Why the next 'Moneyball' moment will be fan-led
Image credit: TGL
Within the world of sport, we are no longer on the cusp of massive change – we are living it right now. The sporting ecosystem has been evolving slowly for the last decade, what used to be a relatively traditional, broadcast-driven, linear industry is now a complex, tech-fuelled, consumer-first, expanding ecosystem. And the transformation is accelerating.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it” – Peter Drucker
Technology innovation is influencing athlete performance, revolutionising fan engagement, and enabling smarter decision-making. It’s transforming the landscape, opening up new formats, and reshaping how sport is played, consumed, and commercialised globally.
Fan loyalty is no longer rooted in geography, nor is it lifelong. The rise of social media has ushered in the era of the ‘fluid fan’, one who connects emotionally with athletes rather than teams or even specific sports. Fans now seek tailored experiences and demand greater personalisation, driving changes in content delivery and live attendance expectations.
Excitingly, the changing tide is creating space and opportunities for new and different formats to shine
Women’s sport is booming, attracting substantial investment at pace and opening up new audiences, structures, and cross-industry relationships. While innovative disruptor leagues and formats (Unrivaled Basketball, TGL, UTS Tour and more) are commanding massive audiences by directly prioritising the unmet needs of many disengaged and lapsed fans who want something a bit different. In turn, they are also tapping into the ‘non-fan’ demographic – arguably the biggest growth market left in sport.
Investment into sport is accelerating at pace, and much of it is coming from the Middle East and Asia with the aim of leveraging existing global and local brands to tap into new and growing fanbases in these regions and other growth markets.
With it, power is shifting too. The traditional hierarchy is being shaken and it’s no longer just the US and Europe calling the shots. These new players are influencing and changing the narrative, and the map, of global sport as they aim to reach a growing global fanbase at a local level.
And right at the centre of it all is... data!
You can’t move in this industry without hearing about the number of followers, reach, or social media and content engagement. Simple, quantifiable KPIs that measure only one aspect of the marketing funnel (awareness!) but have become the currency of success within the industry.
You might argue it’s the ‘Moneyball’ hangover… the impact of on-field and off-field ‘performance data’ on, well, ‘performance’ revolutionised sport so effectively it is now embedded in the culture as simply ‘how it’s done’. Don’t get me wrong, quant data is essential (I use it all the time!) and it allows us to capture, measure, and validate key customer strategy drivers through various solutions.
But no other industry relies as heavily on customer reach and quant data as sport*.
And fans aren’t numbers….while quant data can tell you ‘what’ is happening, it can’t tell you ‘why’ it is happening!
“No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story.” - Daniel Kahneman
When it comes to customer understanding, we need to be able to capture the full human experience, to dive into and explore the complexities of human emotions, attitudes, and factors that influence behaviours and drive decision-making.
This is where qualitative research comes in, to build on and complement quantitative research at a human level. To look at the now and explore and uncover the unmet needs, pain points, gaps and opportunities in real-life scenarios; or to look to the future and co-create or ideate new innovations that future-proof your sport, not for, but with customers.
The biggest brands leverage qualitative techniques to generate spontaneous human interactions and deep, rich, emotionally relevant human truths that equip them to create sustainable competitive advantage now, next, and into the future.
Just look at Apple . Their relentless obsession with customer emotion is what sets them apart. It’s not just about the features their products offer - it’s about how those products make people feel and how they add value to their everyday experience.
"You've got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around" – Steve Jobs
Sport must follow suit.
In an increasingly competitive landscape, those who listen to their fans and really embrace them, not just as consumers, but as people, might just be able to find the key to truly maximising their value… and who knows, maybe even the next ‘Moneyball’ moment in sports global growth.
At the very least – they will be much better positioned to build on existing data to navigate both future uncertainty and future opportunity with greater clarity.
*No quantitative data was hurt in the writing of this article – all numerical evidence and data deliberately excluded!
So... what's next?
As part of our launch of the Simpson Carpenter Sport Insight Team, this article kicks off a new monthly series where I’ll explore the evolving sport business landscape from the perspective of a customer insight agency.
Whether you work in customer insight, fan experience, innovation, marketing, or on the sponsorship side, we would love to hear your thoughts and connect to discuss how we might shape the future of sport now, next, and beyond.
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