• by Jon Last , Columnist, April 14, 2026

Research continues to show that loyal sports fans -- that is, long-term season-ticket holders -- remain loyal and at minimal risk of attrition, as long as the core product and service delivery remain consistent and evoke the special bond built over a lengthy fandom. 

This observation has clearly driven an industrywide focus on acquiring event enthusiasts, for whom the game itself is often secondary to the adjacent environment.  For this segment, sporting event attendance is more about demonstrating to one’s followers that you are where the action is, rather than understanding the actual intricacies of what is happening in the field of play.

To attract this audience, companies have made major infrastructure investments in social spaces and premium ticket offerings that enable the social media moments that attract these more-casual attendees.

As a sports marketer and researcher, I’ve grown to accept and activate around this reality.  But as a core fan, it creates friction when it can dilute the reasons that brought me to commit to tickets in the first place. 

The more we look into fan motivations and perceived return on investment in live sports, the more concerned I am that we may be shutting out an increasing number of the core fans who have historically been loyal to the end.

Case in point: I recently attended a Los Angeles Clippers game at their shiny new, state of the art Intuit Dome.  The venue is fantastic.  The video boards provide multiple camera angles of the game.  LED rings are crystal clear. All in-building transactions are frictionless.  You are required to download an app that you use for ticketing and venue entry through facial recognition.  There are lasers and light shows generated by your seat. 

My favorite innovation is the in-arm rest consoles that allow fans to interact with in-game activations like trivia contests, games and polls.  The building oozes high-tech and personifies everything we’ve been testing and watching venues consider for years.

But here’s the rub: If you are a Luddite, or dare I say, old-timer, you may not want a separate app just to attend Clippers games, and you may also struggle with how to use all these features. 

We asked sports fans whether they wanted to see in-seat technology that would allow them to participate in polls and other activities.  The answers were split right down the middle, with more than two-thirds of those under age 45 embracing the concept, and less than half of those older than that agreeing.

I recently saw a news item about a 50-year L.A. Dodgers season ticketholder who was balking at a requirement to use digital tickets – and, at least initially, facing pushback.

 I’m all for innovation and forward movement as we evolve the sports event product to meet a new generation of digitally savvy and socially oriented fans.  But I implore sports marketers to understand the potential collateral damage along the way, and assess that impact on revenue and sustainable fan affinity.