t eamsport smarket ing.com http://teamsportsmarketing.

com/the-text/the-fan/why

Some might argue that sports marketing is a

“special case” of marketing, meaning there are
theoretical and practical dimensions of
marketing peculiar to sports marketing. For
instance, courses are offered in services
marketing, international marketing, internet
marketing, business-to-business marketing and
the like because the applications of marketing
to these particular contexts require adaptation
specific or special to each case. Following this
logic, we should accordingly treat sports
marketing as a special case to study because its
processes do not function or generalize well for
other goods and services. That is, special cases
of marketing do not possess theoretically
sound (or law-like) principles or axioms that
guide practice across a variety of other
business contexts.

What is sports marketing?

A special case of what?

If, h owever, sports marketin g better explain s an d predicts effective marketin g wh en
compared to oth er product an d services marketin g , th en on e mig h t arg ue th at marketin g is
actually a special case of sports marketing. Gen eral th eories of marketin g sh ould ultimately
possess superior predictive an d explan atory powers of marketin g effectiven ess. As we
examin e th e differen ces between typical g oods/services marketin g an d sports marketin g ,
con sider wh ich ch aracteristics better explain optimal buyer-seller relation sh ips.

What’s the difference?

If a customer is a loyal Folg ers coffee customer, we can predict th at s/h e will likely
con tin ue to buy Folg ers coffee at th e g rocery store. A loyal Folg er’s customer may, h owever,
switch to similar coffee (Maxwell House) or buy Folg ers at an oth er store if appropriately
discoun ted. You won ’t see man y Folg er’s customers wearin g sh irts with its bran d n ame
emblazon ed across th e ch est.[1] Nor are you aware of man y people, wh o of th eir own free
will, frequen tly visit www.folg ers.com. If so, th ey must be th e same people wh o are visitin g
www.tide.com, www.zest.com, or www.crest.com. Th e con sumer’s purch ase of Folg ers is
primarily an econ omic decision based upon th e per ceived value of wh at on e g ets (coffee)
for wh at on e pays (e.g ., $4.29 for a 13 oz can ). Some may also perceive th at th e best part of
wakin g up is Folg ers in th e cup, but we kn ow of n o empirical eviden ce to support th is.

If an in dividual is a fan of a profession al or major colleg e sports team, even a losin g

team,[2] we can predict th e fan will likely:

1. Iden tify with an d follow th e beh avior of th e team an d in dividual players on th at team,
on an d off th e field (via www.espn .com, team websites, n ewspapers, television , radio,
wireless, etc.).
2. Purch ase licen sed merch an dise (jerseys, automobile paraph ern alia, caps, mug s, etc.)
promotin g th e team.
3. Don ate or pay for perman en t seat-licen ses (PSLs) in order to buy season tickets.
4. Travel to see g ames of th at team outside th e local market.
5. Support tax-based in itiatives to pay for a n ew aren a or stadium for th e team.
6. Be a supporter of th e con feren ce or leag ue in wh ich th e team plays.
7. Devote sig n ifican t social time atten din g , watch in g an d discussin g th e team with
oth ers devoted to th e same or oth er teams.

Wh ile con sumers of most g oods an d

services see value as primarily an
econ omic evaluation (Wh ich deterg en t Hemispheric Lateralization
is th e best buy?), th e value fan s derive
from atten din g sportin g even ts is likely
to be more of an emotion al decision . In
fact, wh en teams make fan s focus on th e Left Br ain Rig ht Br ain
price th ey are payin g , th ey are focusin g
on th e wron g side of th e brain . Th e
wh ole poin t is to make th em fan s—n ot Log ic In tuition
con sumers in th e tradition al sen se.
Buildin g a fan base, n ot a customer base,
Reason Emotion s
is th e first fun damen tal differen ce
between sports marketin g an d
marketin g of most g oods an d services. Objective Subjective
Wh ile n ot ig n orin g th e reason in g
fun ction of th e left brain , we wan t to
en g ag e fan s more in lin e with th e Verbal Visual
fun ction s of th e rig h t brain .

