A new normal for sport and fans
Membership platforms or supporters’ clubs are a way for teams and rights holders to connect directly with fans and generate vital revenue in the process
It’s amazing how quickly some of life’s “givens” have disappeared overnight: dinner with friends, a trip to the gym, a hug from a loved one … and weekend sport. Sport has always been one of humanity’s great unifiers – British and German soldiers even celebrated the Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War 1 with a football match in no-man’s land – and it’s deeply strange to not be able to harness the goodwill, energy and passion of a global sporting event at a time when the world needs it more than ever.
“Sport is nothing without the fans” is more than lip service from administrators and athletes. Plenty agree that their seasons should only restart once it is safe for fans to flock to venues in their tens of thousands. The return of the Springboks after their rugby World Cup win in Japan would not have had the same effect without the thousands of fans cheering and showing their pride along the streets. How will we as South Africans rediscover our sporting soul without an echoi...
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