Fluid Fan Featured Four Newsletter
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From our Founder Angela Ruggiero
"At Sports Innovation Lab, we talk all the time about the plumbing and the infrastructure needed in venues to keep fans connected and engaged throughout the entirety of the venue experience."
As the sports industry continues to push its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on a return to live sporting events with fans, leagues, and venues across the globe need to ensure they are connected. At Sports Innovation Lab, we talk all the time about the plumbing and the infrastructure needed in venues to keep fans connected and engaged throughout the entirety of the venue experience. One of our main Fluid Fan Behaviors is Connect. Our data-driven research tool the Power Play Index named Extreme Networks as a Game Changer, and top company in the space. Recently Extreme Networks became the official wi-fi solutions provider for Major League Baseball. Starting with the upcoming 2021 season, the deal will see the cloud-driven networking company install in-stadium Wi-Fi and consumer analytics at 16 major league ballparks, as well as at MLB’s Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida. Reliable Wi-Fi and connectivity services will facilitate a more immersive and connected trip to the venue for fans, players and coaches, and broadcasters working the game. To learn more about other partnerships and best practices that landed Extreme Networks as a Game Changer, visit our website and get to know the Power Play Index.
Weekly Brand Breakthrough
The first-ever Athletes Unlimited volleyball season is set to start on February 27th in Dallas, and with that, the young league is welcoming on partners such as Gatorade and Hyperice. Athletes Unlimited’s unique model revolves around the athlete instead of the team, as the best performing athletes lead the weekly draft to form the new teams. This volleyball season comes after a successful softball tournament this summer that reached new audiences outside of traditional sports and streamed internationally. This league provides brands like Hyperice and Gatorade access to a new consumer base and shows their willingness to dive into new and groundbreaking opportunities.
Weekly Live Entertainment Breakthrough
Historically in Italy, the female counterpart to the powerful Serie A Professional League, Serie A Femminile, has never been considered a professional league. Even though these women dedicate the majority of their days to training, traveling, and playing, they have only ever been seen as amateurs, at least until last week. The FIGC or Italy’s Soccer Governing Body announced that the women’s side would soon undergo significant changes, beginning in the 2022-23 season Serie A Femminile will become the first-ever women’s professional sports league in Italy. In such a male soccer-dominated culture, the advancement of women’s sport like this marks a huge step forward for sports in Italy and all over the world.
Weekly Media Breakthrough
This year’s Super Bowl, like most years, provided sponsors with incredible media exposure as it continues to be the most-watched single sporting event in the world. According to GumGum Sports, the Super Bowl generated $95.8 million in media value for the top five sponsors: Pepsi, Verizon, DraftKings, Gatorade, Bud Light. GumGum Sports used their AI sponsorship platform to analyze six various ad assets, with 353 exposures and 2,300 seconds of on-screen time to come to their media valuations. It turns out the NFL made a brilliant decision in covering parts of the under-capacity stadium, with LED seat tarp video boards allowing them to show advertisements for multiple sponsors throughout the game. These boards made up $38.6 million in sponsor media value. Media and sponsorship continue to be closely woven together, and companies that take advantage of growing media exposure have proven the most successful.
Weekly Athlete Breakthrough
A new kind of investing has emerged that can shake the industry: investing in athletes. The Evoloution Development Group Inc., or EVO for short, is a new sports management firm focused on managing and investing in up-and-coming talent in the motorsport arena, golf, and MMA. The founder John Norman, a businessman and father of a driver, describes watching so many talented young drivers quit because they lacked the funds to make it in an expensive sport. His company hopes to invest in this young talent and allow them to reach their full potential by providing coaches, gear, and nutritionists. The company also allows the average fan to invest in the company and earn a portion of what the athletes earn from the company. This concept can identify and advance numerous young and talented athletes, allowing them the resources and the time they need to grow and expand their brand.
For more information on the changing trends in sports and all of our latest research visit sportsilab.com
Sports Innovation Lab Events
Innovating In Hockey With David Lehanski Of The NHL
On the latest episode of the Fluid Fan Podcast, Angela Ruggiero is joined by David Lehanski the Executive Vice President, Business Development and Innovation at the NHL. Angela and David will discuss the partnerships that are powering the tech and innovation pushing the league forward. David has been vital in the development and implementation of the NHL’s puck and player tracking system. As a member of our Athlete Data and Athlete-Driven Media Leadership Board, David has helped our team research and foster innovation in the athlete-data market. He knows how important it is to monitor fan behaviors and how the league needs to create new content to capture the attention of these Fluid Fans. Learn about the connectivity and technology partnerships that are powering the new data and analytics era in the NHL, and the silver lining to come out of the COVID pandemic.
The Fan Project Live Chat:
Growing Women’s Sports From The Inside Out
The Fan Project is going live with WNBA star Carolyn Swords at 2:30pm ET on Thursday 2/25! Carolyn has played 10 seasons in the WNBA, most recently in the 2020 WNBA Finals for the Las Vegas Aces. As a member of the WNBA Players Association Executive Committee, Carolyn was instrumental in negotiating an agreement that significantly increased player salaries and marketing budgets. The Fan Project sits down with Carolyn to discuss the state of women’s sports from the athlete’s perspective, and how the industry needs to change from the inside out. Register now! To view all of our previous sessions visit our YouTube Channel.