Compared to typical g oods an d services Self-orien ted Group-orien ted

marketin g , sports marketin g differs in
at least ten respects (see table below).
We beg in by discussin g th e differen ce Categ orical Relation al
between customers an d fan s.

1. Fanatics Detail focused Wh ole picture

A cen tral poin t of differen tiation Mimicry Creativity

 Mimicry Creativity
between sports marketin g an d
tradition al g oods/services marketin g
(h ereafter, GSM) is h ow we view Purposefuln ess Playfuln ess
in dividual purch asers. On e typically
refers to customers wh en th e subject is
g oods an d services. Sports teams an d Economic Exchange Social Exchange
players h ave fans. Dictionary.com defin es
a customer as: “On e th at buys g oods or
services.” A fan is “An arden t devotee; an en th usiast.” A fan atic is “a person marked or
motivated by an extreme, un reason in g en th usiasm, as for a cause.”

Curren t GSM focuses primarily upon creatin g customer satisfaction . Satisfaction occurs
wh en expectation s are met or exceeded. Satisfied customers mean th ree th in g s to th e
compan y.[3] First, satisfied customers in crease th e value of th e firm to sh areh olders.
Secon d, satisfied customers assure th e firm of future cash flow. Th ird, satisfied customers
reduce th e variability in future cash flow.

As with GSM, sports teams seek to satisfy customers. We would expect, h owever, th at
fan atics of a team or bran d are more th an satisfied. Fan s experien ce pleasure an d
satisfaction with successful teams. But, th ey also experien ce feelin g s of delig h t or
excitemen t deeply reson atin g with in th e iden tity of th e in dividual fan , such th at th e effects
are likely to be lon g term.[4] Delig ht is a combin ation of pleasure an d arousal with an
elemen t of surprise th at is frequen tly experien ced in th e sports world. Furth er, fan atics are
resilien t in th e face of service failure (viz., th e team loses), wh en delig h t an d excitemen t may
turn to distress an d g loom. Sports teams develop a faith ful fan atical followin g primarily
due to h ig h levels of iden tification , wh ich is th e secon d poin t of differen tiation between
GSM an d sports marketin g .

T op 10 Differ ences Between Goods/Ser vices Mar keting and Spor ts Mar keting

Dimension Goods/ser vices Spor ts & Enter tainment

1 Purch asers Customers Fan atics

2 Adoption Loyalty—repeat Psych olog ical iden tification

purch asers of th e same with in dividuals an d teams
bran d (viz., lack of th at g oes beyon d mere
switch in g beh avior) loyalty

3 Promotion Own er pays media for Fan s, spon sors, an d media

& Media promotion pay to promote team/even t

4 Distribution Static; More site-limited Mobile; more flexible

Ch an n el

5 Product Adapted Global

6 Price Customer pays a g iven Two-part: Fan s frequen tly

price for g ood/service pay for th e right to pay for
 tickets

7 Facilities Corporate own er Govern men t (taxpayer)

buys/builds own facilities typically pays for facilities

8 Competition In dividual bran din g in Cooperative con tractual

competitive markets relation sh ipsàmon opoly
power & an ti-trust
exemption

9 Exch an g e Prin cipally econ omic Prin cipally social exch an g e

exch an g e

10 Employees Con tractual power favors Con tractual power favors

own ers employees (players)

2. Identification
Con sumers are loyal to g oods an d services wh ile fan s identify with teams, org an ization s,
an d in dividuals. Loyalty is th e repeat purch asin g of a g ood or service by a con sumer. A
loyal customer is sen sitive to differen ces in bran ds an d prefers a bran d or set of bran ds
over oth ers. Identification is wh en an in dividual reacts to even ts th at occur to th e team or
player as if th e even ts h appen ed to h im or h er. A h ig h ly iden tified fan will describe on e’s
self to oth ers in terms of bein g a team fan , perh aps to th e poin t th at th e fan feels like s/h e
is part of th e team. Fan s are certain ly loyal to th e team in terms of repeat purch ases, but fan
iden tification is a deeper psych olog ical affiliation th at is a basis for a fan determin in g h is
self-esteem an d self-worth . Ch apter 1 deals more specifically with h ow teams an d players
can build fan iden tification . Because of h ig h fan iden tification , fan s passion ately seek ways
to promote th e team to oth ers.

