Even during tough economic times, Americans seem to find their comfort in sports. Leagues such as the NFL, MLB, and even big-time college football have seemed to come out relatively unscathed by economic turmoil compared to the less popular sports, such as professional soccer, and minor league organizations. In the article “Sports Still Draw Fans Despite Recession” by Charles Davidson, he writes on professional sports organizations that have found ways to weather the economic storm. NFL teams have found ways to accommodate their customers by offering various season ticket packages and multiple payment options, while other teams have resorted to black out days for home games. Some MLB teams in the Southeast have relied on public funding during these times. Regardless of the sport, organizations are looking for creative new ways to fill seats in the stadium.
One thing is definitely certain these days, regardless of the state of the economy, fans seek solace in sports. Although fans that attend sporting events may not be able to afford the high dollar seats, they will still purchase the lesser quality seats. One option sports organizations have is to package their season tickets into financially manageable bundles. Sports organizations can do this buy splitting up the home games into halves or thirds, depending on the number of home games. Another option to ease the financial burden from customers is to offer multiple payment options for tickets. According to Davidson,
“Even some clubs doing brisk business have, like the Buccaneers, created flexible payment plans and instituted other measures to accommodate customers. The Falcons, for example, introduced a six-month payment plan, and the Saints for the first time offered season ticket holders a layaway option.”
This variety of options for fans can be applied to all sports across the board, not just football.
While organizations search for ways to fill seats in the stands, one way to ensure the seats are filled is to create a strong, loyal fan base. Organization’s that win don’t have a problem filling the stands, but teams that don’t win so often have to resort to other measures. FSOblog@fsoblogspot.com writes, “Developing new incentives and marketing strategies in order to reach their existing fan base while also building new ones is the key to keeping fans loyal while also attracting new ones is being able to offer added value and additional content to users.” General managers and team executives show fan appreciation by discount prices, prizes, and through other means will almost always have no problem selling out. Baseball teams often incorporate fan appreciation days by giving away prizes at the gates. Anything from souvenir bats to free t-shirts, teams are coming up with new ways to help fill the seats.
Whether organizations resort to a variety of season ticket packages, multiple payment options, or fan appreciation days, team executives are always trying to find a way to sell out home games. While these options work for some sports organizations, there is only one true way to ensure the stadium is packed, winning is the only definite solution to the attendance problem. In the words of Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, “just win, baby.”
References
Sports Still Draw Fans Despite Recession. http://www.frbatlanta.org/pubs/econsouth/econsouth_vol_11_no_3_sports_draw_fans.cfm
Maintaining Sports in Tough Economic Times. http://66.40.5.5/Content/Articles/Issues/Equity-Issues/M/Maintaining-Sports-in-Tough-Economic-Times.aspx
How to Generate Revenue During Slow Times in Spo. How to Generate Revenue During Slow Times in Sport. http://higherrevenuesinsports.blogspot.com/
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