Why All Sports Fans Aren’t the Same and Why It Matters

I’ve talked with a lot of people across the sports industry about fan engagement, but my conversation with April Seifert, president and data scientist at Sprocket CX and founder of Foutor Labs, really challenged how I think about fandom and how teams should be thinking about it moving forward.

April joined us on the podcast to dig into the psychology behind sports fandom, and one thing became clear pretty quickly: the idea of a “typical fan” is holding a lot of teams back.

Sports Are Psychological at Their Core

April’s background isn’t what you’d call traditional sports industry fare. She holds a PhD in social cognitive psychology and has spent her career studying how people think, feel and behave in social environments. When she entered the sports world through data science work, she had a realization that feels obvious in hindsight — sports don’t sell necessities. They sell emotion, passion, identity and shared experiences.

That framing stuck with me. Teams aren’t competing just on wins and losses. They’re competing on how well they create meaning and connection.

Not All Fans Bleed the Team Colors

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was hearing April talk about her own relationship with sports. She doesn’t identify as a traditional fan. She’s what she calls a “social sports fan.” This is someone whose connection to sports is rooted in people, relationships and shared experiences rather than stats or strategy.

And she’s far from alone.

Through years of research, April and her team identified 12 core psychological drivers of fandom. Using those drivers, they consistently found eight distinct fan segments. These segments explain not just how much someone cares about a team, but why they care. And those reasons vary widely.

That’s a big deal, because the industry often designs experiences for one narrow fan profile and hopes everyone else adapts. As April put it, fans who don’t fit that standard mold are often already showing up, spending money and advocating. They just show up differently.

The NFL Draft Is a Perfect Example

April shared an example that completely flipped how I think about the NFL Draft.

For highly analytical fans, the draft is about roster building, stats and strategy. But for a significant chunk of fans — around 20% depending on the team — none of that matters. These fans respond to stories. They connect with moments like a player getting the call that changes their family’s life.

Same event. Same content. Totally different messaging — and totally different emotional hook.

That idea applies everywhere, from training camp to game day to offseason content. Teams already have the assets. The opportunity lies in how they frame and tell the story.

Why Most Sports Marketing Misses the Mark

One stat April shared really stood out to me. In nationwide syndicated research, a majority of respondents said their favorite teams’ market primarily to white, male, hardcore fans. If you don’t fit that profile, you’re far less likely to assume the experience is meant for you.

That’s a problem, not just from a growth standpoint, but from a relevance standpoint. Fans like April — social orbiters — can still have an incredible experience at a game, but the industry often doesn’t bother telling them that experience exists.

Where Technology and Storytelling Come Together

What really hit home for me, especially given what we do at Daktronics, was how this ties directly into in-venue content.

Big displays aren’t just replay machines. They’re one of the most powerful tools teams have to serve different fan segments in real time. One moment might call for X’s and O’s. Another moment calls for kids dancing, couples celebrating milestones or community-focused stories. Different fans look up at different moments. And knowing who is likely watching makes all the difference.

If you can align content, storytelling and partner activations with the fans paying attention at that moment, everyone wins.

The Takeaway: Meet Fans Where They Are

April’s advice to teams was simple but powerful: get more granular.

The demographic profile many teams still design for represents a shrinking percentage of the population. Meanwhile, the hunger for meaningful, shared experiences hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s growing.

Teams already care deeply about creating unforgettable moments. Understanding why fans show up is the key to making sure those moments resonate with everyone — not just the loudest fans in the room.

If you’re involved in fan engagement, content strategy or in-venue experience design, this is a conversation worth sitting with. Fandom isn’t one-size-fits-all. And that’s exactly what makes it powerful.

To listen to our full conversation with April, check it out on our latest podcast episode!