3. Promotion & Media

Th ird, th e man ufacturer an d/or retailer of g oods an d services pays for th e developmen t
an d placemen t of bran d advertisin g an d promotion s. In con trast, sports teams,
org an ization s, an d in dividuals (players, drivers, an d artists) receive indir ect and dir ect
financial suppor t to advertise an d promote th emselves. Fan s indirectly promote by buyin g
an d wearin g or displayin g licen sed merch an dise. Spon sors directly promote th e team an d
in dividuals, payin g for th e advertisin g an d media to do so. For in stan ce, AT&T in itially
paid th e Dallas Stars to h ost th e team website (attwireless.dallasstars.com). Similarly,
radio an d TV broadcasts of sportin g even ts are “broug h t to you by” th e spon sors.

Much of th e actual product, particularly in terms of reven ue, is in th e broadcast of th e

g ames or even t. Th e fact th at sports an d en tertain men t are broadcast, in an d of its self,
differen tiates from oth er g oods an d services. Typical g oods an d services fin d it difficult to
en tertain usin g its product as th e star of a broadcast, alth oug h more th an a few h ave
created in fomercials featurin g already fit models promotin g eith er th e Ab Doer Pro, Ab
Dolly, Ab En erg izer, Ab Flex, Ab Force, Ab Rocker, Ab Roller, Ab Slide or th e Abtron ic—
g uaran teein g th at you will look just like th e model with out “an y effort from you.” An yway,
th e poin t is th at sports are differen t because others pay for th e team’s advertisin g ,
promotion an d broadcast—in a way typical g oods an d services fin d difficult to ach ieve.
Goods an d services marketers typically pay for media to broadcast or to prin t advertisin g
an d promotion al in formation wh ile th e media pays sports teams for th e rig h t to broadcast
or prin t team an d even t in formation . For example, CBS an d Turn er Broadcastin g ag reed to
pay $10.8 billion over 14 years to broadcast th e NCAA “March Madn ess” basketball
tourn amen t. In con trast, n o n etwork is biddin g h un dreds of million s, let alon e billion s, of
dollars to broadcast, “In side th e Makin g of Tide Deterg en t.”

Th e reven ue g en erated from TV con tracts is th e prin ciple differen tiatin g factor between th e
h ealth iest sports leag ues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR) an d th e less h ealth y (NHL, MLS, an d
WNBA). Th e proliferation of broadcast an d oth er media outlets for sports also poin ts to
th e fact th at th e distribution for sports is in creasin g ly electron ic an d n ot limited to static
location s.

4. Distribution Channel: Static vs. Mobile

Goods an d services desig n ate specific g eog raph ic outlets. Customers purch asin g from
Sears buy products at a local Sears store or order products to be sh ipped from a Sears’
distribution cen ter. Th e distribution ch an n el for Sears is relatively static, ch an g in g on ly
wh en stores open or close. Sportin g even ts an d teams, on th e oth er h an d, are basically
travelin g road sh ows, movin g from location to location , city to city, n ation ally an d
g lobally.

Th e experien tial an d tran sitory n ature of sportin g even ts (as well as oth er competitive
broadcast even ts such as “Survivor”) len ds itself to electron ic forms of distribution . Th at is,
sports an d en tertain men t are suitable for mediated distribution th roug h broadcast an d
on lin e video. Th e NFL, for example, is broadcast in 231 coun tries across 24 time zon es for
upwards of 200,000 h ours of prog rammin g in 32 lan g uag es.[5] Similarly, cable an d
in tern et broadcast systems h ave developed n ew distribution ch an n els such as NBA.TV,
blurrin g th e lin es between tradition al broadcasts an d on lin e services th at make th e
product available an ytime, an ywh ere.

