The trend goes that even through economic recession, sports is one of the few industries that manages to overcome falling margins. But, at what cost to the fans?
The average cost of a professional sporting event outing is increasing at rapid speeds. From tickets, to parking, to a beer, it just isn’t the outing it used to be.
I was lucky enough to attend the Colts season opener at the new Lucas Oil Stadium, and was sitting next to a young father and daughter duo. Three thoughts immediately came to my mind:
- How cool it was that this little girl was able to be a part of this historic event.
- This guy must have a lot of money to be able to bring his kid to a game to sit in a $120 seat and feed her a at least $30 worth of food.
- There weren’t many other kids to be seen in the stadium at all.
And that’s where sports could start to struggle. With the high prices of the live attendance experience, it is becoming more and more rare to see those seats occupied by kids, rather than money-making business professionals or their clients, for example.
In a recent Sports Business Journal, this very issue was brought up. SBJ says that creating lifelong fans is a major priority of sports leagues, and has been for the past decade.
Ahead of the Game: What Every Athlete Needs to Know About Sports Business says that the key to creating a fan (lifelong or not) is establishing an emotional connection between the fan and the sport. It goes on to say (and so does SBJ) that it is the experience of sports, and feeling like a part of the action, that helps to establish that connection. Sports is the “Good Feelings Industry.”
Obviously in order to have “lifelong fans” you need to start while they are kids! The heroes of these kids today are the legacies of tomorrow. But if the experience is not had by kids, who will carry on these legacies? How will these connections be made?
U/S Sports Advisors says this is where you, the athlete come in. It is your responsibility to create the emotional connection between the sport and the fan — not the sport’s — not the league’s — yours. If you are fortunate enough to get a captive audience at your sporting event, take full advantage of your exposure, sign autographs, shake hands, and take pictures with your fans.
We further advise professional sports clients if you notice that your fan base is starting to feel the pinch of the slowing economy and aren’t able to attend the actual games, take it upon yourself to reach out to them elsewhere. Create public appearances through your fan club, incorporate them into your website, send e-newsletter updates, become a sponsor for youth activities, etc.
You are the only one who can ensure a connection with your fans. So even if they aren’t able to bite the bullet and attend your games, show them your appreciation, nurture their fanhood, and keep them coming back for more.
Posted by Krissi Price
