3 Ways Pro Sports Teams are Catering to the Connected Fan

Gone are the days in which professional sports teams have the luxury of allowing the game alone to satisfy their devoted fans.  In today’s ever connected world, the sports fan is dialed in like never before, seeking more content, more engagement and more recognition. Teams are turning to new and inventive ways to meet their fans’ unquenchable thirst, recognizing that they must carve out space in the fast moving digital landscape or be quickly viewed as outdated and out of touch.  The three hottest trends in bridging the gap between sports and tech savvy fans are focused on social media, mobile and geolocation stadium technology, and fan loyalty rewards.  While trending topics and the latest hashtag might fluctuate from day to day, these cornerstones in fan engagement provide a strong foundation for a successful sports business model.  At the end of the day it’s important to remember, that the teams that give more to their fans, get more fans in return.

1.)  Social Media Zones – The 2014 baseball season has just begun, but it has already brought a wave of new advances to one of the oldest, most traditional sports.  Major League Baseball has introduced instant replay for the first time, and is highlighting its progressive Advanced Media division with rolling out a new tracking technology that yields insights about the entire field of play from a base runner’s speed to the distance of a catcher’s throw.  However, while the league as a whole continues to dominate in the analytics realm, at the team level the focus is on the all American pairing of hot dogs and social media.  

Last year the San Francisco Giants were the first to integrate social media within their ballpark.  The team unveiled the @Café, a social-media hub, located behind the center field bleachers at AT&T Park.  The café, which was launched in partnership with Peet’s Coffee and Tea, provides an immersive social media environment, complete with a 12 x 4 foot video wall that displays all the latest and top-trending Giants-related Tweets, Instagram photos, and Facebook posts and check-ins.   

My conversations this week with Lisa Braun, Digital Marketing Director for the Reds, and Michael Harris, VP of Marketing for the Phillies, conveyed excitement that this year will mark two more teams joining the mix, with the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies offering up parts of their ballparks for social media mavens.  The “Reds Connect Zone,” located on the third-base concourse is open, offering social-media users charging stations for mobile devices, free WiFi and 25 screens displaying fans’ Tweets, Instagram photos and Vine videos, as well as Facebook polls and trending topics.  While the Phillies will unveil their new “Social Media Deck” on the Budweiser Rooftop within Citizens Bank Park later this summer, housing social media streams, mobile phone charges, and specialty concessions to provide a trendy hangout for younger fans.

2.) Digitally Connected Stadiums – In the world of sports and digital advances, no two pieces go better together than football and technology.  Whether it’s new indoor GPS tracking devices detailing athlete performance, sensors crunching the numbers on head collisions to increase player safety, or the yellow line that every fan has come to know and depend on for the most accurate assessment of a team’s progression on the field, the NFL has continued to dominate the sports world with the latest and greatest.  Today’s NFL fan demands the same level of technology available in-stadium as they are used to outside of it.  As HDTV brings increasing competition and enticement for fans to watch the game from the comforts of home, NFL teams look to in-stadium enhancements to improve the overall experience.

 The New England Patriots have often been the test case for the successful implementation of new ideas across the league, becoming the flagship team in online technologies.  In 2012, Gillette Stadium was completely rewired for WIFI technology and HD cameras, and mobile live-stream views of the game plus replays became available to all ticket holders. Last season the Patriots offered their first mobile app upgrades, providing in-seat food ordering, and geo-location services offering fans information on the nearest restroom and concession stands.  By this fall, the Pats hope to get really analytical, using data on individual tastes and buying patterns to prepare inventories and target early ordering.  With each season, the team becomes more advanced, on-par with the level of expectation of their fans, and the growing competition with cable television.

While the Patriots have used Gillette Stadium to build and then test out new technologies, the San Francisco 49ers are using their move to Santa Clara and partnership with Intel to design the first fully outfitted and technologically advanced stadium from the ground up.   The 49ers want the new stadium to be a technological showcase harnessing the WIFI connections, food ordering availability, and mobile friendly atmosphere of Gillette Stadium, while adding what only Intel can provide: the finest in computers, sensors, digital signage, and security, as well as interactive areas for fans to play with the latest in tech products.  The new stadium is set to open this fall, with many looking to partake in the future of football behind it’s doors.