5. Product: Adapted vs. Global

Due to th e n ature of th e even ts an d th e distribution ch an n els, sports such as soccer,

basketball, baseball, ten n is, g olf an d motor sports are truly g lobal pr oducts n eedin g little
tran slation or alteration of th e marketin g mix to g ain acceptan ce across cultures. Th e
marketin g mix (product, place, promotion , pricin g ) for typical g oods an d services are
typically adapted to local markets.

Compared to most sports, frequen tly cited “g lobal” products such as Coke an d McDon ald’s
are n ot actually stan dardized g lobal products. Coke alters its packag in g , n ame an d syrup
con ten t in foreig n coun tries. McDon ald’s offers beer in German restauran ts an d cooks its
h amburg ers rare in Fran ce. In con trast, th e con ten t or product of th e NFL, Formula1
Racin g , Olympics Down h ill Racin g , or th e NHL remain s th e same th roug h out th e world. In
a sen se, g iven its electron ic broadcasts, th e distribution is stan dardized aroun d th e world.
Obviously, th e promotion (e.g ., lan g uag e) an d pricin g (e.g ., costs of cable or PPV) aspects
of th e marketin g mix may be adjusted by g lobal markets.

6. T wo-part Pricing
Customers typically pay on e price for a g iven product or service. Wh en you g o to a g rocery
store, you select your favorite g rocery items[6] an d pay th e prices marked on th e items. You
are n ot required to pay admission to th e store so th at you can sh op. However, some
exception s exist resemblin g fan loyalty—an d even fan aticism—in customer products. For
in stan ce, people pay an an n ual fee to sh op at Sam’s Clubs or Costco. Some people we kn ow
actually g et very excited about bein g able to sh op at th ese places. Such org an ization s are
th e exception to th e rule—an d add eviden ce to th e premise th at th e most successful
marketers are th ose emulatin g sports marketers.

Profession al sports an d major colleg e sports fan s frequen tly pay a two-part tariff (or
price). Wh ile some services with relatively in elastic deman d (electricity, utilities, etc.) use a
two-par t pr icing system (basic fee + addition al user fees) due to mon opoly power, even
sports org an ization s operatin g in competitive en tertain men t markets frequen tly ch arg e
two prices. In sports, an in itial paymen t (don ation to th e un iversity, paymen t for a seat
licen se, membersh ip fees) is frequen tly n ecessary to allocate a limited in ven tory of
preferable seats. Fan s payin g th e in itial fee are th en g iven th e opportun ity to purch ase
tickets.

An oth er aspect of two-part pricin g in sports is th e even t itself. Fan s pay for a ticket to
en ter th e even t (in itial paymen t) an d th en purch ase oth er products (food, drin k,
souven irs) after en terin g . Th us price-settin g in most sports settin g s must con sider various
forms of pr ice bundling . Season tickets are offered at a bun dled price for th e en tire
season an d are de-bun dled in th e form of smaller ticket packag es or in dividual tickets.
Offerin g tickets with a h ot dog an d soft drin k for a sin g le price is an oth er example of price
bun dlin g in th at it combin es th e prices of wh at would n ormally be two-part pricin g . Price
bun dlin g is common amon g services (e.g ., vacation packag e of flig h t, h otel, an d g roun d
tran sportation ; cable TV packag es), so th is aspect doesn ’t by itself differen tiate th e
marketin g of g oods/services vs. sports. Yet, it is common practice in all sports marketin g
con texts, but is n ot common to all g oods/services con texts. In terestin g ly, fan s are typically
payin g for admission to a publicly-own ed facility, even th oug h th e bulk of th e ticket sales
proceeds g o directly to th e team own ers.

