There is nothing like a good theme!

Today is MLK Jr. Day and it made me think of a very important topic in sports, Theme games. I think so much can be considered a theme, whether it be a holiday, a cultural awareness focus, an activation for a partnership, the list goes on. In professional and collegiate sports, these games, in my opinion, and lifetime, have evolved into an opportunity to connect with a community, and/or bring light to an issue, cause, or marginalized group. Even more recently, used as an opportunity to create national attention through social media or "go viral" as the kids say. The marketing, activation, and execution of these games have become more than just a way to sell tickets. These themes, when done thoughtfully well, can build strong fan affinity and strengthen a team and organization identity within their community, league, and all consumers of sport at large.

When I think about my time with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario G League team, I loved the jersey sponsorship opportunities. I know from the business ops side that it was nerve-wracking on the production end, but rewarding whenever we were able to execute. One that I really enjoyed bringing to life was Mental Health Awareness. We partnered with a local hospital and many different mental health organizations from all over the Inland Empire. We had mental health organizations share resources with table set-ups on the main concourse when doors opened and anyone who was in attendance was offered a bright green ribbon to wear during the game for mental health awareness. We also had different speakers acknowledged on the court throughout the game as well as ran mental health resources and ads on the video board.

The one-of-a-kind element of the in-game activation was that the G League allowed these sponsorships to change the uniforms for the game. Then after the game, these game-worn jerseys can be auctioned off to support a charity. So, if you haven't seen these cool activations from the G League, you should look up Nickelodeon Night with the 87ers when they wore the Power Rangers uniforms and the SpongeBob uniforms in a later season, or the success of the Erie Bayhawks Pepperoni Balls sponsorship.

In 2015, a theme night that stood out and had a national and social media moment was the Tinder x Atlanta Hawks "Swipe Right Night." The marketing was that fans should use the app to find a match to meet up with at the game. There were themed suites with roses and breath mints and those in attendance were encouraged to use the #SwipeRightATL. I thought that was such an interesting and had never been done before promotion that was either going to be a total hit or a miss. I am unsure if the themed night has stood the test of time to become an annual occurrence, but I did see that a couple that met at #SwipeRightATL in 2015 ended up getting married in 2018 at the arena and the Hawks foot the bill, which is pretty incredible full circle for that kind of a theme night activation!

In collegiate athletics, LSU women's basketball hosted a "Dress Like Kim Mulkey" night. I felt it was an interesting marketing approach to own all the publicity that Kim has received through the years and more recently in her first seasons with the successful LSU women's tigers. Not sure if this moved the needle in selling tickets for the team for that particular game, but again this was definitely a promotion that caught the spotlight on the news and social media with pictures of people emulating the opulent coach.

I always think it is important to think about the theme and activation holistically. It matters to be very thoughtful about what the theme is, why are you doing it, and how it connects with your fanbase and community. I think there is something so special when these are done well. If given enough time to think it through and plan accordingly, there are so many marketing and promotions and organic marketing that can happen to bring it to life. I also believe that revenue generation and ROI have to be an important KPI, but the connection and reach and human impact is also something that needs to be a factor in the assessment of the success of a game theme.

What is a theme night that you think was executed the best in professional and/or collegiate sports? And what made it such a successful theme night activation?