Give the Fluid Fan What They Want, When They Want It

Recently, I was appointed to the Board of Directors for theScore--I am thrilled to officially join forces with CEO and Founder John Levy to not only grow and establish theScore's leadership position in the market, but to continue to disrupt and drive meaningful growth for the sports industry at large. 

For the less familiar, theScore is best known for its highly popular sports news and scores app--the second most popular in North America. Now, they are also focused on building a growing sports betting business through their mobile sportsbook theScore Bet, which is closely integrated with its media app offering. 

So, why did I decide to join theScore and why now? The answer begins and ends with the Fluid Fan.

At a foundational level, the mission of theScore aligns squarely with my professional mission--and that of Sports Innovation Lab--which is to enhance the fan experience. As a member of the Board of theScore, I am eager to continue to bring my passion, future-focus, and deep understanding of the Fluid Fan to bear.

Beyond this foundational alignment, theScore is a future-focused, nimble organization playing at the cutting-edge of some key, macro trends that are driving Fluid Fan behavior. Companies who deeply understand and capitalize on these trends will fuel the future growth opportunities for the sports industry. 

The first macro trend driving Fluid Fan behavior is convergence. Today's Fluid Fans are empowered to choose and they want the ability to access one app (with the functionalities of ten apps) on one screen. They are no longer content to just passively consume content. Rather, they want a space where they can not only a combination of sports and formats--highlights, scores, clips, etc.--but also exercise agency and actually do something with that content--betting, chatting, co-watching, etc. Platforms that enable this convergence of content and functionalities will attract and keep Fluid Fans engaged.  

With this convergence, comes convenience, a second major macro trend driving Fluid Fan behavior. These fans are fickle, and if we don’t give them what they want when they want it, we will lose them. After many years of research at Sports Innovation Lab, our data shows that fans increasingly want to use their mobile devices and second screens to interact with sports. They want everything at their fingertips—literally in the palm of their hands. Beyond converging content and functionalities, we need to give fans frictionless, easy, 24/7 access to this content and these functionalities, wherever they are and on all of their devices. 

During this pandemic, providing fans with easy access to content and functionalities is more important than ever. Whether fans are going into venues or not, we, as an industry, must keep feeding their fandom to ensure that sports remain relevant in their lives. We need to develop the platforms and technologies that make it easy to become and stay a fan. We need to make it easier for them to find the sports content they love and easier to engage with this content to keep them coming back for more. We need to be at the forefront of data and insights-gathering in order to stay ahead of the constantly evolving Fluid Fan and to make things supremely convenient for them. 

Companies that do not reflect an understanding of these macro trends of convergence and convenience in their business models are going to fall out of relevance with consumers and are going to miss out on growth. Conversely, companies like theScore, who are building platforms that are nimble, malleable, and adapting to the needs of the fan will prevail.  

I cannot wait to get started on this journey with theScore to continue to make sports easy, convenient, and accessible for all.

-Angela Ruggiero, CEO of Sports Innovation Lab