Esports and MLS fans say they are willing to attend a live sporting event just more than five months after social distancing restrictions are lifted, a period shorter than any other fan base, according to a new study from Navigate Research. Basketball fans said they will wait nearly seven months on average to return to an arena.
The Chicago-based agency conducted an online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults age 18+ in two waves during the last week of April and the first week of May, seeking to predict how fans’ behaviors will change due to the coronavirus pandemic. The average age of esports fans, at 33, is younger, for example, than for the NFL (42) and MLB (47), and according to the study, millennials were more comforable with returning sooner to live events.
“Fans are eager to return, even before a vaccine is in place, but they are most comfortable waiting at least six months after events are open to the public,” said AJ Maestas, Navigate’s founder and CEO.
Overall, approximately 81% of those who consider themselves at least a casual sports fan are willing to return to games before there is a COVID-19 vaccine. However, one-third of the respondents said they expect their attendance at live sporting events to decrease for the foreseeable future.
