What Singapore sports managers can learn from game fans

“Sport is one of the few social activities of human beings that can be recognised in virtually every community and culture around the globe as a vehicle for bringing people together” (Allen et al., 2010, p. 421).

Indeed, sports offer an opportunity to start the conversation, transcending cultural, socio-economic and political barriers in order to i) boost civic pride (e.g. 1998 Fifa World Cup in France), ii) heal old divides (e.g. 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa), iii) increase community feeling (e.g. 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany; Singapore’s Vision 2030), and even iv) help to articulate a place branding strategy (e.g. 2008 Beijing Olympic Games; 2012 Poland and Ukraine European Football Championship).

In this chronicle, I shall focus on the quality of the fan experience, in and outside the stadium, and provide some guidelines that could prove useful for Singapore sports managers.

Truly, the quality of the fan experience in the stadium is paramount. Managed properly, what is known as the “sportainment” offer (i.e. combining sports and entertainment) can not only justify the premium that fans are asked to pay in order to attend a game; it may also strengthen the privileged emotional bond that ties the fans with their favorite club (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcXxSNrOBks).

But pushed to an extreme, the concept of sportainment becomes a distraction that dilutes the product on the field; or even an excuse that managers might be tempted to use in order not to make the club competitive. In some cases, too high a dose of sportainment can even tarnish the credibility of the respective organisation (for instance, see the wedding on the ice and the Lingerie Football League videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bpoo0M9QSI;https://www.triplem.com.au/melbourne/sport/other-sports/news/lingerie-football-in-australia-tour-dates-and-ticket-information/).

In addition, in order to crystallise the emotional bond with fans,it is essential to engage the conversation with fans and involve them in the experience of consumption, whether it is at the stadium or outside the venue, in face-to-face encounters or via virtual interfaces (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, web site, e-mail, etc.).

According to two managers of Major League Baseball teams we interviewed during our research: “You can live anywhere and be a fan of any team that is located anywhere in the world because of technology” (Texas Rangers). “There are around 260,000 Facebook Rays’ fans: these fans are seeking our message, they are ambassadors of our brand. The transparency of the message makes our brand authentic and trustworthy” (Tampa Bay Rays).

As a matter of fact, the more involved “fan actors” are, the more they will feel attached to the team, to the point of internalising the club completely: fans become co-creators and ambassadors of the team (see the example of the watermelon helmet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXp1BGNXoGM). This high fan identification leads to a deep fan loyalty and, eventually, to a strong sports brand (Figure 1; https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/07/16/manchester-united-tops-the-worlds-50-most-valuable-sports-teams/).

Figure 1
Fan identification, fan loyalty and strong sports brand

Source: Adapted from Mulin et al., 2007 and Desbordes and Richelieu, 2012.

To cut a long story short, sports organisations aim at making their fans live a unique experience which increases the level of emotions of these fans and, in turn, the confidence and loyalty of the latter towards the brand.

I shall have the pleasure to discuss sports business trends in my future columns but also in person, in Asia, during two conferences in the month of August. Talk to you soon!

References:

Allen, J. T., D. D. Drane, K. K. Byon and R. S. Mohn (2010). “Sport as a vehicle for socialization and maintenance of cultural identity: International students attending American universities”. Sport Management Review, 13 (4): 421-434.

Desbordes, M. and A. Richelieu (2012). Global Sport Marketing: Contemporary Issues and Practice. London, UK: Routledge Publishers.

Mullin, B. J., S. Hardy and W. A. Sutton (2007). Sport Marketing, 3rd Edition. Champaign, Illinois, USA: Human Kinetics.