Bring on the creators
Then, of course, there is the evolving role of online content creators.
“Every team should absolutely hire a personality to constantly be in their content,” SnapBack Sports founder Jack Settleman told Morning Consult in a recent interview. “That connects so much deeper with a fan base.”
Settleman, whose brand has more than 2 million subscribers across its three Snapchat accounts, said teams and leagues should “quadruple down on Snapchat” and “dominate YouTube” to reach Gen Z.
Media outlets like ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ Bleacher Report are among the properties to lean into influencer marketing. In September, the former announced its first Creator Network, billed as a four-month program to provide 10 emerging creators across Instagram and TikTok with access to ESPN’s properties to create content and build awareness for the network.
Doug Bernstein, senior vice president of digital audience strategy for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, said the median age for followers of Bleacher Report’s social media accounts is 26.
He, like others, said Gen Z is still interested in sports, but the type of competition the cohort generally wants to watch has expanded to include content like House of Highlights’ 1-on-1 tournaments, or knockout-style basketball contests featuring top creators.
In the past two years, MLB has worked with two classes of creators to produce content for TikTok and other platforms, and is expected to launch a third installment in 2023.
The NFL and its teams have tried to find that breakthrough via content creation by working with thousands of influencers across industries that interest Gen Z, including video games, music, fashion and wellness, according to Trombetta. The Morning Consult survey revealed that 45% of Gen Zers said they’ve purchased clothing because an influencer or celebrity sponsored it. Perhaps game tickets, cable TV packages and sports subscriptions aren’t far behind.
“We’re infusing influencers into everything we are doing,” said Trombetta, who pointed to collaborations ranging from rapper Lil Wayne and actor Miles Teller to influencer Frankie LaPenna, who’s gone viral for “pretending” to attend Zoom meetings.
Next up: The NFL wants to work with more female creators and Latino influencers to increase fandom among younger consumers in those demographics, he said.
While the sports industry is focused on fixing its issues with younger consumers, most executives and experts interviewed for this story agreed there’s no magic formula. It’s a slow and long journey, they said, but one the industry can’t shy away from.
“This isn’t a three-year game that we’re playing,” said MLB’s Marinak. “This is a 60- to 70-year game. We have a lot of time to get it right.” By then, though, who knows what the youngest consumers will be into.
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