Key stat: 44% of US college sports fans say sponsorship positively influences their purchase decisions, according to February data from Big Chalk.

Beyond the chart:

• The college sports audience carries more commercial weight than the purchase influence number suggests. Sports fans are 44% more likely than non-fans to be the sole decision-maker at work, per Ampere.
• Meanwhile, sponsor visibility in sports environments runs well ahead of stated purchase influence. Nearly two-thirds (62.4%) of sports fans actively notice sponsor brands during games and events, per Vividata.

Use this chart: Drop this in your next sponsorship strategy or brand partnership meeting to show how college sports investment actually performs at the shelf. Use the 44% combined figure to benchmark fan receptivity, and use the priority vs. soft-influence split to frame the difference between driving trial and building brand preference.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Canada Sports Consumers (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Infopack: Sports(EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the March 2026 Big Chalk report titled "Perceptions of College Sports: Brands that Won in 2025; Opportunities in 2026." 2,575 US adults ages 18+ were surveyed online during February 12-16, 2026. Of the total sample, 1,457 met Big Chalk’s definition of college sports fan: watched or attempted to watch at least one college sporting event in 2025, and did so intentionally rather than because someone else was watching it.

We prepared this article with the assistance of generative AI tools and stand behind its accuracy, quality, and originality.