Observing Paper - College Students Wear Nike Most in Gym

College Students Wear Nike Most in Gym

Abstract

When people go to the mall, there are many athletic footwear brands that can be selected. This study researched whether Nike is the athletic footwear brand college students wear most in gym. The researcher observed 40 students in the Recreation and Athletic Center at UIS. The researcher chose three brands to be the main objects of this observation. The way this study used to collect the data is by counting which brands students wear. In addition, the study also divided the data into males and females. The results was calculated and analyzed from the data. It is obvious to know most college students choose Nike to wear when they go to gym. Based on the results, it can be concluded that Nike is the athletic footwear brand college students wear most in gym.

Introduction

There are many athletic footwear brands people can see when they go to gym, like Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Puma and so on. People choose the brands of athletic shoes based on their own preferences. “Nike, the industry leader with 40% of the U.S. market and $10 billion in sales worldwide” (McCarthy, 2003). It is obvious to see that Nike is one brand that is preferred by consumers. In addition, this brand has also had good sales in relation to its competitors. “Nike, whose sales rose about 11%, marketed its unparalleled stable of athletes in efforts. New Balance's sales were flat in 2005 (up less than 1%)” (Cassidy, 2006, p.49). “While the footwear industry overall saw 2006 U.S. sales jump 8.9%, according to Sporting Goods Intelligence, Glen Mills, Pa., Nike's sales leapt ahead” (Cassidy, 2007, p.47).

Consumers’ selection affects the sales. When people make a survey about which brand people wear most, it can represent which brand is consumed most. Nike is one of popular athletic footwear brand in college students and many students wear it everyday. Based on the articles the researcher read, she had a question. Which brand is the most popular brand of shoe for college students who use the gym? Based on this question, the researcher made an observation about the athletic footwear brand college students wear in gym.

Methods

Setting

The observation was made in the Recreation and Athletic Center at University of Illinois at Springfield. The gym has two floors. It boasts a 23,000 square foot arena available for multiple indoor sports, three fitness areas, a Multi-Purpose Room and two racquetball/squash courts.

Timeframe

The survey time in the Recreation and Athletic Center lasted about one hour that was from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm on March 27, 2015.

Participants

There are forty college students in University of Illinois at Springfield participated in this survey. They are 27 males and 13 females.

Data collection

The researcher chose three athletic footwear brands to be observed. They were Nike, New Balance and Adidas. Other athletic footwear brands that students wear are included in the “other brands” category. In the beginning, the researcher walked around the gym and observed which brand students wear. While the researcher were observing, she counted and took notes about how many students wear the three brands and how many students wear other brands. The researcher also took notes about the gender. It took about 15 minutes to observe the students who were already in the gym. Then the researcher sat near the reception area and continued observing. The observation lasted about 45 minutes. Data was collected when students came in the gym.

Data analysis

After the data collection, the researcher analyzed the data. The researcher used a table to show the number of male and female students who wear Nike, New Balance, Adidas or other brands. Based on this data, the research calculated the percentage of different brands and made three pie charts. Pie chart1 is about the percentage of students wearing different brands in total. Pie chart 2 and 3 are about the percentage of male students and female students wearing each of the different brands. These three pie charts are easy to understand and let people know which brand occupies the largest percentage in total students, male students and female students.

Result

There were 40 college students participated in this survey.  There were 27 male students and 13 female students. From the table, it is clear to see 26 students wore Nike, 7 students wore New Balance, 2 students wore Adidas and 5 students wore other brands. The amount of students who wore Nike is more than others.

(Table 1)

The percentage of college students wearing different brands in total is presented in the following chart. 65% of students wore Nike. 17.5% of students wore New Balance. Five percent of students wore Adidas. 12.5% of students wore other brands. Nike occupies the largest percentage in this chart and that means most college students surveyed wear Nike in gym.