Evolving a Sports Powerhouse

The Challenge

Illuminating the passion points of a legendary professional sports team’s fan base to help the organization evolve into a nationally resonant lifestyle brand.

Our client is a titan on the field, but they wanted to score big in the daily lives of their fans, too. They needed to move beyond the stadium to understand how music, fashion, gaming, and food weave into the fabric of their fandom. We also needed to tackle how a sports brand can enter the conversation around mental health authentically—ensuring they support their community.

The Approach

We kicked things off with a deep-dive success and hypothesis session to align on what we already knew and what we were dying to find out. We then conducted a multi-day digital diaries with Gen Z fans across both local and national markets. These diaries gave us a front-row seat to their daily routines and unfiltered passions, captured through text, image, and video. We followed up with virtual in-depth interviews, digging into the “why” behind their behaviors and exploring the emotional intersections where sports loyalty meets personal lifestyle.

The Impact

We delivered a clear mapping of fan interests and actionable strategic opportunities that moved the brand beyond the gridiron. The client walked away with specific guidelines and guardrails for engaging authentically in areas like fashion and food, plus a roadmap for supporting mental health in a way that truly resonates with the next generation.