On top of COVID-19, the national reckoning over racial and social justice, and a rapidly evolving media landscape, pro sports leagues are wrestling with yet another existential crisis: teens and young adults giving up on the game. According to ESPN data cited in a recent Washington Post article, while 96% of teens 12-17 still identify as sports fans, just 34% report being “avid” fans, down from 42% a decade ago.
Click here to read the story at mediapost.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What is leisure time?
- Why is the concept of leisure time an important concept for sports and entertainment marketing professionals?
- Why do you think fewer teens are watching pro sports?
- What is market research?
- Why might pro sports be concerned with the data that suggests fewer teens are tuning in?
- According to this news story, what is one example of how pro sports could attract more teenage viewers?
- Do you agree with that suggestion? Why or why not?
- If you were a marketing professional working for a professional sports organization, what would you suggest as a way to encourage teenage viewers to tune in?