7. Facilities: T axpayers vs. Corporate Support

Alth oug h th e subject of much public policy debate, sports team own ers often do n ot pay for
th eir own facilities. A n ew Nissan automobile plan t may be able to acquire favorable tax
status an d property in Mississippi ($695 million in tax breaks an d in cen tives over 20
years), but will still pay for buildin g th eir own facilities ($930 million in Can ton , MS). In
con trast, th e majority of NBA own ers’ facilities are larg ely or en tirely paid by taxpayers. In
addition , n amin g rig h ts by spon sors add addition al reven ue to th e team. Even wh en
own ers in vest private dollars in to th e facility, th e reason isn ’t n ecessarily because public
mon ies are un available. In th ese cases, own ers in vest in order to con trol reven ue available
on ly if th ey own th e facility.

Wh y do city, coun ty an d state officials wan t to attract sports org an ization s? Wh y are th ey,
an d th eir taxpayers, willin g to pass referen dums to pay for th ese facilities? Th e case can be
made for a variety of motives (main ly political an d econ omic) for th is support. However,
from a broader sociolog ical perspective, sports teams provide a city (or state) with a social
identity th at can represen t wh o th ey are to oth ers. Th e successful state un iversity sports
team allows con stituen ts to represen t th emselves to oth ers as win n ers. Th e toug h blue-
collar ch aracter of th e Steelers over th e years symbolizes wh o Pittsburg h fan s are to th e
rest of th e coun try. Th e black un iforms, skull-an d-crossbon es, an d in timidatin g players
for th e Oaklan d Raiders, for better or worse, mostly iden tify th eir fan s. We are n ot sure
wh at th e men dressed up as h og s in dresses at Wash in g ton Redskin s g ames mean s. In
con trast, major cities th at h ave lost or are with out major leag ue sports spen d con siderable
resources search in g for an iden tity by way of allurin g sports fran ch ises.

Con sider wh at is sold in g ift sh ops in airports. You will always fin d jerseys, mug s, an d
oth er merch an dise th at represen t th e city to oth ers wh o pass th roug h th e area. Th e
merch an dise may feature th e licen sed log os of local g olf courses or min or leag ue teams in
Ch arleston (SC), th e Cowboys in Dallas (TX), or th e Jazz an d Olympic log os in Salt Lake
City (UT). Th e poin t is th at commun ities represen t th emselves to oth ers th roug h th eir
iden tification with a sports org an ization . In terestin g ly, visitors buy th e licen sed
merch an dise from th ese cities to represen t to oth ers th at th ey visited th ere. Th e iden tity of
th e sports org an ization offers social mean in g an d value both to th ose wh o live in th e city
an d to th ose wh o visit th e city. In an y case, th e social value of th e profession al sports team
often g oes beyon d simply th e directly relevan t econ omic value of th e team to th e
commun ity.

8. Competition: Cooperative (monopoly) vs. Individual

(monopolistic)
Bran ded g oods an d services h ave tradition ally n ot cooperated in th eir marketin g efforts.
At th e wh olesale level an d in some h ig h ly competitive retail markets, g oods an d services
may en g ag e in co-bran din g or cooperative strateg ic allian ces in order to offset or balan ce
competitive weakn esses an d stren g th s. As a rule, h owever, g oods an d services marketers do
n ot cooperate in cross-promotion s an d work in -leag ue with each oth er on a perman en t
basis as do sports. Admittedly, th is is an area in wh ich some sports org an ization s do better
th an oth ers. In addition to th e major profession al leag ues, excellen t examples are also
foun d in major colleg e sports con feren ces (SEC, Big 10, etc.) th at n eg otiate an d promote
for th e ben efit of th e leag ue an d its members. Fan s of th e teams are also arden t supporters
of th e leag ue an d en joy followin g oth er team members or players in addition to th eir
favorites (e.g ., NASCAR an d NASCAR drivers).

