Having just helped launch MLS club LAFC, Heather Brooks Karatz has some experience to draw from in her latest undertaking: establishing the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats as a viable and competitive pro football organization in one of America's most crowded sports markets.
Karatz is the team’s president, but the title hasn’t stopped her from reaching out to L.A. sports fans directly through a series of meet and greets. The events grew organically from an early social media post, before the team even had a name, logo or colors, asking if fans wanted to gather and talk about the franchise and the league.
“We said, ‘We’ve got to find our fans,’” Karatz said.
From those initial conversations came a focus on making L.A. Wildcats home games, all of which are on Sundays, affordable. A family of four can buy tickets to see the team play at Dignity Health Park for $100.
Los Angeles Wildcats
Heather Brooks Karatz, president
Lisa Milner Goldberg, director of public relations
Haley Graves, social media manager
Winston Moss, head coach and general manager
Over half of the stadium will feature tickets costing $30 or less per game with season-ticket packages ranging from $100 to $425 per seat. For a limited time, the Wildcats even offered season-ticket purchasers a VIP pass to access the playing field before or after one of the five home games.
Karatz didn’t share how ticket sales are going or whether the Wildcats have landed any sponsorships. The team has a local radio deal in the works, but it’s not been announced.
Karatz said she gets asked all the time about the Wildcats becoming L.A.’s third professional football team. L.A. Times columnist Arash Markazi said he’s not sure how the region's fans, spoiled with multiple teams from all of the biggest sports leagues, will respond to a team from a not-yet-established league like the XFL. He said the Wildcats' hiring of Karatz, after her success with LAFC, is a good start, though.
Karatz hopes the team’s affordable ticket pricing, along with its spring season, will differentiate it from the NFL’s Rams and Chargers. “We really stand out in this market because we are a product that not only appeals to the avid football fan, but really the family,” she said.
Perhaps drawing a bit from her LAFC playbook — she was LAFC's executive vice president and helped create one of MLS's best stadium environments in the club's first year — Karatz mentioned the word "community" a dozen times during a recent interview about the Wildcats.
To that end, the XFL team hosted a block party for fans on Jan. 25 at Dignity Health Park, and Wildcats coaches will volunteer with local high school football teams this fall during the league's first offseason. Expect more community-focused events as the XFL's first season progresses.
“This is about building a really solid foundation … to grow over time,” said Karatz.
