The at-home experience is so good, why would anyone want to pay top-dollar to see a live sporting event in a stadium or arena?
The cost of tickets, parking or transit, food, beverage and souvenirs all add up. National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell expressed worry last November that high-definition TV could be the greatest challenge his league will face.
Pete Smyth thinks pocket-sized screens are the salvation, coupled with in-stadium Wi-Fi.
His digital ad agency Iamota commissioned a survey of 1,004 people by Insights West to find out more about smartphone use at sporting events.
“As you can see, 80% of fans who own a smartphone used their device [at the last game they attended],” Smyth said. “We thought it would be half.”
Fans want connection, content and convenience. Food and beverage ordering without leaving their seats, for instance. Who wants to pay to be in a lineup?
“The at-home experience has gotten so good with HD and camera angles, venues are starting to say what do we have to do to bring sports fans back into the stadium?” Smyth said. “It’s trying to use mobile as an interactive device for that brand engagement, that’s where you can bring the creative context in.”
Iamota’s research found 43% of fans use their smartphone five or more times during a game, and they attend 4.8 major sporting events a year. The most common activity is taking photos (72%), communicating with friends (65%) and using social media (45%). Looking up sports stats (41%) and using a team’s app or website (35%) are other popular activities.
Almost three-quarters say they use their smartphone to fill downtime, while 56% say it adds to the experience.
Watch what the Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Lions do in 2013. The Lions managed just a 2% attendance blip in 2012 after winning the 2011 Grey Cup. The Whitecaps claimed five games had exactly 21,000 fans (not 20,999 or 21,001), but obscured the remaining 33,500 empty seats.
Uniform action
The Whitecaps added their arbutus brown third uniform in 2012. In 2013, they’ll have a new uniform, which will be unveiled February 27 for season ticketholders at the Rocky Mountaineer Station.
Both companies, coincidentally, are chaired by John Furlong, who is facing more allegations of abuse from January court filings by the Georgia Straight and journalist Laura Robinson.
Net results
Tennis fans are eagerly awaiting Tennis Canada’s decision on the venue for the Davis Cup quarter-final tie with Italy.
Canada upset the Rafael Nadal-less Spaniards on the first weekend of February in the University of BC’s Thunderbird Arena and will host the next World Group event in the first week of April.
Crowds were near 6,400 capacity on all three days, which featured two wins by number 13-ranked Milos Raonic.
Meanwhile, the Whistler Sliding Centre roared back to action February 1-2 as the host of the 2013 World Luge Championships.
Among the 22 countries entered was Tonga, but not Georgia, whose flag was displayed anyway as a tribute to Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old who died on the track on the opening day of the Vancouver Games on February 12, 2010. Whistler Sport Legacies (WSL) accepts all 29 recommendations of a Southern Alberta Institute of Technology safety audit, but the timeline on implementing the changes is budget-reliant.
WSL is awaiting new president Roger Soane to take over from the retired Keith Bennett. WSL received a $6.2 million infusion from B.C. taxpayers, some of which resulted in a new women’s and doubles start position on the luge track. Though the track was deemed ready for competition, the construction was not complete.
WSL’s other competition venue, the Whistler Olympic Park hosts the Sea-to-Sky Nordic Festival (March 15 to 30), for national biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and nordic combined championships and North American biathlon championships. Returning this summer is the Tough Mudder obstacle race (June 22 to 23) and debuting is the Believe world music festival (July 11 to 15). •
