Ever since my days with the team management and business operations division at the NBA, I have appreciated organizations where the sports side of the organization supports the efforts and activities of the business side.
Selling tickets and partnerships can be a difficult job given competition for discretionary dollars and the cyclical nature of team performance. I have seen organizations where the practice facility is strictly off limits, even when the team is on the road, and others where tours of the practice facility and the locker room occur even on game days. Of all the aspects of organizational culture and cooperation I have written about in the past 12 years, the impact of ownership and the cooperation between the sports side and the business side are the two (although they are directly related) where team-by-team practices vary most dramatically.
The assumption might be that team performance influences the level of cooperation between sports and business, but some of the best examples of cooperation I have seen involved the efforts of the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that has been a lottery team for several years. Yet the examples below show that winning teams can employ those strategies as well. Here are several examples of such sports-business cooperation on pro teams.
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49ers safety Eric Reid participates in a "chalk talk" event with guests and season-ticket holders at Winter Fest in Lake Tahoe.
Photo by: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
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Winter Fest
Joanne Pasternack, executive director of the 49ers Foundation and community relations, offered the example of Winter Fest, where the atmosphere of the gathering creates a strong connection between the corporate sponsors, philanthropic objectives and football operations. The annual charitable fundraising event for the 49ers Foundation, hosted in Lake Tahoe, brings together more than 600 guests, including San Francisco 49ers sponsors, individual supporters, players, coaches, alumni, ownership, executives, nonprofit beneficiaries and their families.
“In 2015, the 15th annual Winter Fest raised nearly $1.8 million to support nonprofits in alignment with the 49ers Foundation’s mission to keep kids Safe, On Track and In School,” Pasternack said.
Draft party
Brent Stehlik, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the Cleveland Browns, described an event hosted in the team’s locker room on the eve of the NFL draft as an example of cooperation and support. Team owner Jimmy Haslam welcomed guests as drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served, and then turned the program over to general manager Ray Farmer.
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Browns GM Ray Farmer leads a film review session on the eve of the NFL draft for team partners and prospects in Cleveland locker room.
Photo by: JOHN REID
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“[Farmer] discussed his role as the GM, gave an overview of offseason/free agency, and talked about what we hope to get out of the draft the next day. He also went in-depth and broke down film of five high-level prospects in this year’s draft,” Stehlik said. “This was the coolest part. We had season footage, pro day and combine video for all these players, and it ended up being a really interesting session. It ended with a Q&A, but the guests had been asking questions throughout as well.”
Stehlik said this was the second year for the event, which was limited to 10 to 12 of the team’s best partners/prospects.
“In 2014, we went through an entire mock draft with all the attendees getting to select picks for three different teams, ask Ray about certain players, etc.,” he said. “My guess is next year we’ll do a combination of the two: probably some film breakdown and then maybe mock the first 10 to 12 picks of the draft.”
Chalk talks
Lisa Goodwin, director of corporate communications for the Golden State Warriors, said selected players conducted postgame “chalk talks” after several home games during the regular season with about 300 season-ticket holders. “It’s a great way to engage our season-ticket-holder fan base and provide them with additional benefits. Players take part in the Q&A, hosted by a Warriors broadcaster, and provide fans insight into the world of basketball, the game that night, and what it’s like to be an NBA player.”
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Harrison Barnes rewards season-ticket buyer.
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The Warriors also shared this amazing example of the impact a player can have when interacting with a fan. Forward Harrison Barnes phoned the season-ticket holder whose purchase put the team over the 14,000 season-ticket mark in 2013. Barnes thanked the fan and rewarded him by paying for his season tickets.
A video on the Warriors website captures the moment via split-screen, including the fan’s excitement.
A meaningful gesture becomes a story that can be shared over and over without ever losing its impact, particularly if there is video to accompany the story.
Amazin’ Mets Perks
Lou DePaoli, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the New York Mets, listed some of the initiatives creating interaction opportunities between fans and the baseball side of the organization that support ticket sales and retention efforts. The programs are part of the membership platform and are described as Amazin’ Mets Perks:
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A Q&A at Citi Field with players, coaches and front office execs is part of the Amazin’ Mets Perks.
Photo by: MARC LEVINE
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■ Renew By Deadline: Mets Hot Stove Report. Hear from Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and other members of the baseball operations staff regarding the Mets 2015 strategy (held on Feb. 4).
■ Business Package: Pre-Game Kids’ Q&A. Join us for a Kids Player Q&A session with Mets players and coaches at Citi Field before the home game June 13.
■ Super Fan Package: Post-Draft Recap with Mets Baseball Operations. Join Mets executives to discuss the 2015 draft. Ask questions and learn how baseball decisions are made (June/July 2015).
Every team has the opportunity to create such initiatives, which as you can see in the photos and video are warmly embraced by the fans. It is up to the team leadership and ownership to work with the sports side to create meaningful opportunities that fit the demands of training and playing. Remember: Lifetime value is best created with meaningful experiences that produce lifetime memories.
Bill Sutton (wsutton1@usf.edu) is the founding director of the sport and entertainment business management MBA at the University of South Florida and principal of Bill Sutton & Associates. Follow him on Twitter @Sutton_ImpactU.