Th e n ature of sports leag ues, particularly at th e profession al level, h as evolved to th e poin t

wh ere th e leag ues operate as mon opolies, con trollin g en try an d exit in to th e in dustry. For
both practical an d leg al purposes, Major Leag ue Baseball is a mon opoly. Th e leag ue
con tin ues to be exempt from an ti-trust laws. Wh ile Microsoft is sued by th e U.S. Justice
Departmen t for restrain in g trade an d oth er major in dustries vital to U.S. markets
(teleph on e, tran sportation , airlin es) h ave been broken up to allow free en try in to markets,
Major Leag ue Baseball is still allowed to con trol th e g ran tin g an d retraction of fran ch ises,
develop television con tracts th at preempt feasible en try in to th e market, an d (depen den t
upon th e source you listen to) con trol th e labor market.

Oth er pro sports leag ues operate in a similar fash ion , such th at virtually an y n ew leag ue
h as n o opportun ity to compete. A clear example of th is mon opoly con trol of sports leag ues
is in th e NFL, wh ere th e city of Los An g eles h as n o NFL team, despite th e fact it is th e
secon d most populated market in th e U.S. Th e NFL’s reven ue sh arin g plan h as con tributed
to th e fact th at th e barrier to en try in th e form of an in itial fran ch ise fee in to th e LA market
for a prospective team own er exceeds $700 million (th e amoun t th e Houston Texan s paid
for en try in to th e Houston market). Obviously, a free market would h ave a pro football
team in Los An g eles. A mon opoly, in th is case, does n ot.

In summation , th e poin t h ere is th at every oth er g oods an d services marketer must abide by
federal an ti-trust laws. Profession al sports, in larg e part, do n ot. Th e log ic presen ted is
th at th e leag ues must main tain con trol for th e in teg rity of th e sport, as th ey seek to protect
th e social welfare of fan s.

9. Exchange: Economic vs. Social

As in ferred earlier, customers pay an econ omic price for th e g oods or services th at th ey
purch ase wh ile fan s make a social in vestmen t in th e tran saction . Customers typically g ive
up mon etary value in exchang e (wh at on e g ives up for wh at on e g ets) for th e g ood or
service, alth oug h time an d search effort may also be expen ded. In most cases, h owever, on ly
limited social exch an g e occurs. Wh en you g o out with frien ds to eat din n er on Friday n ig h t,
you may be larg ely motivated by social reason s to g o to a particular restauran t an d
con sume certain food an d beverag es. In th e same ven ue, h owever, in dividual an d g roups of
customers may at th e same time purch ase a meal wh ere social exch an g e accoun ts for little
or n o part of th e en coun ter. In eith er case, th e exch an g e with th e restauran t is still
premised upon th e purch ase of th e meal. Clearly, th e more th at th e restauran t can do to
make th e purch ase based more on th e experien ce (e.g ., Rain forest Café, ESPN Zon e, etc.),
th e more th ey are practicin g wh at is common to sports marketers.

In sports, atten dan ce is n early always (98-99% of th e time) with at least on e oth er person .
Th e sports fan pays a price for th e rig h t to en joy an emotion al experien ce with oth ers. Th e
fan g oes to th e g ame to be with oth ers to sh are th e experien ce in th is social exchang e.
More broadly speakin g , un like most oth er retail settin g s, larg e crowds h ave positive
psych olog ical effects. No lin e at th e g rocery ch eck-out will make most sh oppers h appy, but
n o lin e to see a ballg ame or a con cert is a defin ite cue to a fan th at eith er th is is a lousy
even t or th e fan h as arrived at th e stadium on th e wron g date. Th e excitemen t of th e
competition an d th e aura of th e star power of th e players on th e team are such th at th e
experien ce is best en joyed in th e presen ce of oth ers.

