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Everyone seems to agree that fan data is the gold mine behind the current boom in the sports business and the significant increases in the valuations of sports franchises. Yet, no one is talking about what these stats actually mean. Who are the fans, what motivates them, how loyal are they, and what are their consumption habits? I will aim to solve that by presenting proprietary fan data from the insights team at my company.
The value of fandom is usually veiled by the proprietary nature of the data that drives big sports business decisions, so we need to demystify the fan market. The size of these deals is eye-popping. The sale of the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion in 2022 was a record for a North American franchise until it was eclipsed by the cool $6.05 billion paid for the Washington Commanders. Meantime, private equity investors are buying up minority stakes across the American sporting landscape.
With these numbers in play, deconstructing fan data across the major sports — football, basketball, baseball, NCAA/college and hockey — will allow marketers to target the right audience and create the right strategy to maximize fan engagement with their brands. My team has used insights from our own researchto break down the lifespan of a fan into four categories:
1. The Origins of the Fan Journey
We found the majority of fans have already picked their favorite professional teams by the time they reach adulthood. On average, 41% of fans are already locked into supporting a pro team by age 12. This number grows to 62% by the time they reach age 17. Of those, 28% of people pick their fandom based on where they grew up, and 24% choose to follow the same team as their parents.
While pro fandom is often a foundational experience, college fandom is much more current. With a greater focus on community, college fans choose their team based on present residency (32%) and former residency (25%). Additionally, we’ve found that most college fans are concentrated in the South.
Tracking the fan journey, we also divided the data into the following brackets:
• Recreation: Of the big four sports, basketball is the most popular recreationally among kids at 53%, followed by baseball at 44%.
• Age:The NBA has the youngest fan profile, with 56% under the age of 44, followed by the NHL (54% under 44) and MLB and NFL (both 51% under 44).
• Diversity:The NBA has the most diversity among fans, at 40%, and the NHL has the fourth diverse fan base of the big four sports, at 32%.
2. Fan Demographics
The NBA hit attendance records in the 2022-23 regular season, posting 791 sellouts and reaching 97% capacity, so after the interruptions of the pandemic, crowds are definitely back. We found the largest bracket of sports media consumption is occupied by those aged 25 to 44 — referring to people who watch games live either in person or on media, including digital platforms. For marketers focused here, this demographic is the sweet spot.
In collaboration with our partner, Snoop Dogg’s Gin & Juice brand, we used fan data from Vision Insights to identify that gin drinkers at sporting events were up to 47% more likely to be college sports fans compared to the general population.
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3. How Fans Consume Games
The NFL is still king on TV, recording higher viewer numbers than the other big sports. In terms of stadium attendance, our research found the No.1 sport in the country is college football. These figures combined show football is ahead of the pack when it comes to traditional viewing of live sport. Among the other stats in this category over the past year:
• 38% of sports fans watched games live at stadiums.
• 53% of sports fans follow an athlete on social media.
• Almost 70% of fans watched live sports or sporting-related videos on a streaming platform.
• 90% of fans watched a live game on TV.
Knowing how fans consume games can help brands create a seamless experience across different touchpoints. By serving consistent ads across platforms and offering incentives for engagement, brands can effectively guide fans from initial exposure to taking action.
4. The Commercial Elements of Sports
While the majority of fans under 55 purchased some sort of sports fan merchandise in the previous 12 months, the highest percentage belonged to those aged 25 to 34. From this data, we can see this is the age range where fans start to build their disposable income. Other data our insights team found include:
• 33% of sports fans wear their merchandise to games;
• 70% to 80% of sports fans are more likely to support the sponsors they see attached to their favorite team; and
• 25% are likely to buy a product after seeing it sponsoring their favorite team.
We also used fan data to create a new segment that defines a fully engaged and emotional super fan. Called “the Forever Fan,” this is someone whose core identity is connected with their fandom. They tend to watch every nightly broadcast of their team and 66% take action on a single brand. They are two times more likely than other sports fans to visit a website sponsored by an athlete. If marketers can find and appeal to these fans, they’re more likely to become brand advocates, social media amplifiers and long-term customers.
Letting the Numbers Talk
Underlying every public announcement of the next piece of sports business is the value of sports fan data. But it is only when brands have a more nuanced understanding of the entire fan journey that they can craft more effective marketing campaigns.
The “forever fans” category created by our team is perfect for marketers because these are people who are engaged, not passive consumers. Data is only as valuable as how it is used, so marketers who get granular with their targeted ads and sponsorships can let the sales numbers speak for themselves.
