From Spectator to Participant
Mobile technology is a direct link to this ever-changing cultural phenomenon known as fandom. Sports and related industries look to tap into this by providing an experience that can be a central hub of interaction and sports consumption, anytime and anywhere.
Devices and apps also provide a “second screen” experience, immersive and interactive features, personalized content delivery and of course convenience and accessibility—from buying tickets and ordering concessions at smart stadiums to checking stats, social media sharing and participating in sports betting. Fantasy leagues, betting and gamification trends have quickly followed suit as sports brands aim to create a 24/7 experience, from the latest updated scores to interacting with polls, predictions and the influencer and content creator communities.
SportsPro’s article, “How blending the digital and real worlds is redefining fan engagement,” explores this new cultural and mobile mix of streaming, data, interactivity, and commerce. Once separate, the actual game and the digital experience have become seamless, argues SportsPro. A unified sports platform is expected to have it all, from betting to fantasy integration to virtual reality experiences of stadiums and live events.
The athlete as brand is also driving this new ecosystem. “Today’s fandom has evolved into an interactive, socially powered journey. Athletes function not just as performers but as content creators – their social updates, fashion statements and behind-the-scenes access drive fan engagement,” observes SportsPro.
Content management systems are key to this new ecosystem—and it’s as important as ever to derive consumer insights from all the data that is generated from such fan engagement and endeavors. Real-time publishing, live score and event integration, multimedia management, scalable performance, and omnichannel distribution are key functions that digital sports platforms must offer, according to SportsPro.
To harness the convergence of real and digital sports experiences, SportsPro recommends:
- Adopt a unified digital strategy: Align live action, social media, commerce and data into one cohesive ecosystem.
- Empower the athlete channel: Consider athlete content as strategic media – design workflows that enable quick publishing and broad social distribution.
- Invest in a robust CMS: Ensure your backbone supports real-time publishing, live data integration, scalable performance and rich media.
- Enable personalization: Leverage analytics to deliver tailored stories, polls and offers that resonate with individual fans.
- Design for agility: Build modular, API-friendly, future-ready architectures that evolve with technology and fan needs.
Redefining Sports Fandom
During the Media Insights & Engagement Conference, Jason Mander, Chief Insight Officer at GWI, will present the session, “The World is Watching: How Mobile and Culture are Redefining Sports Engagement.”
Join us for a conversation on evolving sports viewership behaviors, fandom, and the cultural forces shaping how audiences engage with content on TikTok and beyond.
Meeting Digital Natives
The future of sports fandom, as SportsPro notes, is immersive, immediate and social as younger generations in particular gravitate towards those preferences. Consumer insights will remain key in this future of ultra-engagement, as fandom is about immersing yourself in every aspect of the game. Insights professionals and marketers need to derive real insights with the data generated from such initiatives to capitalize on this market.
Meanwhile, the next generation of sports experiences will aim to delight fans, reinforce brand loyalty and engage consumers with a blend of sports, entertainment and lifestyle trends. This shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity for sports organizations to leverage technology to build deeper, more lasting emotional bonds with a globally connected fanbase. This is a trend that will continue into the foreseeable future.
As PWC notes in, “Engaging younger sports fans: How today’s trends can inform tomorrow’s investments,” it’s the investments that sports brands make now that will tap into this growing ecosystem of sports fandom.
“The opportunity to grow sports over the next decade is going to come down to how the industry serves these fans. With so much money being invested, we wanted to know what the fans found most engaging,” says Mike Keenan, Sports Practice Leader, PwC US.
Video: “The Future of Sports Fandom,” courtesy of Analyzing Trends.