10. Contractual Power: Owners vs. Employees

Fin ally, th e size an d power of th e man ufacturer or retailer of g oods an d services affords
th e own er con tractual leverag e over its employees in most g oods/services con texts.
Salaries, ben efits an d ten ure are larg ely con trolled by th e own ers. Employees h ave mobility,
but are rarely able to sin g le-h an dedly affect th e outcome of th e firm by makin g con tractual
deman ds.

Employees (viz., players) of sports teams, h owever, are more likely to possess con tractual
power over employers. Con tract con cession s, ren eg otiation s an d arbitration s g en erally
favor players. At th e same time th at un ion membersh ip h as declin ed in man ufacturin g over
th e past four decades, un ion membersh ip in profession al sports leag ues h ave g rown
relatively stron g due to th e leverag e h eld by th e players. Con sequen tly, work stoppag es in
major sports leag ues h ave become common place in th e past decade. In 2004-05, th e NHL
sh ut-down due to th e players’ un willin g n ess to abide by own ers deman ds in its n ew labor
con tract. Similarly, MLB players forced th e can cellation of most of th e season an d th e
World Series in 1994. We await th e outcomes of th e NFL an d NBA n eg otiation s in 2011.

Alth oug h th e first n in e differen ces are positive aspects of sports marketin g , th e leverag e or
power of in dividual players in major colleg e an d profession al sports h as clear n eg ative
implication s. Th e averag e fan h as difficulty in iden tifyin g with 21-year-old
multimillion aires wh o often appear un g rateful for wh at th ey h ave. Players an d coach es
willin g ly trade team alleg ian ces for more mon ey. Teams uproot overn ig h t an d move to
an oth er city. Motor sports drivers trade spon sors for more mon ey. Wh ile most fan s may
n ot blame th e teams or players for maximizin g th eir fin an cial position s, th e ultimate fact is
th at such fluctuation s erode loyalty an d iden tification . Just as bran ds lose customers wh en
th ey ch an g e advertisin g ag en cies an d campaig n s from year to year, teams lose iden tified
fan s as th ey sh ift player person n el an d team n ames in search of makin g more mon ey.

So, what is sports marketing?

As with an y taxon omy, exception s exist. Some en tertain men t services, such as th e movie
in dustry, sh are some ch aracteristics with sports teams an d players. In th e same way, we can
th in k of some sports marketin g con texts in wh ich th e own ers do n ot sh are some of th ese
ch aracteristics. Yet, as can be seen from th ese 10 dyadic illustration s, th e n orm in sports
marketin g is differen t from th e n orm in oth er forms of marketin g .

In summary, th en , wh at is sports marketin g ? Sports marketing is building a highly

identified, passionate fan base such that fans, sponsors, media and government pay to promote
and support the organization for the benefits of social exchange and personal, group and
community identity within a cooperative competitive environment.

Th e followin g ch apters will offer th e n ecessary compon en ts for effective sports marketin g
strateg ies th at result in maximizin g fan iden tification .

Conclusion and Framework

Do con ven tion al g oods an d services marketin g best explain an d predict effective
marketin g ? Or does sports marketin g ?

Effective sports marketin g is primarily premised upon buildin g fan iden tification .
Customers can iden tify with a bran ded g ood or service, as wh en customers wear a
particular cloth in g bran d promin en tly displayed on th eir cloth in g . As such , it can be
arg ued th at iden tification is merely a deeper level of loyalty. However, th e best examples of
fan atical followin g s are with in th e realm of sports marketin g .

Bran ded g oods an d services emulatin g sports marketin g practices build h ig h ly iden tified
customers. Services such as eBay can g en erate fan atical support such th at users form an d
meet in clubs for social ben efits associated with bein g with fellow eBayers. Bran ded
products such as Apple can g en erate en oug h un reason in g en th usiasm amon g its fan s th at
th ey will pay a premium in order to purch ase th e n ew version of th e product before oth ers.
Th ese examples, h owever, are th e exception s provin g th e rule: Sports marketin g prin ciples
best exemplify effective marketin g .

