This document summarizes a study by Deloitte Consulting LLP on fan loyalty and engagement. The study found that while winning is important, teams must understand fan behaviors and preferences to nurture loyalty beyond game days. Fan loyalty is influenced by factors like hometown, family history, and favorite players. Younger fans are more likely to spend extra on memorable experiences like events. The full report will be available in summer 2015 and provides insights to help sports organizations enhance fan engagement and value.

1. Loyalty scoreboard: exploring fan engagement
In many ways, athletes, teams, and leagues invented the idea of loyalty. They have engendered the sort of passion and engagement that today’s consumer loyalty programs
work hard to achieve. However, sports organizations cannot only rely on the loyalty that is generated by winning seasons and championship trophies. It will be increasingly
important for organizations to understand fan behaviors and preferences to deliver experiences that nurture fans’ loyalty and extend it beyond the field.
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of
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Fan affinity is influenced by a variety of factors... …and translates into different forms of engagement
Millennials are willing to spend extra for
memorable experiences:
...spend 2x more
annually if they participate in off-season
events vs. season ticket holders who do not
...spend 5x more
annually than non-season ticket holders
40%
Hometown
22%
14%
10%
6%
8%
Current location
Family history
Team performance
Favorite player is/was on team
On TV most
10%
NBA fan loyalty
is 2x more likely
to be driven by a
favorite player
NFL fans are nearly
2x more likely to be
self-described fanatics
60% of
MLB fans
are lifelong
fans
81% of MLS
fans have been
fans for less
than 10 years
Self-described fanatics
spend 6x more than
self-described casual
fans annually
Hometown is a bigger
driver of loyalty for
the NHL than for any
other sport
Non-Millennials
Millennials
Pre/postgame events:
Non-Millennials
Millennials
Player meet & greets:
+$20
+$16
+$26
+$17
+$21
+$14 Non-Millennials
Millennials
Seating based on social interests
Excluding ticket purchases, season ticket holders...
46%30%24%
10+ years Lifelong fan
Tenure as fan
...and spend 2x more
annually than fans who
did not participate in
youth leagues
Primary reason for team loyalty
0–10 years
Fans who
played in youth
leagues growing up are
50% more likely to be
self-described fanatics…
www.deloitte.com/us/SportsLoyalty

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Background
Deloitte Sports, Deloitte Consulting LLP has conducted a study to closely examine fan loyalty and help leagues and teams understand how to enhance fan engagement, strengthen
affinity, and increase overall fan value. The full report will be available in summer 2015.
Contacts
Mike Aronesty
Partner, Deloitte Sports Leader
Deloitte & Touche LLP
+1 201 851 2135
maronesty@Deloitte.com
Pete Giorgio
Principal, Deloitte Sports Consulting Leader
Deloitte Consulting LLP
+1 617 437 3459
pgiorgio@deloitte.com
Paul St. John
Sports Market Development Leader
Deloitte Services LP
+1 617 437 3641
pstjohn@deloitte.com
Ramya Murali
Manager
Deloitte Consulting LLP
+1 212 829 6033
rmurali@deloitte.com
Kathryn Freeman
Senior Consultant
Deloitte Consulting LLP
+1 312 486 5292
kafreeman@deloitte.com
Methodology
In April 2015, Deloitte fielded a survey to approximately 4,000 sports fans over the age of 18 in the United States. Based on their self-reported affinity level, survey respondents were asked to
answer questions regarding their loyalty, engagement, and spend for up to three distinct sports leagues.
This analysis focuses on 9,159 league-level responses across five multi-team leagues: the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS. The full survey included additional responses on subjects not relevant
to this analysis; these responses are excluded for the purposes of this analysis but may be evaluated separately.
Engage
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@DeloitteCB #DeloitteSports
Learn more
Visit us at:
www.deloitte.com/us/SportsLoyalty