Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Kinesiology at University of Minnesota What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? I would say one of the biggest challenges they are facing is the market saturation. As many cities have multiple professional sports teams, professional football teams must complete with other local teams to attract and retain consumers. Although this challenge is nothing new, it is getting more severe as people have a broader range of interests and there are more and more entertainment options. From a foreigner’s perspective (I am originally from Japan), the NBA and MLB are doing a good job of addressing this challenge by expanding into the international market. When compared to these two leagues, the visibility of the NFL in foreign countries is limited. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? I think education is the key. Players should have the opportunity to learn proper skills when they are young. What makes a good football fan? I define good football fans as those who support their team regardless of how poorly the team is performing. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? Academic research has consistently shown that hosting sport events, regardless of their size, has minimal effects on the local economy. Based on this evidence, I would say having a professional football team does not benefit cities economically. I, however, think professional football teams can provide intangible benefits to the cities. Such benefits include an enhanced sense of community pride and identity, trusted social relationships among residents, and a better quality of life in the community. In other words, although having a professional football team is unlikely to make residents richer, it will make them happier and, in some case, healthier. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? This in part depends on how the city leverages the Super Bowl to create new business opportunities for residents. As noted earlier, hosting a sport event per se does not have a large economic impact on the community. However, mega events, such as the Super Bowl, can still increase the visibility of the host city across the nation and serve as a stimulus to new investment in the city. To maximize the contribution of the Super Bowl to the local economy, city officials and local businesses will need to work together by positioning the event as a key part of the city’s integrated development plan. Tim DeSchriver Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at University of Delaware What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The issue of concussions, CTE and serious head injuries. That could affect the game for decades into the future. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? For children, it may be best to have them play flag football with no hitting until the high school years when the brain is more developed. I am unsure how you can fundamentally change the game played in high school, college, or the NFL to make it safer. The best way is probably to continue research to improve the equipment and continue to teach proper techniques. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? There is no "yes or no" answer. It depends on the lease deal the team has with the municipality with respect to the facility where the team plays and with the tax revenue that is generated for the municipality from the games. Does the municipality generate revenue from ticket taxes, parking taxes, etc.? If yes, the team may benefit the city. Also, how much is the team receiving from the city for stadium construction? If it is a sizable amount, it could be an economic drain for the city. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Most independent economists have found that serving as a host city is an economic wash. If it does help or hurt, the results are minimal. There are some intrinsic benefits to the increased public and media attention to the city from the Super Bowl, but those are difficult to quantitatively measure. For example, if Phoenix hosts a Super Bowl, the game is played in their prime tourism season. The rooms that are full for the Super Bowl would have most likely been sold anyway to tourists. Thus, the economic impact on the hotel industry is minimal in that case. Elizabeth B. Delia Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? Concern over the safety and long term health of football players has certainly received an increased amount of attention in the media in recent years, which has resulted in a heightened awareness of these issues among consumers. To preserve long term interest and participation in the sport, it will be critical for the NFL and other football associations to continue efforts to improve the safety of players. Failure to do so could lead to decreased participation at the youth and amateur levels. In addition, as consumers become more informed of the harm football participation can have on long term health, their attention may shift to other sports. A separate challenge is the relative lack of global presence the sport has compared to sports such as soccer. Although the NFL has taken steps to increase consumer interest in Europe with its international series, its dominance will likely continue to be restricted to the United States as long as a franchise does not exist outside of the country. Finally, from a front office perspective, professional football faces the challenge of diversity (or, lack thereof) in its coaching staff, a challenge many other professional leagues face as well. The Buffalo Bills' recent hiring of Kathryn Smith as an assistant coach illustrates the potential for the league to diversify in regard to gender, and may set a tone for greater diversity in the years to come. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Given the numerous cases revealing the influence of the physicality of football on players' long term health, it seems eliminating tackling altogether may be an extreme but necessary change. In the interim, I think we’ll continue to see more strict rules put into place regarding hitting. What makes a good football fan? From a league perspective, especially at this time of year, a fan who is interested not only in a particular team, but the league and sport of football in general makes for a good fan. This type of fan likely remains interested in viewing and/or attending games into the playoffs and Super Bowl, even if the team they support isn't playing. In addition, as numerous studies have illustrated, fan interest in sport is often partly for social reasons, it helps if fans have friends and family who are interested in the game, as this network of fellow fans likely keeps them more interested in the sport. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? The growth of social media platforms have allowed for an enhanced at-home viewing experience for football fans. Fans who choose not to attend a game in person can watch on television while simultaneously following team, league, sponsor, and fan activity on social networking sites, which increases their sense of being part of the spectacle, all at little to no cost. This is something that leagues and teams are watching closely, as the ceiling for the at-home viewing experience only seems to be rising, which obviously has negative implications for attendance. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Just as any large event does, hosting the Super Bowl provides a short-term economic boost to the host city. The fans that travel to the Super Bowl fill hotel rooms, restaurants, and retail spaces for a short period of time, however the impact most often is not long lasting. Nonetheless, hosting the Super Bowl can be a means for a city to showcase itself and newly developed venues, as Santa Clara will do this year with Levi’s Stadium, and Minneapolis in 2018 with U.S. Bank Stadium. William P. Putsis Professor of Marketing in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? Unquestionably, the biggest challenge facing professional football today is the increased public focus on violent head injuries. Ranging from the movie Concussion to Tony Dorsett to Tyler Sash, the increasing scrutiny on head injuries has multiple long-term consequences. The public conduct of players ranging from Ray Rice to recently Jay Bromley is also a serious concern for the NFL. Public perception is fickle and a sport’s popularity can change very quickly; just ask NASCAR. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Rule changes that have recently been implemented, as has newly developed helmet technology. More importantly, the NFL needs to be more supportive of the education efforts of youth – proper tackling techniques, etc. What makes a good football fan? Knowledge, interest, intensity, respect. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? This has become an ever increasing issue for professional sports in general. The cost of Super Bowl tickets this year at Levi’s Stadium have hit record levels. Even affluent fans have a difficult time affording ticket prices to top events. Unfortunately, television may be the only option for many fans and this is dependent upon broadcast availability. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? This record is mixed. It depends, in a complicated way, upon the popularity and success of the team, concessions given for stadium and other rights, etc. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single answer to this question; it depends upon the team and the city (just ask Oakland, San Diego and St Louis, for example). Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Economic impact studies have shown that economic impact depends upon the amount of money being spent that is coming from outside the host city. If a local resident spends $2,000 on the event that he or she would have spent somewhere else locally, the marginal impact is near zero. If, on the other hand, $2,000 (for example) is spent by someone from outside the local area, its marginal impact is far greater than $2,000, since the effect is multiplied, as those $2,000 are re-spent through the local economy. As a result, an event like the Super Bowl results in a huge windfall of the host city. Anecdotally, I just went through SFO and the TSA agent was telling me how they are “bracing” for the influx (and outflow) of people for Super Bowl weekend. This traffic all generates incremental revenue to San Francisco, Santa Clara, and the entire San Francisco Bay area. Matt Katz Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? Professional football, or at least the NFL specifically, has never been more profitable. The NFL reported record-level profits again this year, and thanks to their current television and sponsorship deals, the NFL should continue to push the $1 billion profit threshold. Nonetheless, the NFL is in somewhat of a precarious position in the moment. The growing narrative of head injuries and football is probably the most worrisome trend for the NFL. That current NFL players, especially younger ones, are consciously retiring and returning millions of dollars because they fear the consequences of constant traumatic contact is a major concern. What happens to the NFL if star players start retiring because of head injuries? When popular players say they won’t allow their children to play, that’s somewhat troubling for the NFL - but if visible players start retiring, that is a major problem. Another challenge that is intriguing to me is the tumultuous relationship between football and gambling, especially fantasy sports. Certain estimates place nearly $100 billion wagered on football each year – and only a small percentage through legal means. As the state-by-state debate regarding the legality of daily fantasy sports continues, could we see increased enforcement of other sport gambling laws as well? Finally, at some point I wonder about market saturation and the consumption of football. We now have football on national television almost every day from September through January. What used to be the NFL on Sunday and college football on Saturdays has transformed into “big-time” football on TV six or seven days a week. With declining subscriptions for ESPN and other cable providers, is that a signal that American consumers have reached the tipping point of watching football? Without an enhanced global presence, where are the new fans for the NFL to target and convert if the existing fan base has reached its peak? How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? This is certainly the “big” question with football right now, and not just for the NFL. Youth leagues, like Pop Warner, have reported drops in participation and are facing lawsuits about the health impacts of participating in football. I think some of the rule changes at the professional and intercollegiate levels implemented recently can help make the game safer to an extent. But to me, and this is based solely on my opinion (not data), these changes need to start from the bottom up. It is not just NFL players experiencing concussions and sub-concussive impact, so learning how to play the game safer is a behavior that needs to start at the youth sport level. Youth football starts at such a young age, I wonder if there are opportunities for starting children in a flag football or touch football setting before playing full-contact. Just as soccer is changing when players can start using their heads in games and practices, is it possible to better teach children to protect themselves if other aspects of the game are introduced prior to full-contact? I’m not sure, but I think larger structural changes like that are needed. The decline in participation, which most agree is due to the growing awareness of head injuries, is a big concern that I do not foresee disappearing naturally. It will take some significant structural changes to football at the youth and professional levels if football is to move past the growing concern of player safety. What makes a good football fan? A good football fan, at least from the perspective of teams or leagues, is someone who identifies with a particular sport entity and feels passionately towards that entity. Good fans often think of the team as a “we” – and conceptualize the happenings of the team in that regard. For instance, a good fan might say that we won the game last week or we just signed a new quarterback. There is a strong sense of connectedness between the sport entity and the fan him/herself which prevents (or at lease limits the likelihood) that a fan will stop engaging with the entity, or acting like a good fan, following disappointing on-field performance. Beyond the psychological connection with the team, a good fan also has social relationships with other fans. When cheering for a particular team or league becomes entangled with one’s friendships and social relations, a fan is less likely to abandon the team during poor performance. Consuming sport, whether attending a game at the stadium or watching from home, is inherently a social experience and exchange. When these experiences are part of one’s friendships and relationships, it becomes difficult to abandon the team without also abandoning your friendships as well. When a fan’s connection to the team is part of their social networks and relationships, they are more likely to market on behalf of the team itself. When individual fans recruit and socialize other potential fans, such a person is a truly valuable sport fan. Football teams depend on parents, siblings, partners, or simply acquaintances to do a lot of the word-of-mouth marketing needed to help build the next generation of sport fans. So to me, a good fan is someone with a strong psychological connection to the team, existing relationships with other fans, and a willingness to engage in marketing behaviors on behalf of the team. There are a number of consumption behaviors for sport fans, ranging from attendance to buying merchandise to engaging on social media – but these behaviors are more outcomes than drivers of what makes a good fan. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? Attending NFL and major college football games is expensive. I think the average NFL ticket was around $90 this year. That does not include the cost of parking, food, drinks, merchandise, etc. That also does take into account what tickets typically cost on a secondary market for popular games. Attending games is also time consuming – if you want to drive to most stadiums, tailgate before a game, and stay for the entire game, it almost takes an entire day by the time you return home. To me, the best strategy without breaking the bank involves watch parties. Sometimes teams sponsor official watch parties in parks or other outdoor locations – but most often these occur in bars or restaurants. The social experience of watching football is so integral that I have a hard time encouraging people to watch games by themselves at home. If you want to support the local team in your city, chances are countless bars and restaurants will show the games and you’ll be surrounded by other fans. If you cheer for a team from a different city, often times sport bars will cater to a particular team – especially for college football. You’ll often hear about “LSU bars” in Houston or an “Ohio State bar” in Chicago. There are some pretty creative watch parties – from watching the World Cup on the beach in Brazil to the Red Sox in movie theatres to the Little League World Series in a park in Chicago – and I hope these opportunities continue to grow in popularity. These places are typically easier to travel to than a stadium and should result in a much cheaper viewing experience - but unlike watching at home, you are still able to enjoy the social components of consuming sport. William A. Sutton Director of the Sport & Entertainment Business Program in the Muma College of Business at University of South Florida What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The biggest challenges are:

• Improving the live experience, as the home delivery of the product is so good and readily available it could threaten live attendance.
• Fear of concussions and other long term injuries could lead moms to withhold permission to participate in football - pushing them into other share sports.
• The growth and improvement of American soccer on the world stage - the MLS is very popular right now and as the quality of play improves it will continue to grab market share.

How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Rule changes can help - but you run the risk of fans losing interest because the game is not the game they remember and enjoy. Also, safer helmets and improved coaching techniques. What makes a good football fan? A good football fan is an evangelist - encouraging others to follow the game and facilitating opportunities to do so. You could define a good football fan as someone who watches on television, attends live events, participates in fantasy leagues, purchases team apparel and is engaged in social media sites. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? As virtual reality becomes more affordable and accessible, it will impact the home viewing experience significantly. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? I believe so, because the spending is “new” revenue coming primarily from outside the market, as people travel to the site. There is redirected spending as well, as local fans elect to attend the NFL experience and are probably redirecting entertainment dollars to do so. David Berri Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? I think the biggest issue is the issue with player safety. Football is an immensely popular sport. But the player safety issue has to be addressed. If football cannot be played at the Pop Warner and/or high school level, than the supply of players in the future will not exist. So that clearly is huge. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Numerous economic studies make it clear. Football does not generate economic growth. This is true with respect to hosting a team or hosting the Super Bowl. Michael R. Lysko Professor of Practice and Director of the Sport Management Program at Southern Methodist University What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The NFL remains king of the professional sports landscape in North America, but there are issues the league needs to address in order to continue its momentum. 1. Player safety - The issue of player safety as it relates to concussions, is the most important challenge currently facing the NFL. Not just because of the continued litigation with its former players, or the cavalier manner in which league officials – including commissioner Roger Goodell, dismissed the issue in the past which served as the major narrative in the recent Sony Pictures release, “Concussion”, starring Will Smith. The league needs to balance its desire to maintain the excitement and physical nature of the game and keeping its players safe. The desire to address this through rules changes has led to increased confusion on the field regarding what “constitutes a legal hit”. The league and its officials need to continue to focus on player safety, but come up with a way to consistently enforce the rules. 2. Participation decline amongst youth: Between 2009 and 2014, tackle football participation declined by nearly 18% and touch football participation dropped more than 32%. This grassroots decline could affect the league’s future talent pool and studies have shown that youth sport participation leads to an increased likelihood that these participants will have an interest in following the sport as a fan. The NFL is rightfully concerned that parents (especially mothers), may discourage their sons from playing football because of increased fear of head injuries. Last year, the NFL announced a $45 million grant to USA Football, primarily in support of its Heads Up Football program, along with the millions of dollars it has provided in recent years to causes ranging from free equipment to turf for fields. The league is spending $2 million to send athletic trainers into schools to educate teachers and gym instructors on the game. They expect more that 1 million children in elementary schools to play flag football, double the number from last year. 3. Stadium Attendance - As broadcast partners continue to develop technological enhancements to more intimately connect with viewers at home, the NFL has seen the softening of demand at the gate. Cost of attending a game is one factor. According to the Adult Cost Index (ACI), the NFL’s average ticket price of $113.42 is the most expensive of the four major professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL). If ticket prices to attend a live game continue to increase, and the television product continues to evolve, the convenience and cost could cause additional erosion of spectators unwilling to pay for parking, pricey concessions, and expensive tickets to attend the games. While the NFL enjoys the advantage of scarcity in comparison to the number of games in basketball, hockey and especially baseball, league and club executives are keenly aware of the need to address the issue of attendance erosion. 4. The (Tarnished) Shield – The recent cases involving Ray Rice and Greg Hardy exposed the league as tone deaf to the issue of domestic violence, and the subsequent actions of NFL officials caused many to question the leadership of Roger Goodell and his suitability as commissioner. The NFL “Shield” has taken more hits as Goodell and his legal advisors allowed ‘Deflategate’ to escalate into a year-long distraction for the league. The NFL’s “independent investigation led by Ted Wells, got slapped down in federal court, in the court of public opinion, and more recently when a YouTube video of a MIT professor’s lecture made a compelling argument that the Ideal Gas Law, not human tampering, was proof that caused the footballs to lose air pressure. Roger Goodell began his career at the NFL as a public relations intern and rose to the position of commissioner in large part, because of his ability to develop relationships and political capital with the key stakeholders at the board level. By acquiescing to owners with long-time grudges against the Patriots and blindly chasing accusations, Roger Goodell not only lost a powerful ally in Robert Kraft, he lost a tremendous amount of personal credibility with NFL fans and the national media.

