Simon Dent: why it’s wrong to view sports fans as undemanding turnstyle fodder

Sports marketing is a hot topic these days. Both Euro 2016 and the Rio Olympics recently generated record amounts of sponsorship income. The Premier League is famously awash with cash. Traditional sports like cycling, tennis and Rugby Union are booming like never before while pursuits like UFC, Formula E and E-gaming are bringing in new fans, sponsors and revenue streams alike.

Now, all of this is distinctly encouraging for someone like me, who’s just put his mortgage on the line to set up a sports marketing agency! But I’m not one to believe the hype. Because, above the sound of bumper crowds and ringing cash registers, I can hear a few alarm bells going off.

Let me give you a few examples. The other day, I saw an industry expert refer to sports fans as “a captive audience”. Not long afterwards, I heard someone say that “supporters can’t get enough content about their team.” And this morning, I read a piece where somebody opined that “the normal dynamics of brand-switching and loyalty do not apply here.”

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