Fenway Sports Management President Mark Lev addressed how the Red Sox could pivot should MLB return without fans attending games, potentially working with sponsors and partners to shift dollars toward traditional media and broadcasts. Lev, speaking yesterday during the CAA World Congress Comes To You virtual event, said FSM is "very fortunate" to have NESN as a partner but acknowledged that supply/demand would become a factor under a scenario with fan-less games. "There are only so many avails during the course of a baseball broadcast," Lev said. "But if the first exposure that sports has back into the mainstream is through media, then a lot of brands are presumably going to be looking to meet those fans where they’re consuming the product." Lev also mentioned that FSM is thinking about how Fenway Park can be utilized whenever social-distancing guidelines are lifted and Red Sox games can be played in a safe way.
STAYING CONNECTED: Lev noted that both the Red Sox and EPL club Liverpool (also owned by FSM) have relied on the strength of their social media ecosystems to engage with fans amid the crisis. He said, "The fans are out there and they’re thirsty for that content. We've also been using the reach that we have to communicate public service announcements from city and state officials." He concluded, "Taking full advantage of those social channels and communicating with our fans in that fashion has been very effective and it's a testament to the great content that's being created and also the passion that our fans and supporters have."
