Celebrity attraction in the minors: the case of Tim Tebow

The movement of former college football star and NFL player Tim Tebow to the sport of baseball attracted considerable attention in 2017. Although many viewed his desire to play baseball as a publicity stunt, the athlete repeated stated his desires and intention to play baseball by working his way up through the minor leagues. Tim Tebow is not a normal sports figure, as he tends to be highly polarizing based mainly upon his willingness to voice his Christian faith in the public arena. This study examines the role of Tim Tebow on attendance by specifying various attendance models that relate to the teams and leagues in which he participated during the 2017 season. His mere presence was shown to substantially increase attendance, both at home and on the road, and the findings reveal that his actual performance did not significantly alter fan preferences to watch him play.