OTRT: Track and Field is the largest participation sport in the US for high school and marathon running is growing ever larger-yet it does not have as many fans as basketball or football, how do you try to create fans at your event? What do you think that Track and Field in general can do to garner more fans?
SB: To be honest, if this sport (track and field & road racing) is ever going to grow in popularity, it is going to have to happen because the event organizers get together and make it happen. The governing bodies that “manage” the sport due a horrible job. They don’t do much of anything to promote the sport to junior high or high school participants, and they certainly don’t do anything to try and attract in road runners. It’s something I’ve come to realize over the past five years, and truly feel the only way the sport will grow, is if event directors come together and actually do something about it.
It’s all about reaching the potential fan base. Once you reach them, which really isn’t that hard, you have to show them why they should care. For example, a high school kid who does cross country and track should love their sport, follow it at the prep, collegiate and professional level, and simply consume information on the sport. Go to a local high school football team and ask every kid on the team if they know who Drew Breese is. I bet 100% of them, even the fourth string, freshman offensive lineman knows. Go to a local high school cross country practice and ask every kid if they know who Dathan Ritzenhein is and I bet less than 30% know who he is, and even less know what event(s) he runs and what accomplishments he’s earned.
To be clear, it’s not the kids’ fault for not knowing about the sport or caring about it, it’s the fault of the organizing bodies, it’s the fault of the event directors, it’s the fault of the system and the respect it earns from the rest of the sporting community. The New York Road Runners dominate the scene in the busiest sporting community in the world. They stage world-class events, educate through their various programs and races, and make sure the media pays attention to them. They give people reasons to care. More of this needs to happen. There are a hundred different ways to do this, but it has to start happening, and it is squarely on the shoulders of those in charge to make it happen.
OTRT: I know you have a quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to field of communications and you keep a blog on the website, how do you think this helps your meet?
SB: I’ve been interested in communications since I was a freshman in college, back in 2000. I started a website called IllinoisRunner, which covered the sport at the high school level. I saw tremendous things happen coming from the information I reported and others shared, and ever since then I’ve had a rather obsessive interest regarding communications.
I think my knowledge in this area helps the Gala tremendously. The more stories you can share, the more you grow your community, the greater your event can become. You have to give your fan base, and potential fan base, a reason to care, and so much of how our world works is being able to entertain and inform. We try to do both, on a regular basis, whether it be from our blog, our website, our e-newsletter, our Facebook page, our Twitter feed, or the event itself. The most successful companies and events do both, and we try to do the same.
OTRT: How does social media and twitter help the meet?
SB: Social media allows us to interact with the high school distance running community. We can ask questions, answer questions, share information and so much more, all of which is becoming easier and easier to do with social media. Instead of going through their coach, they can communicate with us directly, which makes it easier for everyone at the end of the day.
OTRT: What have you learned by putting on the Midwest Distance Gala that could be applied to the sport on the whole?
SB: I’ve learned that you have to produce something original and entertaining if you want people to care. It’s not enough to simply ride on your history, or assemble races with thousands of people, there has to be something else there, something that sparks people’s interest. Once you find that spark, you have to remind people about it year-round.
I’ve also learned that while it’s fine to have passion, if you want something to truly succeed, you have to treat it like a business. If you can combine passion for the sport, with the excitement of building a brand, the sky is the limit. Too few of the people in the sport have one or the other, not both. If you are only passionate, you look unprofessional, and while that works sometimes, it isn’t lasting. If you are only business-like, you are boring, look selfish and can’t create enough buzz to have a growing event. It’s all about finding that middle ground.
No comments:
Post a Comment