Key Takeaways
-Communities thrive on identity, contribution, and recognition. Instead of just broadcasting, intentionally invite participation
-Personalized content is the easiest on-ramp to create belonging. Serve fans what reflects them
-Success means tracking advocacy and repeat engagement; not just reach. Go beyond the follower count
Today’s leading brands, (it doesn’t matter if you’re in sports or not), care less about passive followers, and instead have focused on building engaged communities. Community means identity – which can serve the individual, but it also means contribution. And fans that aren’t active participants really don’t do much for your bottom line or brand power.
Meet your marketing team’s new favorite metric: relationships.
Why Reach Alone No Longer Cuts It
Today’s most valuable sports audiences aren’t defined by follower counts, but rather by how many come back, engage deeply, and advocate for their brand. That’s why forward-thinking organizations are shifting from vanity metrics, like followers, impressions, views, and clicks, to relationship metrics, like repeat video views per user, average watch time / completion rate, and conversions to O&O.
This challenge is widespread. According to Nielsen, pandemic-era shifts led fans to build digital communities around sports through chatting, co-watching, betting, and sharing. For example, In 2021, to celebrate its 75th anniversary, the NBA launched a campaign called NBA Lane, blending nostalgia, culture, and player storytelling. But beyond the flashy ad, the league:
- Created interactive content drops across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—featuring players, influencers, and fan-created remixes
- Hosted live Twitter Spaces and YouTube events that encouraged fans to watch together, react in real-time, and ask questions
- Launched the NBA ID platform in 2022, connecting fans to exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, and community polls—all personalized by fan preferences
This approach led to a significant increase in engagement, especially among Gen Z. According to a 2023 Nielsen case study, NBA digital engagement grewbyover 40% year-over-year, driven largely by shareable, short-form content and live social activations.
Defining Community Behaviors: What Good Looks Like
Beyond being a loyal fanbase, community members engage in a set of behaviors that signal real connection. These are the fans that comment, share, create, and show up.
According to Nielsen, second-screen behaviors (like posting or chatting during a game) are up to 10% higheramong Gen Z than older viewers, signaling stronger engagement and attention across multiple touchpoints.
These behaviors include:
- Tagging friends in comments
- Sharing clips that reflect personal identity
- Voting in polls or contributing to UGC
- Subscribing to push alerts or personalized channels
One club that’s building a community around their brand is Belgium’s RSC Anderlecht. Media Director, Stijn Van Hemelrijck, described part of his marketing strategy as “going from a results-driven connection, to an identity-driven connection” when it comes to fandom. On a practical level that’s been partnering with local businesses to enhance the fan experience with great food, art, DJs, BMX and skate exhibitions and more.
Tech and Content Levers to Spark Belonging
AI-powered personalization is a game-changer for fostering ties to the community. When fans see their favorite player, team, or storyline reflected in a clip — they're more likely to share it, comment on it, or come back for more.
Some of the ways AI can help deliver quality content to your fans:
- Automated highlights segmented by player, team, tone, or fan segment
- Multi-language voiceovers to serve international audiences
- Custom content templates that speed up distribution and increase relevance
This aligns with Deloitte’s findings, which show that Gen Z craves highly personalized, participatory experiences — 61% watch live sports with others, and 50% engage on social media while doing so.
If you’re already collecting data from your owned websites or applications, then you can use data to create audience profiles that combine behavior, preferences, and engagement across platforms to fuel even more personalized experiences and real-time community triggers.
Measuring Advocacy: Beyond Follower Counts
You can’t grow a community if you don’t know what to measure. According to McKinsey, community-led brands outperform peers by leveraging a "community flywheel": user-generated content, shared values, recurring engagement, and customer-led growth.
Research shows that fans with strong emotional connections are up to 3x more valuable over their lifetime than casual followers.
So what should you be measuring?
- Repeat engagement on personalized content
- Social sharing and direct messaging of highlights
- Newsletter and push opt-ins
- Content remixing and UGC
- Clicks to commerce or merch pages
- Participation in loyalty programs or predictions
These are the metrics that matter in 2025—they inform you not only about who’s watching, but why they come back.
Actionable Insights
Redefine Success Metrics: Shift your marketing KPIs from passive metrics (likes, impressions) to active relationship metrics—like repeat views, content shares, and opt-ins to personalized channels. These better reflect fan loyalty and long-term value.
Use Personalization to Trigger Participation: Serve personalized highlights and content formats that reflect fans’ preferences (e.g., favorite players, local teams, language). This not only boosts engagement but also prompts actions like commenting, sharing, or remixing.
Spark Community Behaviors with UGC and Interactivity: Integrate features like polls, fan-submitted clips, or content voting into your digital experience. These lightweight, participatory mechanics build a sense of ownership and deepen emotional connection to the brand.
