Or more like connecting to the fans. Fans are what keep sports alive. Fans are the driving force behind what the organizations focus on and who the players are playing for (besides the money, of course). Without fans, what would become of sports? Nothing, that’s right. So how do teams, sports organizations, athletes, and everything that goes into the production of sports keep the fans wanting more?
Other than fan loyalty, which always plays a huge part in who fans follow and like, it’s about how the players perform and how the fans perceive them. Sure, some people call it jumping on the band wagon but when a player performs and puts on a good show people notice and become fans. The concept behind this is perspectives and perception. One of the biggest sellers in sports is perceptions and the way things are viewed like whether it’s a good athlete or a product of good quality. Quality sells. The better the athletes like Odell Beckham Jr. or Ezekiel Elliot perform the more fans, even fans from different teams, follow them. Some fans of sports are fans of the athletes and not necessarily a particular team or vice versa or both. However, as the athletes with high profiles are being recognized individually, they are also promoting their teams. That is one of the biggest selling points for a team to draw in fans: players. For instance, Juventus is a known European soccer team. But fans began to recognize the team even more when they signed one of the best soccer players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo. Now fans recognize it even more as a high quality and top of the line organization just because of their perception of one player.
That’s one of the biggest things that all types of organizations want and need is fans and for everyone to have a good perception of them. Why do you think Nike and Adidas and those types of organizations sign the most famous athletes to endorse their brand? Because it gives fans a certain perspective of their brand. Nike is one of the best at marketing their products. They are known for their emotional TV commercials that pull on your heart strings and pull in the viewers. Now, whether these methods actually work is subjective but it does make you remember the brand. It also gives you a certain perception of who they are and what they believe which is great until they pull a controversial stunt like using Colin Kaepernick in one of their ads. However, I’m sure the story will just blow over soon because they have a certain reputation and presence in the world that might be able to surpass even a poor attempt at publicity.
Another thing that organizations and sports teams do to give fans better perspectives of them is community outreach. This gets the players and brands involved with their fans giving them a feeling of connection. It’s more of a hands on approach to attract fans. In professional soccer, when the starting players line up for the national anthem before the game, usually a player is assigned a little kid that gets to walk out on the field with them. This not only gives the kid a once in a lifetime experience but makes the teams look good to the fans. Fans want to believe and commit their loyalty to a team or even a brand that they can brag about. No one wants to be associated with something that has a bad reputation.
Sports: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 
Madison,
This article is great on pinpointing the aspects of teams and players that fans admire and appreciate. I could not agree with you more about the fact that fan perception is a huge indicator of fan loyalty. It is extremely important and vital for athletes to have loyalty from their fans in order to remain at the top of the athlete chain. The way fans perceive there athletes has just as much to do with the athlete on the field or court as it does off of the field or court. Like you mentioned, having the best athletes on your team also draws people to follow the team due to that athlete being a part of it. Whether it be a team or an organization, having fans is a huge part of how successful a team or organization does because most of the revenue will come from the fans.
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Howdy!
I enjoyed reading your blog on how perception and perspective play a role in sports especially when it comes to athletes and their promotions with an athletic brand. Its extremely important to note that when picking someone to promote your brand their perceived appearance to society and how that will come across and translate into sales. Great blog!
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I enjoyed reading about how the perception and perspective of fans and consumers can affect teams, brands and athletes. I agree with the point you made without fans sports or brands wouldn’t be able to exist because that is where their income comes from. Brands and teams that have super loyal fans will stick with them even when there are big controversies.
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