With the 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) season probably delayed because of the protracted collective bargaining negotiations, many fans will likely turn to their local minor league teams. They will play a complete 2022 season, which was recently extended an additional six games. Proprietary data and analysis from Local Sports Insights, a sports research service, reveals the profile of minor league baseball fans is slightly more men than women, an average age of 48.2 years and an average income of $83,500.
Interesting findings of fans of minor league baseball and their heavy exposure to radio are revealed when the Local Sports Insights data is correlated with data from five representative 2021 consumer/market surveys from The Media Audit in cities with AAA minor league teams.
Radio is the place for many advertisers to engage with loyal minor league fans as well as the bonus of those baseball fans who will flock to this option until the MLB season starts.
Older adults are generally accepted as the primary baseball fans. The table below, however, shows Gen Zers over-index significantly for being fans of minor league teams and heavily exposed to radio (180+ minutes during a typical day) in three of the five markets, resulting in an average index of 109.
Millennials and Gen Xers are the two generations with the most consistent data as minor league baseball fans and heavily exposed to radio, with average indices of 111 and 113, respectively. Surprisingly, Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation under-index for this same combination.
“The Media Audit survey results give the Local Sports Insights data the kind of context sports teams and local media and advertisers are seeking to use their ad dollars more effectively,” said Tony Ott, Vice President/General Manager, Local Sports Insights. “It also reveals team sponsorship and ballpark promotional opportunities so advertisers can connect with fans at the game.”
Another set of data from The Media Audit indicates fans of these five representative AAA minor-league baseball teams mostly over-index for their plans to make major consumer purchases.
Home improvements retailers and contractors, electronics and furniture stores and used car dealers can benefit from targeting their local fans of minor league baseball and many other local sports and teams.
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