3.) Rewarding Fan Loyalty - Among NHL fans, there's a favorite adage: "There's nothing like playoff hockey."  The NHL playoffs are a testament to endurance and grit, a grinding four best-of-seven rounds to get the illusive Stanley Cup.  The playoffs have fans turning out in numbers, flocking to social media channels, and embarking on the streets dressed in their favorite player’s jersey.  However, it’s the rest of the long 82-game season that has NHL teams looking for new opportunities to keep fans interested in the sport, and recognized for their tried and true dedication.   

The Washington Capitals decided to target just such a dilemma with the launch of the first comprehensive social loyalty program to reward fans for engaging with the team via social media and at the Verizon Center last year.  The free #CapsPowerPlay program was the first social rewards program in the NHL, offering Caps fans the chance to win exclusive team prizes and experiences through social actions including checking into games on Foursquare, using team hashtags on Twitter and Instagram and sharing Caps content on Facebook, with each action generating a different level of points.  An ultimate prize package for the fan that lives and breathes all things Capitals, included four tickets in a catered suite to a Caps game, access to watch pregame warm-ups from the penalty box, and an autographed jersey.   

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins advanced the fan reward system to the mobile phone last year with the introduction of PensPoints.  The program focuses less on social involvement (although points can be earned for posting to Facebook or Twitter), instead rewarding fans for actions they take in person.  The program uses QRC codes to gift fans with everything from free t-shirts to a monthly giveaway for a road trip with the team.  Rewards points are generated from attending games, buying concession food and merchandise, listening to the game on the radio, or engaging with activities in and around the arena.

 

Major League Baseball’s Changing Identity

Tuesday marked 67 years since Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, and for the first time in the 50 years since commissioner Bud Selig retired Robinson’s number, there are no players in the major leagues wearing the No. 42 except on that day.  While athletes on the field donned the iconic number on their jerseys from Los Angeles to Miami, inside New York City’s Manhattan Center, thousands of fans, employees, and future business partners of Major League Baseball were on hand to celebrate at MLB’s 3^rd annual Diversity Summit.  

Major League Baseball has had a troubling past, one that hasn’t taken kindly to accepting and embracing the changing of American demographics, despite the label of America’s favorite pastime.  Racial diversity has long been a struggle, with team rosters severely lacking minority players taking to the field and entering many off the field discussions. However, few are privy to what goes on behind closed doors in the management of baseball and the diversity, or lack of, among employees that run the front offices.  Rev. Jesse Jackson traveled to baseball's 1992 winter meetings to criticize its lack of minorities in management, and push for change.  Yesterday he was on hand to commend the commissioner for strides the sport has taken in minority opportunities over the past twenty years.  In 1998, Selig created the Diverse Business Partners program and by 1999, started requiring clubs to consider at least one minority for each manager and major executive opening.  Today, just three years since its conception, the MLB Diversity Summit welcomes in women and ethnic minority groups that have for so long faced barriers to a career in, or working alongside MLB.  Participants are able to gain first hand knowledge of baseball operations, speak face to face with human resource and procurement representatives from all 30 teams, and have a voice in the business of the sport. 

As a female with a passion for sports, who has worked for major sports networks on baseball production and often found myself the only woman in the mix, MLB’s commitment to providing a forum for under represented groups to find career growth and meet top-level mentors is both empowering and captivating.  In just 48 hours I was able to speak with 15 ball clubs about the growth of digital marketing and social media, converse on the need for more women who understand the game working in the front offices, and connect with minority-owned companies that offer an assortment of goods and services to the sport I had never even considered.

