After creating a huge mark in Multi-player Online Battle Arena, now Esports is trying to create a mark in different genre of games, and is finding ways to connect with younger generation through different social media platforms.
According to some reports, The N.F.L. recently teamed up with a gamer popularly known as Ninja. MLB recruited young influencers to create Tik Tok content for the World Series under the hashtag # mlbcreaterclass to connect with younger generation who uses social media platforms.
The marketing officers of different leagues shared a philosophy: Meat young fans where they are, which means using different social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, You Tube, Twitch and Tik Tok, to connect and to engage them with their sports. A lot of different leagues are using digital platforms to connect with the fans, as digital platforms attract views and likes in abundance.
A psychologist named Rich Luker, has tracked trends in sports for last 30 years said that, Children’s under the age of 10 are having “ the unattainable childhood,” which means that parents, teachers and other adults are unable to reach them if they’re not using digital platforms like children`s. It`s much more about what they do in their leisure time than it is about personal engagement, community engagement, or engagement with friends and family” Luker said.
He ate my shot pic.twitter.com/w5b05ZTyJP
— Ninja (@Ninja) January 13, 2022
“It’s critical to reach a younger portion of the fan base,” said Chris Marinak, M.L.B.’s chief operations and strategy officer. “They have the longer span of fandom. We need to do a better job of communicating to Gen Z what it means to be a fan.”
Tim Ellis, the chief marketing officer of the N.F.L., added, “What we know is that if you don’t acquire a fan by the time they’re 18, you’re most likely never going to get them.”
A marketing professor at Emory University, Atlanta, United States, named Michel Lewis conducted a survey to look after the sports fandom in America, and through the survey he founded that Gen –Z`s are less interested in sports as compared to previous generations.
During the survey, only 23% of Gen-Z`s said that they are passionate sports fans, whereas 42% of Millennials and 33% of Generation X said that they are passionate sports fans and enjoy watching sports in their leisure time.
“If sports fandom is formed by early experiences, these results suggest that fandom for major American sports will crater in the decades ahead,” Lewis said.
“There is more access and more inclusiveness in e-sports,” said Danny Martin, a founder and the chief executive of Esposure, a gaming and curriculum company based in Dallas. “You got to understand the community. If you are not interacting with the community, you are missing opportunities.”
The Pro Sports leagues in the US are now trying to convert the passion for the game into enthusiasm for traditional sports.
