How Sports Teams Can Beat COVID-19

By Vivi Lin for LVSportsBiz.com

TW: @vivishootvids IG: @vivionthespot4tv FB: ViviLinOnTheSpot

In the wake of COVID-19, team owners and leaders suddenly find themselves without a season to coach and lead. Ticket sale revenues have all but halted. So how are teams planning to survive this? 

If winning games and making money are your only goals, then it is my opinion that you are S-O-L.

Team survival and the ability to thrive depends on team owners and leaders understanding what drives fans to spend money and offering them the means to do so. It’s more than offering just ticket sales. 

Sports are much more than competition; sporting events are more than games. Fans love the game because fans connect on a common love and passion for their team. When the stadium roars with cheers for their favorite team, it is infectious. Sport experiences play right into our sense of significance and belonging when we are rooting for a team with 30,000 fellow fans.

We also love how athletes defy the odds, overcome obstacles and adversities to become one of the best. Even to those who don’t consider themselves sports fans, the athlete who perseveres, refusing to quit and comes back from a potentially career-ending injury is a hero. The athlete who makes it big and gives back to the community is also a hero. We all love the story that resonates with what we all want: to succeed in spite of our disadvantages. Simply put, sports is Humanity. 

The teams who understand sports is humanity are offering fans the opportunity to engage even in the absence of games and events. Their athletes and front office leadership communicate with fans and express empathy, sharing hope through various methods of storytelling and connecting.

Here are a few examples of those who are doing it right simply by telling their story of human connection and service: 

MLB’s Red Sox supported parents and their families as we entered our first week of #stayathome. They created online coloring pages for kids also sheltering in place to keep the team top of mind for the whole family as Opening Day approached with no games.

https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1240286003279081473?s=20

An expansion team for the National Lacrosse League, San Diego Seals, have their athletes creating various entertaining and informational posts and videos that inspire their fans to stay engaged and motivated. This specific post hit all the right buttons: sports, food, health, fitness, and puppies! 

https://twitter.com/SealsLax/status/1243695523233579010?s=20

World Lightweight Champion boxer, Katie Taylor, is offering her followers a series of boxing circuits that you can do at home without equipment while stuck at home. The plan is shared and videos are entertaining (and exhausting) to watch even if you don’t do a single squat or lunge. 

https://twitter.com/KatieTaylor/status/1244297889939099655?s=20

You don’t have to invest millions or even thousands of dollars. Some of these efforts are darn near free. You just have to invest time. Show you care about your fans enough to communicate with them, empower them, help them and offer them hope; it can yield a return that reflects directly in your revenues.

 

The only way sports teams shall survive through COVID-19 is to move TOWARDS your fans in creative ways. To ghost your fans and give them the silent treatment during this time could be a fatal mistake. Going silent sends the message you only care about your fans when they have the money to spend right now. Their loyalty means nothing without opening their wallet. Don’t be a fair weather organization to your fans. 

How teams treat fans during stay home mandates will determine how fans will treat the team when we come through this. Give them a reason to buy into your team even if they can’t buy a ticket. 

Here are some ideas:

• Get your masked mascot to drop off food and treats to health workers who are overworked and exhausted. Partner with your corporate partners and sponsors to provide the food.
• Deliver birthday cards and merchandise vouchers to kids in your kids clubs who aren’t able to celebrate the way they’d like. 
• Have athletes go shopping for essentials and drop them to the elderly so they don’t have to leave the safety of their homes. 
• Empower and inspire businesses and families with positive messaging. Share information on how you are training, cooking, eating, playing (play video game contests with your fans) simply have your athletes live and share it with fans.

Athletes are natural influencers. Teams who recognize their athletes as ambassadors will encourage them to connect with their communities and fans. Under the shelter in place mandates, we are connecting more than we ever have across digital platforms. There’s no better time to reach people as they are glued to their devices and consuming media. 

When we return to sporting events – and we inevitably will – the bottom line will cross over to the black much faster for those teams who use COVID-19 as an opportunity to engage. Fans will want to be a part of the team who brought them and their families entertainment and hope… and they will spend money to support those teams. 

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