Major League Baseball has evaluated its weaknesses in hiring, it’s deficiencies in employment, it’s lack of diverse minds, skillsets, and backgrounds in management and it has made a commitment to its fans that the diversity of those that attend its games will be reflected in those that put on its games.  While I at times questioned the large number of young, white men who chose to attend a diversity summit looking for work, and yearned to see still more women in attendance than appeared at the event, I know I was witnessing a transformation.  This yearly summit is not only an honorable dedication to a man who, despite the harsh criticism and seemingly insurmountable hurdles, brought a necessary change to the game, but also a chance for the future of baseball to host equal opportunities for all. 

"Baseball must continue to be more than just a game on the field," Selig said at the summit. "The game's remarkable ability to serve as a common bond should be used to create opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender."  I hope the next commissioner continues moving forward along the path Selig has paved and recognizes the importance of a MLB brand that is truly indicative of the melting pot of America.   


A commitment must be made to every fan that baseball will never forget the man whose legacy changed the face of not only the sport, but also the country, and continue its progress to equip every person with the same opportunity to live out his or her baseball dream.

2013: A LOOK BACK IN SPORTS - FINALE - GLOBAL SPORTS

Continuing last week's coverage, I take a final look this week at Nielsen's data on sports fans in 2013 focusing on the latest findings on global sports.  You can read the full-summarized report here: http://bit.ly/1fT9KVa.  I've read through it and here are some of the most interesting facts from the past year:

 

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 From soccer and tennis to rugby and cycling, globally, sports remain a force to be reckoned with on the broadcasting stage.  In the United States, the NFL and Super Bowl reign supreme in viewers, ratings, and buzz, but around the world a diversity of tastes and passions shine through.  Soccer (known by many global citizens as football) holds the most sway in attracting a wide range of markets and nets the most viewing hours by fans of any sport.  Soccer also remains the most popular sport in countries as diverse as Italy, Russia, South Africa, Indonesia, and Spain.  Here are some other global sport highlights for 2013:

·      In Norway, the World Cup of Cross Country Skiing held most viewership honors among its sports programming, while in Japan it was the Japan vs. Netherlands, World Baseball Classic game that citizens took most interest in.

·      71% of UK homes had their TV sets tuned to the Wimbledon tennis final as Andy Murray became the first British man to win the title in 77 years.

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·      In Denmark, the Handball Men’s Championship had nearly 80% of all television sets in use at the time tuned into the event.

·      Over 21 million German viewers, comprising 61% of all German households, watched the UEFA Champions League Final soccer match in May.

·      Russia and Indonesia led the way with soccer programming among all nations, with 73% and 74% respectively of all sports television programming devoted to the sport in 2013.

·      In the United States, a love for horse racing goes a long way as the Kentucky Derby brought in over 16 million viewers and 300,000 related tweets in 2013.

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Students for Sale – The NCAA’s Need for Rebranding in an Connected World

            The NCAA has long ranked as the overarching leadership for thousands of collegiate student athletes, priding itself on its mission of “maintaining athletes as an integral part of the student body and retaining a clear line of demarcation between collegiate and professional sports.”  

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           For many young adults the NCAA has offered them a place to continue their thirst for competition and sports well into their early 20s, while receiving a quality education at a well-respected college or university.  In the past week however, the student athletes upon whom the NCAA rests its laurels, churning in millions of dollars off of broadcast rights, tickets, and merchandise, have finally been given a voice.  The Northwestern University football team took to the legal stage to get their day in court.  They called for an investigation into how much is given by these star student athletes and how little is received.  The ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that Northwestern’s football players should be allowed to unionize should be recognized as an opportunity for the NCAA.  It’s an opportunity to review what values it holds dear and how it wants its brand to be seen by sports fans across the country.  Over the past few years, the NCAA has received one scathing public condemnation after another with college presidents who are supposed to run the NCAA often more concerned with keeping athletic boosters and sports-addicted board members happy than defending academic integrity, or in the awful case of Penn State, the welfare of children. 

