With the end of the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals comes a dearth of mainstream sports to show. Sports bar operators are basically down to just baseball for nightly and weekend events, plus golf and tennis on the weekends.

As a result, the summer can be a little slow for sports bars. But it doesn’t have to be. It just takes a little thinking outside the box and a little research.

In this post, we’ll look at three ways to minimize sports bars’ slow nights, plus how to market these ideas to make sure guests come visit.

Show Non-Mainstream Sports

Since the summer tends to be low on traffic-driving gimmes like the NFL and NBA, sports bar operators need to look outside the norm to bring in new sports fans and get regulars back during the off season.

This is most easily done by finding and airing non-mainstream sports on your bar’s TV screens.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

eSports

We’ve been saying it for years now, but eSports is the future of sports bars. Here are a few stats for operators to consider:

The eSports market was estimated at $1.28 billion in 2021 and expected to get up to $2.89 billion by 2025.
In 2022, there are approximately 523 million (global) esports fans out there. Half of them consider themselves “eSports enthusiasts.” The eSports fandom is expected to jump to 641 million by 2025.

That’s a ton of fans and revenue. And while there are eSports-themed bars out there, there’s nothing saying a more traditional sports bar can’t also tap into this market. From Halo to Overwatch to Fortnite to League of Legends (and more), there’s no shortage of eSports tournaments to stream on your screens.

And like traditional sports, the SportsTV Guide lists top eSports tournaments to your personalized guide.

Lacrosse

Popular in high school and colleges, for some reason lacrosse doesn’t get the same love as its traditional sport counterparts. But it’s an exciting game that mixes the energy of football and hockey. In fact, D1 collegiate lacrosse games average 12.1 goals per game, making it a very high-scoring game, compared to the popularity of other, more traditional sports.

Lacrosse is sometimes aired on mainstream sports channels like ESPN, but can also be found on specialty stations like Lax Sports Network. The SportsTV Guide lists what games and channels you have access to based on your content providers.

Handball

Handball is pretty popular in Europe, especially in countries like France. It’s a high energy, high scoring game that’ll be pretty novel to American sports fans and your average guest.

Sports bars can stream handball via EHF TV and on YouTube with channels like the IHF. NBC has the rights for any Olympic handball matches.

Have Game Nights

When there’s no good games to show on your TVs, sometimes it’s best to create your own. Hosting regular game nights is a great way to get folks into your seats during slow nights. They also double as a fun, low-key way for guests to enjoy a night our during the workweek.

Board Games

Board games have seen a renaissance the past decade, thanks in part to Millennials looking for inexpensive ways to socialize with their friends. The Internet, ironically, has also helped the board game boon thanks to crowdsourcing sites which has fueled an explosion of unique indie games.

So, there’s no lack of options. Some popular ones to start off with:

You also don’t even need to make Board Game Night a scheduled thing. You can just keep your games on a shelf and let guests come in, sit down, and play to their heart’s content.

Trivia or Quiz Nights

Trivia/Quiz Nights are a classic bar event – and for good reason. They cost little to nothing to run, tap into humans competitive and intellectual sides, and are easy to host.

For bars & restaurants, they’re worth the ROI. In fact, some bars see sale increases of 300% during trivia nights. That’s a number that’s worth attempting to replicate in your own locations.

You can either host it yourself, having one of your team members run the event or outsource it to a third-party. Offer up some cool prizes to the winners like free apps or drinks, or discounts on future visits/online orders. The goal is to use the event is to not only drive traffic to your establishment that night but also future nights.

eSports & Video Games

Similar to hosting Board Game Nights, sports bars should also look into hosting eSports tournaments or Video Game Nights. Have a few video game systems around and ready to hook up to your TVs for guests to play while having a drink or app after work.

Hosting an eSport tournament is also a great way to shore up the slow periods. You’ll want to choose a game popular in your area that has a competitive scene. We go into more details in our Winning with eSports for Sports Bars free download.

This is all about trying to find ways of making your TVs and digital signage work harder for you.

Special Events

Sports bars and restaurants should also look at hosting one-off, special events throughout the year when they know business is slower. These should be well thought out and planned events that deliver a truly fun experience to your guests.

Some special events to consider:

Summer Parties
Charity Nights
Open Mic Nights
Tasting Events
Bar Olympics
Single’s Nights
eSports Tournaments

Operators should work with their food and drink vendors to see what sort of marketing support they can get, including having alcohol vendors there to promote their new products.

What Do Your Guests Want?

You could just show random content on your TVs — and a little bit of this isn’t a bad idea — but it’s also a good idea to do a little market research.

Ask your guests what sort of content they enjoy watching other than mainstream sports. When not at your bar, what do they watch? Would they watch it at your establishment, if offered? Also ask them what sort of special events they’re interested in – such as eSport tournaments, summer parties, etc.

Start off with the above list but get creative with your own ideas. You know your brand, your guests, and your staff best. Leverage all three to come up with a winning combination for your sports bar.

Level Up Your Marketing

Of course, all these great content and event ideas don’t matter if your guests and regulars don’t know about it. You need to make sure you’re able to communicate with them quickly and easily about all the upcoming happenings at your establishment.

And it’s important to use all the tools at your disposal.

Email. While social media marketing is all the rage, email remains king in digital marketing efforts. Being in your guests’ inbox means they’ll at least read your subject line and not mindlessly scroll by. Being in your guests’ inbox turns folks into a captive audience; if your emails are well crafted and designed, and you offer great events, they will open your emails and keep coming back.

Social Media. While email marketing is king, that doesn’t mean sports bars should completely ignore social media. It just needs to be the right type of marketing.

Use social media to show highlights from your previous special events with fan reaction videos and photos. This will show your followers what they missed while giving folks who were there five-minutes of fame. Also use eye-catching graphics that promote what games you’re showing during the week, hype up your drink and menu specials, and don’t forget about leveraging Stories and Reels on Instagram.

Your TVs. What you show on your TVs is one of the biggest drivers to your sports bar. That means they’re also your biggest in-house marketing opportunity.

Use the SportsTV Guide for Digital Signage to let your guests know what games you’re showing on your screens – including stream-only games and OTT sporting events. Remember, sports are the #1 reason why guests visit sports bars, so marketing what games you’re going to show is an easy marketing win.

You can also use digital signage services like UPshow to promote your special events and menu specials, plus get access to hours of sports and alternative content your competitors aren’t showing.