Dodgers Plan To ‘Revolutionize’ Fan Experience Towards ‘Show Business’
The Los Angeles Dodgers have not struggled in attendance, drawing around 3.8 million fans each year. Now, the team has a blueprint determined to find new ways to continue cranking the turnstiles at Chavez Ravine.
USA Today outlined the plan of Peter Guber, Guggenheim Partners, and Tucker Kain. Kain is mentioned as the point-man of this operation.
The Dodgers’ mission now, owner Peter Guber says, is to hand the keys of the franchise over to Kain and let him do anything he envisions to keep the Dodgers as kings of the hill.
Think an entertainment district on the vast land surrounding Dodger Stadium. Think about a high-speed underground system tunnel leading to Dodger Stadium before the 2020 All-Star Game. Think about night clubs and sports bars inside Dodger Stadium. Think real-time information on your smart phones where you too have the same analytics at your disposal as manager Dave Roberts. Think about a stadium experience where you can change seats, even move into different sections, every three innings during a game.
Furthermore, the Dodgers have been an analytics-driven organization in regards to their on-field product. Because of this, their plan to drive home attendance and fan happiness is no different.
“He has to find a way furiously to curate new audiences at the young level and connect with them,’’ Guber tells USA TODAY Sports. “He has to go out hunting where the elephants are. He has to speak their language because the new generation of fans consume games in a different way.
“It’s not so much people interested in the statistics of baseball, but Fortnite, League of Legends, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, the immediacy of the environment, the gamification, fantasy, gambling and the social aspects of the narrative.
“If you don’t grow new tomatoes, you’re not going to have much marinara sauce in the future.’’
The analogy made to marinara sauce aside, it’s clear the Dodgers are going to be innovative in their approach. Dodgers Social Media will play a huge role in defining the new era of fan attendance. Moreover, this ability to adapt will organically help attract a younger generation of fans that the Dodgers and all of baseball seek.
‘Shift and Evolve’
Kain continued with a worthwhile vision of the experience he seeks to create.
“We came in and inherited a team with a history and legacy that was paved by guys like Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax,’’ Kain said. “Now, we want that legacy to move forward. We need to continue to evolve and shift as fans engage in the game and consume differently. Creating a different environment creates opportunity.”
It would be nice to think that people will pack the seats simply due to tradition and Dodger Stadium being a great backdrop for a baseball game. However, there’s simply more to it with fans of a new generation. The Dodgers will do what they have always done in this regard – they will find a way to have success.
Equally important, it will be interesting to see what new wrinkles are slowly introduced to enhance the greatest fan experience in all of sports. That’s one writer’s opinion anyways.
Blue Heaven Podcast Episode 37
How many buzzwords do you count in this article?
“Social aspects of the narrative….” Give me a break.
And with night clubs and sports bars come more fights and more violence, which Dodger fans have gotten a bad reputation for. Great idea!!! Let’s have more, please.
People need to move their seats every three innings? Take Ritalin.
How about you revolutionize the experience by winning a championship for once or at least being genuinely serious about it instead of just only caring about making money off the brand (which you’ve already made plenty of) and duping fans as you rip them off
For once I concur with you here! If they want a great or better fan experience, how about stopping this cheap small market approach and put a legit team on the field, ya know one that actually has an impact star instead of a team full of marginal platoon type players!
Lol
Agree 1000% with you Paul, they generate so much income from the fans, but what they put on the field is never going to win a championship. You need superstars on the team. It’s not 1988 anymore!!!
I’m not sure what to think of this. As a baseball fan, I would definitely prefer to watch a game with other baseball fans. It would turn me away if the stadium was filled with thousands of people that only came to have a party. It would be distracting and take away from the awesome history and traditional feel of the great Dodger Stadium. Specifically, the night club idea scares me. It’s important to remember that this is still a baseball stadium and the game should always be the main event. That said, I am looking forward to the live updates.
Andrew, I concur about what ya said about that totally unnecessary night club idea…LUDICROUS to say the least!
When it comes to the dodgers it’s always about everything but baseball.
It STINKS Its baseball if they dont like the tradition of the dont come
It’s all about the beauty and excitement of the game
“He has to find a way to furiously curate new audiences at a young level”
Simple let’s stop being greedy and find a way for fans who can’t be at every home game watch a game at home. Let dads sit at home with their young ones and show them how he fell in love with the team, with the game. Changes to the stadium are coming wether we like it or not, but we have a whole generation that’s disconnected from the team
This scares me, one day I’ll be old and going to a baseball game will be a thing of the past just a memory
All of you, these comments are so closed-minded. Sure, the night club idea sounds a bit excessive. But I’m sure it wouldn’t be open during games. Regardless, baseball needs to excite young fans, and whether you like it or not, they have attention spans of gold fish. And don’t pretend you all don’t feed into it by shoving phones in front of your kids’ faces when you need a brief respite. All I’m saying is that at least they are trying to evolve with the times. Baseball can not afford to rest on staunchy laurels. Hell, if there’s a possibility for me to move my seat every three innings to get closer to the game I love because some guy with season tickets isn’t showing up to his seats, I’m for it. Live action analytics info, I’m way for it!!
And shame on you for saying this team hasn’t done anything to put a WS caliber team together. We’ve been there the last 2 years and are favored to make it back again. It sucks we didn’t win, but 2 years ago we made it to game 7, and last year, the better team just happened to win. But the front office did everything you jackals were clamoring for… (remember all of you were screaming for Darvish who blew it for us? Also Machado who didn’t do much either!) so don’t blame them. We also have Seager, Kershaw, Buehler, and still one of the better farm systems despite going after the largest mid season trade chips the last 2 years. They are perennially trying to win and that’s all they’ve tried to do since the tarnished McCourt era. Why don’t you all climb out from behind the message boards and support your team that you claim to love so much! I know the sting is still there from the past two seasons, but it’s going to make it all the sweeter when we take back that trophy to the storied Chavez Ravine!
Go Dodgers!!!