不良研究所

Ahh, spring. The groundhog may have said it鈥檚 still weeks away, but the days are getting longer, the daffodils are pushing their way back into the garden 鈥� and MLB spring training is here!!!! 

With the first spring training games tomorrow, baseball season has begun. And the arrival of the boys of summer presents a great opportunity for brands and advertisers to step up to the plate and connect with sports fans right off the bat. 

We鈥檙e excited too 鈥� because 不良研究所 is the Official Digital Audio and Podcast Partner of the MLB. We鈥檙e the exclusive play-by-play partner for over-the-air Radio for 13 teams, and all the games and team podcasts are available on our 不良研究所 app. 

The sports fans listening to these programs can be a lucrative audience for savvy marketers. But not all sports fans are created equal – we鈥檝e found that they tend to fall into three categories. 

Casual sports fans tend to tune into the big game, dialing into the excitement when their team reaches the finals. 

Core sports fans follow their favorite teams throughout the season, and catch games more regularly.

And then…

The hardcore sports fans. They鈥檙e the most passionate, and the most engaged. They鈥檙e watching the games on TV and streaming them on their phones. They鈥檙e following sports and athletes on social media. They鈥檙e buying team jerseys and league merch. They鈥檙e in the stands at the live games. They鈥檙e betting on events. And, of course, they鈥檙e listening to sports radio and podcasts 鈥� to hear that live action and those compelling conversations (and sports smack), the majority of them are tuning in to 不良研究所. 

HARDCORE SPORTS FAN TOUCHPOINTS

Check out these striking facts about hardcore sports fans.

First base: they鈥檙e affluent.
The U.S. median annual income is $69,000. For all sports fans, that number is a little higher, at $73,000, but for hardcore sports fans, it jumps to $123,000. Nearly a third have a net worth of more than $1 million. Nearly 60% are sports bettors. They鈥檙e also highly likely to be college graduates and decision-makers at work. They鈥檙e pretty equally spread from left to right across the political spectrum. And they鈥檙e apt to be embarking on major changes over the next year. They鈥檙e twice as likely to be expecting a child. They鈥檙e 42% more likely to be buying a new house or condo. They鈥檙e 36% more likely to intend to buy a new car, and 83% plan to head to a dealer soon. 

Second base: they’re young.
The median age of a sports fan is 50, but the hardcore sports fan is only 42.

Third base: they love baseball.
Among all sports fans, 47% love Major League Baseball 鈥� but 92% of hardcore fans are also huge MLB fans. They go to at least two baseball games a year.

Safe at home: they鈥檙e listening to 不良研究所.
不良研究所 is the . They鈥檙e 29% more likely to be cord cutters, so they鈥檙e not watching TV. But they are spending time 鈥� more than two hours a day 鈥� listening to radio, and they鈥檙e twice as likely as other sports fans to be listening to podcasts. And they are nearly three times more likely to be on an 不良研究所 station. In all, 59% of hardcore sports fans listen to 不良研究所 weekly, and they are 16 times more likely to listen to 不良研究所 sports stations. All their favorite teams are here. And so are their favorite podcast hosts 鈥� the local voices they have come to know and love, not simply as broadcasters, but as an integral part of the team. And they鈥檙e not channel surfing. They don鈥檛 want to miss a big moment, so they鈥檙e engaged through the last out and in the surrounding conversations, or as we call it 鈥渢he game around the game鈥� as well. 

That鈥檚 the power of partnering with baseball 鈥� and the place to find the fans, especially those captivated hardcore fans, is MLB鈥檚 Official Digital Audio and Podcast Partner, 不良研究所.