How to Connect to Sports Fans

By Julia Nikolaus, Contributor

As our culture becomes ever more remote — remote work, remote family gatherings, remote friendships — sports have become a point of invaluable connection. Whether it’s rooting for the same team or playing in a community league together, watching and participating in sports fosters friendships, connection, and camaraderie.

And it’s important for sports-themed restaurants and bars to tap into that valuable connection sports offers and establish your business as a point of connection, community, and cultural bonding.

Diversify Your Offerings

If you’ve only ever had your local football team’s games playing on TV in your bar, it’s time to click out of the local listings and find the bigger picture.

Many sports bars make their name specifically on “niche” viewings, like The Sports Bra in Portland, OR, which only shows women’s competitive televised sports. While you don’t have to go quite this far, it’s definitely worth putting effort into. Host a ladies’ night where you only show women’s sports. Look for women’s soccer, college basketball or college softball, or have a WNBA weekend where your guests can watch the WNBA finals or women’s hockey in the Premier Hockey Federation.

Sponsor a Local Team

Connecting with sports fans isn’t always about what you show on your TVs. You can also connect with fans by sponsoring a local sports team. Local intramural leagues and teams are typically scrapped for cash and looking for businesses to sponsor teams, usually in return for your restaurant’s name on the uniform.

There are the major team sports, of course, but also consider smaller, more niche sports and leagues. Look up your local swim team or water polo club and see if they are looking for sponsors. You’ll likely be able to put your business logo on their swimsuits, and you can host a swim-themed night to watch the USA National Swim Finals or the FINA World Aquatics Championships (of course, you can also do this without having to sponsor a team). Also invite your team to visit your restaurant, perhaps even with a team discount.

You can use this basic framework to garner interest in any number of sports-themed events hosted by your bar. Make sure to cross-promote any events you have on the calendar, too.

Be Consistent & Advertise Accordingly

Consistency in your advertisement is key. People thrive on structure and predictability, especially for their leisure activities and hobbies. Just as many bars and restaurants have a weekly Trivia Night or Taco Tuesday, your business can do the same with a weekly watch night for volleyball competitions or cycling races.

A bar in Tacoma, Washington called Doyle’s Public House has a unique tradition of being open for Irish and English soccer games when they’re being televised — even if that means opening the pub at 4 AM Pacific Standard Time. The best part is that people actually show up!

While it’s good to show random events, it’s even better to be consistent in the types of games, teams, and sports you show. If you want to court the local volleyball fans, you need to be diligent and consistent in showing volleyball on your TVs.

As you plan and host these events, advertise accordingly. Use Instagram and Facebook to your advantage and create posts regularly advertising your events. Post flyers in your local community center or sports recreation league, where sports fans are likely to congregate.

Know Your Audience

Depending on where you’re located — rural or inner-city, east or west — the interest in sports will vary and fluctuate. Knowing your audience preference can help you retain your base clientele and attract new people to your community.

Poll your guests (in-person and online) to see what sports they’re interested in. And don’t just stick with the major sports; ask them about their interest in things like motorsports,  hunting/fishing, competitive ice skating, fencing, eSports, lacrosse, rock climbing, CrossFit, etc.

The more you know about what your guests are interested in, the better you can cater to those interests.

Get Involved Yourself

Nothing says “I love and support this community” like actually getting involved in it yourself. Find a sport that interests you and join a community or recreational league nearby.

Finding a community for your own pleasure as well as a way to find business is something that can never go wrong. At the very least, you’ll get to move your body, make friends, and gain a new skill, and at most, you’re tapping into and connecting with a whole new potential clientele.

Offer Specials, Discounts, and Themed Nights

Offering industry discounts, ticket raffles, and sports-themed parties is a great way to entice people to come out and connect with each other at your bar. Try offering discounts or drink specials after local sports tournaments. Have a dress-like-your-favorite-player night or host a referee night for local referees and sports officials to mingle.

If there’s a large professional team in your area, have a ticket raffle for your patrons and donate the proceeds to a local sports league or recreation center. Host Olympic or Paralympic watch parties and help your guests root for your national team and competitors.

Be True to Your Community

Sports, at their core, are about creating community and friendly competition. The most important part of sports is the people who make up the teams. In a society where genuine connection is quickly getting harder to find, sports still bring people together in an astonishing way. Focus on the people, and the community will come.