Methodology

In order to identify the best and worst cities for football fans, WalletHub’s analysts compared 244 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team across two division-based categories, including “NFL” and “NCAA (FBS & FCS).”

We examined each division-based category using 17 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for football fans.

In order to determine the weight for each division, we surveyed the top-performing five teams in each division’s Facebook account, summed the number of “Likes” and calculated the proportion that each league represented in total. Thus, the weight attributed to each division was based on its popularity.

We then calculated the overall score for each city using its weighted average across all metrics and constructed the final ranking based on the resulting scores.

We categorized each city according to the following population sizes:

• Large cities: More than 300,000 people
• Midsize cities: 125,000 to 300,000 people
• Small cities: Fewer than 125,000 people

NFL – Total Points = 70

• Number of NFL Teams: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)
• Performance Level of NFL Team: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the past three seasons’ averages and the following formula: Number of Wins / Total Number of Games Played.
• Number of NFL Championships Wins: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)
• Number of NFL Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)
• Franchise Value: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)Note: This metric measures the team(s) estimated value in millions of dollars.
• Average Ticket Price for an NFL Game: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)
• NFL Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• NFL Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / Total City Population.
• Attendance: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Average Home-Fan Attendance / Arena Capacity.
• Popularity Index: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)

NCAA (FBS & FCS) – Total Points = 30

• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Teams: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Performance Level of College Football (FBS & FCS) Team(s): Full Weight (~5.00 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the past three seasons’ averages and the following formula: Number of Wins / Total Number of Games Played.
• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Championship Wins: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Minimum Season-Ticket Price for a College Football (FBS & FCS) Game: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• College Football Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• College Football (FBS & FCS) Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / Total City Population.

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Team Marketing Report, ESPN and each team’s website.

from Wallet HubWallet Hub


via Finance Xpress