Tidbits, Thoughts & Tips around sports business…
News, notes and nuggets from our Publisher
Fancentric Friends:
Hope you’re having a terrific week and are surviving Hump Day in excellent spirits.
Exciting news here at TMR is that we have published the 2021 NFL Fan Cost Index®. You can view the report or any other of our 130+ reports by clicking FanCostIndex® in the toolbar above.
To no one’s surprise, the Las Vegas Raiders lead the pack in this season’s return to full stadiums. They hold both the most expensive average ticket price, coming in at $153.47, and the highest FCI, registering $778.56.
At the other end, the Cincinnati Bengals can proudly claim two things: Joe Burrow doesn’t appear to be a bust at QB and they have the lowest NFL FCI for the third straight season at $437.30.
Head over to the article and grid now for all the details and analysis.
Become an MVP Member and view all 130+ Fan Cost Index reports
Next up for FCI?
More good news, FCI Fans: we’re up to our eyeballs on the latest NBA and NHL Fan Cost Index reports and are full speed ahead on finishing those ASAP. Stay tuned for those in the coming weeks.
And if you missed the 2021 MLB FCI, make sure you check that out today and enjoy comparing and contrasting that with our NFL report. Learn things you can impress your friends with like this nugget: that least expensive NFL game in Cincy we mentioned above is $60 more than the most expensive MLB FCI (Boston Red Sox, $376.49).
Hot dogs that scar you
We risk it all to research and verify every element of every team’s FCI. That includes seeing things you can never unsee. Take for example the SoFi Stadium Hot Dog (pictured, right). The most expensive cased meat sandwich in all the NFL at $8.00 (tied with the Raiders/Allegiant Stadium for most expensive basic hot dog) is frightening to look at.
And no, it is not imported from a 7-Eleven after spending 14-weeks on one of their Ferris Wheel cookers, it looks like that because it is fried. What?
The Los Angeles Times review doesn’t help either, saying the dog is “deep-fried, which gives it the old-man-arm look, but it isn’t bad and actually has quite the snap. Drown it in condiments and you’re good to go.” Drowning anything in condiments just to eat it never ends well. Especially not ketchup. Ketchup never belongs on a dog.
Head instead to SoFi Stadium’s San Vicente Boulevard stand and pony up for the “Stromboli Dog.” As the Times much more eloquently describes it: “It’s a wiener wrapped in capicola, mortadella, salami and provolone, tucked neatly into a cocoon of pizza dough.”
Hispanic Heritage Month
Elsewhere at TMR, I encourage you to check out Jay Sharman‘s terrific opinion piece, Hispanic Heritage Month Came and Went—Do Marketers Know? Or Care?
Why read it? Sports marketers can—and sometimes must—be catalysts.
Sharman, the co-founder of Chicago’s TeamWorks Media a driving force behind the hugely successful La Vida Baseball media company and the just announced LVB expansion with La Vida Sports, talks firsthand about the “dark reality of the challenges, misconceptions and systemic racism ingrained in brand marketing executives towards the LatinX community.”
Getting Current in KC
Hats off to the team formerly known as NWSL Kansas City. They had a great week last week.
As we noted in Oct ROSTER MOVES, team ownership announced plans last Oct 26 for the first soccer stadium built specifically for a NWSL team. The $70-million project will be entirely privately financed by the ownership group, with the team signing a 50-year lease a 7-plus acre site on the east end of the Berkley Riverfront in Kansas City, Mo.
Quite a ride for owners Angie Long, Chris Long and Brittany Matthews. In barely more than 10 months, the group was awarded a franchise, assembled the team from the ashes of Utah Royals FC, landed a home pitch at Legends Field, began play, announced they are stepping up to play at Sporting KC‘s soccer-specific Children’s Mercy Park in 2022 and set in motion a $15 million practice facility.
But wait…*Ginsu voice* there’s more!
Keeping this momentum going into the off-season, at their final 2021 home match on Saturday evening, the club unveiled their new name and branding elements. The new name? Kansas City Current, playing on the Missouri River that runs through Kansas City, Mo., and Kan.
For both the interim and the new brand identity, the team partnered with Willoughby Design, a Kansas City-based, woman-owned brand strategy, identity and communications firm.
Impressive work all around by Kansas City’s NWSL club.
Thanks for stopping by TMR. As a thank you, here’s a discount code for 25% OFF on renewing, upgrading or starting your membership: 2021nflfcispringboard. Copy that code, head here and paste it into the Discount Code box.
Have a day and, as always, stay fancentric friends!
-CH