Anstine’s research to be published in business and economics journal

Diane Bruce Anstine—North Central College’s Mary Schneller Rosar Professor of Economics, associate professor of economics, and chair of the Division of Economics and Business—presented a paper titled “What determines attendance at women’s college basketball games? Is men’s basketball a substitute or complement to the women’s program?” at the International Academy of Business and Economics conference in Las Vegas Oct. 13-15.

The paper, which grew out of her professional term and summer grant research, will be published in a future issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics.   

Although participation in women’s athletics has grown since the passage of Title IX in 1972, interest as demonstrated by attendance at women’s sporting contests has not grown at the same rate. Using data from the 2011-2012 basketball season, Anstine estimates the level of attendance at women’s basketball games using various measures. In general, women’s programs with high levels of success in terms of wins and championships draw more fans. She also examined the impact of men’s college basketball attendance and quality on the women. At programs where men’s attendance is larger, women’s attendance is as well, but where the men are very successful, the women’s program suffers, all else constant. This indicates that men’s basketball, if successful, is a substitute for the women’s game, not a complement.

Anstine joined North Central’s faculty in 1997. She earned her B.A. and an M.A. from Miami University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.