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            As an entry-level sports broadcast professional I’ve watched first-hand the race for the sports pot of gold and the ill treatment of those at the bottom of the pile.  Working 80-hour workweeks while being paid for 40, making minimum wage with hiring policies that claim “freelance” with the “option” for full employment to get around benefits and basic employment rights.  I’ve worked under constant reminders that if I don’t agree to these practices that there are hundreds of thousands of other young people willing to take my position and do it for free “just to work in sports,” and if my performance is less than superior I would never make enough to live beyond a paycheck to paycheck state.  Yet the difference between my employment and a college student athlete’s is disappointingly minimal.  A NCAA scholarship is guaranteed for only a year.  Athletes who don’t meet the expectations of their recruitment are told to find another school where they can play.  If the athletes don’t want to leave, their coach has the option to simply not renew their scholarships.  In fact, the sole difference between my role and those of a collegiate athlete lies in the fact that I chose this as a profession, long after I put away my schoolbooks, earned my prized degree, and started off into society with four years of skills, maturity, and a solidified decision on my career path, a path I am free to change at will at any time.  The same can’t be said for revenue-generating college student-athletes who rest uneasy in their classrooms each day.  Scholarships for these athletes exist for one reason: because the school believes they are the ticket to higher revenues and a prestigious reputation, it’s nothing more than a contracted business deal. 

Google “NCAA and unions” and article after article arises asking should we “pay” athletes, but let’s be clear, at no point has anyone involved with the Northwestern players in the case suggested they be paid.  Unions are built upon a foundation of wanting an equal seat at the table of discussion, where management is unwilling to discuss working conditions and employees look for an opportunity to come together to bring change.  The NCAA has lived in the past, a past of one-way communication channels, of do as I say top down leadership, of pushing their products on the field and court onto every TV and media outlet, while turning a blind eye when those very same products lose out on educational opportunities.   Kain Colter, a senior on last year’s Northwesthern team, testified that there were certain classes he was discouraged from taking because they conflicted with football practice, while the University of North Carolina is still reeling from an investigation revealing student athletes there were enrolled in classes that didn’t even exist.  For the term “student athlete” to have a meaning the NCAA would have to put education before sports, something it claims in theory, but fails to practice in reality.

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The NCAA remains wedged in ancient times as emphasized with its latest round of public relations attempting to strike fear in the public, and student athletes that play for non-revenue generating sports, that the end is near.  On “Face the Nation” NCAA President Mark Emmert issued stern warnings about how disastrous it would be for all of college sports if the Northwestern case propels forward.  Never mind the fact that Emmert has commented for two years about his own desire to see the full cost of a scholarship funded, yet the topic still remains “under discussion.”  Meanwhile the NCAA takes no issue with spending millions in legal fees to fight a lawsuit to allow athletes to share in any licensing revenue in which their likeness is used, a share of which could more than offer them a full term education.  Nor does it seem to recognize the hypocrisy of coaches like Nick Saban (Alabama football) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke men’s basketball) making in excess of $7 million a year, or the NCAA receiving a billion dollar television contract for the NCAA Tournament and new College Football Playoffs (see: http://bit.ly/QKRTY)

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The fact is student athletes are often getting money outside of their scholarship funned to them.  There’s no question when they arrive on campus with fancy cars or buy their girlfriends over the top engagement rings that these material goods came from some sort of back door shady booster or agent clinging to them like a Willy Wonka golden ticket.  Why not bring this behavior out on the open, employ an open door conversation and create an environment where everyone helps earn and reap a piece of the pie?  Make scholarships good for life, give athletes the money they deserve from their own autographs and likenesses, and teach them how to use this money effectively so they don’t blow it all in one sitting in the first professional setting they enter.  If the NCAA wants to be seen as an entity that cares about students and education then it must stand behind those values in every action it takes.  The NCAA has hidden behind the term “student athlete” for long enough, an escape route for the organization to call upon whenever a problem arises. 

Times are changing, communication channels and digital platforms have given life to students, parents, coaches, communities, and businesses sharing in discussions, airing their grievances or allegiances and deciding on what is best for their future.  The NCAA can leap into this new environment and acknowledge its need for change, seeking its own education from consumers and athletes to better support its business, or it can hunker down into its outdated mentality and watch the rest of the world move on without it.  The NCAA must acknowledge the storm of change is coming, stop fixating on trying to stop its progress, and instead seek higher ground.