Sports fans are amazing! They will go to an event to watch “their” team play – whether it is 102 degrees or 2 degrees – they are there. They identify with their teams and according to research on the subject, one professor of psychological and brain sciences was quoted as saying: “A huge part of who they are, where they derive a lot of their positive and negative affect, is from what their team is doing.”
Sports fans are very similar to radio listeners. Both groups have strong emotional connections with the person or persons they are tuned in to. So when you combine a sports fan that is also an avid radio listener, it’s a powerful combination.
People tune in to radio to get news, weather, and traffic information as well as for entertainment. That entertainment isn’t just music – it can also be to listen to a sports event. Adults 18+ who listen to any sports event on radio are:
- 112% more likely to be a sports influencer – someone who has a great deal of knowledge in sports.
- 112% more likely than the general population to be asked/trusted on sports advice.
- 109% more likely to be a super sports fan.
- 107% more likely to be a general sports fan.
- 69% more likely to read the sports section of a newspaper.
The “likeliness” of someone who listens to any sports event on the radio increases when you look at specific college or professional sports that are attended live or viewed on TV – like basketball, hockey, etc.
According to Scarborough 2016 data, when you look at the percentages of those people who listen to any sports on the radio:
- 98% also watch any sports event on TV
- 74% watched any NFL game on TV in the past year (Monday, Thursday or weekend)
- 57% attended any sports event in the past year
- 55% watched any college football on TV in the past year
- 54% watched regular season baseball on TV in the past year
Radio is an important medium when it comes to reaching the sports fan. Whether they are talking about it, reading about it, watching it on TV or attending it live – you will reach them with radio.