Maximum Media Dollars According to the PwC Sports Outlook/October 2015, total revenues for the North American sports market increased 5.1% for 2015, to a total of $63.598 billion. The newest report forecasts a lower CAGR from 2015 through 2019 of 4.0%, compared to 4.8% for the 2013–2017 period, according to the 2013 report. The big news in the 2015 outlook is that by 2019 media rights will supplant gate revenues with the largest share of total revenues. For the 2015–2019 period, gate revenues will increase 2.6% CAGR, compared to 7.2% for media rights.

The National Pastime in Every Burg and Village During the 2015 season, the 17 North American leagues, including the AAA Mexican League, had a total of 206 teams. Ballpark Digest’s tabulation of 2015 total attendance for 15 baseball minor leagues revealed that attendance increased at 8 and decreased 7. None of the increases or decreases was more than .1%, indicating excellent stability across the sport. Minor league baseball teams can be found in 42 US states and one Canadian province (British Columbia) and sport some of the most unusual team names: Albuquerque Isotopes, Modesto Nuts, Kannapolis Intimidators and Vermont Lake Monsters.

Local Leagues for Every Fan There are three primary minor hockey leagues: American Hockey League, 30 teams; East Coast Hockey League, 28 teams; and Southern Professional Hockey League, 10 teams. Total attendance for 2014–15 was 11.65 million, a 9.5% increase. Since spring 2008, major league lacrosse drew the largest attendance during autumn 2013, at 130,000. Autumn 2014 attendance was 100,000 and spring 2015, 110,000. Minor league soccer is benefiting from the growing interest in the sport. During 2015, the North American Soccer League (NASL) added 3 teams and the United Soccer League (USL) added 13. Total 2015 NASL attendance was 975,623, a 7.1% increase.

Fierce, Feminine and Fighting for Recognition Although the 2015 women’s World Cup drew a significant audience and a huge number of girls are participating in sports, professional sports teams for women continue to struggle. Many believe it’s a lack of coverage by a male-dominated sports media. Despite the lack of media coverage, the 9 teams in the National Women’s Soccer League had the best average attendance ever at 5,046 during the 2015 season, a 22% increase over 2014. The WNBA hasn’t fared as well, with 2016 its 20th-year anniversary. Average attendance for the 2015 season decreased 3.4% to 7,318, the lowest ever, and TV viewership on ESPN declined 14%.

Make Room for Electronic Sports The growing popularity of competitive gaming, also called electronic sports, or eSports, can’t be denied. During 2014, New York City’s Madison Square Garden and San Jose’s SAP Center were filled to capacity for major tournaments. First popular in Asia, there are now 28 million fans in North America and Europe, with an annual increase of 21%. Although viewers do skew young, 44% are parents and 38% are women. The 2014 world championship attracted approximately 27 million streaming views on Twitch, a live videogame streaming service, which was a distant second to the Super Bowl, but more than the final round of The Masters and the NBA Finals.

Advertising Strategies Since most local sports teams’ primary audience is families, television is the best medium to brand teams with this audience and to offer special promotions throughout the season to make this family entertainment choice more affordable. To attract more young adults to local sports teams, venues that also host music concerts for this demographic and use TV to promote them can offer a heavily discounted ticket to a game for each music concert ticket purchased. With electronic sports attracting many parents and women, show promoters of local eSports events why television in combination with social media will reach more of these target audiences. Suggest discounted tickets for first-time attendees.

Social Media Strategies Even if local sports teams are already using social media extensively, they should consider selecting “brand ambassadors” from various demographics to be the social media voice of the team, posting photos and videos and promoting the team among online friends. Teams can use social media to conduct a face-decorating contest, using team colors, logos, etc. Fans decorate their faces prior to a game and post photos and videos of the process and the final results. Winners receive team gear, tickets, appearances with players, etc. Many fans are interested in the behind-the-scenes operations of sports team. Videos can be produced of the various employees introducing themselves and explaining their jobs. Other video content could explain the process for drafting/selecting new players for the team.