Non sports org an ization s can ben efit from un derstan din g an d practicin g sports marketin g
prin ciples. Bran ds th at seek to build levels of iden tification like th at foun d in th e wide
world of sports can g en erate fan s th at are willin g to proudly wear th eir bran d n ames (e.g .,
Nike) an d oth erwise display un yieldin g devotion . So, wh eth er your career is in sports
marketin g or g rocery sh oppin g , th is text sh ould provide g uidan ce for excellen ce in
marketin g .

Th e text is org an ized aroun d a framework of un derstan din g h ow buyers respon d to th e

property (i.e., org an ization , team, ath lete, artist) an d its spon sors. Sports marketin g
practices are based on buildin g a h ig h ly iden tified fan base for th e property. Wh ile we focus
primarily upon team sports, th e property could just as easily be oth er en tertain men t
en tities wh ich g en erate h ig h ly iden tified fan s, such as musical artists, music con certs &
ven ues, movies an d actors, museums, or th eatres. As seen in th e “Property” box in th e
framework, h ig h ly iden tified fan s develop a passion ate con n ection with th e property,
leadin g to th e con sumption of media, even ts (meetin g with oth er fan s), an d merch an dise.
Th e role of th e org an ization in marketin g sports en tertain men t beg in s with kn owledg e of
th e in dividual fan , g en erated an d main tain ed th roug h customer relation sh ip man ag emen t
(CRM) systems an d an alyzed to g ain fan in sig h ts. Armed with th is kn owledg e, th e
org an ization develops ticket plan s to meet th e desires of passion ate fan s. Prices an d
promotion s are desig n ed to add value an d g en erate reven ue for th e org an ization . Th e
facility sportscape is desig n ed an d main tain ed to attract fan s to th e ven ue an d make th em
wan t to stay as lon g as possible. Capitalizin g on fan passion , th e org an ization develops
licen sed merch an dise strateg ies to satisfy fan s’ desire to iden tify with th e team an d its
players. In corporatin g all of th ese compon en ts, fan s feel like th ey are part of a fan
commun ity in timately con n ected with th e team an d oth er fan s.

Bran ds seek alig n men t with properties own in g an active, avid fan base. Th e g oal is to
activate th e spon sorin g bran d in th e min ds of fan s so th e affin ity for th e property
tran sfers to th e bran d. Wh en th is h appen s, fan s attribute positive association s with th e
bran d, makin g it more distin ct. Based on th ese positive attributes associated with th e bran d
from th e spon sorsh ip activation process, passion ate fan s respon d positively in terms of
support beh aviors—n amely buyin g more of th e bran d.

Spon sorsh ips are larg ely sold on th e basis of relation sh ips between represen tatives of th e
property an d th e spon sor, but also rely h eavily on qualitative, strateg ic, an d quan titative
evaluation s.

Want to lear n mor e? Subscr ibe to T eam Spor ts Mar keting her e.

[1] Folg er’s h as, h owever, spon sored NASCAR drivers with th e Folg er’s n ame promin en tly
displayed on caps, sh irts an d oth er merch an dise fan s h ave worn .

[2] Fish er, Robert J. an d Kirk L. Wakefield (1998), “Factors leadin g to g roup iden tification :
A field study of win n ers an d losers,”Psychology & Marketing, 15 (Jan uary) 23-40.

[3] Gruca, Th omas S. an d Lopo L. Reg o (2005), “Customer satisfaction , cash flow, an d
sh areh older value,” Journal of Marketing, 69 (July), 115-130.

[4] See Oliver, Rich ard J., Rolan d T. Rust an d Sajeev Varki (1997), “Customer delig h t:
Foun dation s, fin din g s, an d man ag erial in sig h t,” Journal of Retailing. 73 (Fall), 311-336.
[6] Namely Pop-Tarts, Ch eese Wh iz, Cool Wh ip an d frozen pizza.