I have always been intrigued with sports advertising and branding. Whether it came from college sports or professional sports, something about the power they had towards their fans enticed me. I initially started researching college sports and the huge following that popular teams such as football in the South or hockey in the Northeast had.
College football has been a large source of income for colleges for many decades. I found an article on Forbes that spoke about the power of reputation. Sponsorships have made a wild impact on football teams, which result in recruits wanting certain sponsorships. Do they want to be on a team wearing Nike? Or would they rather see themselves in an Under Armour ad? All these decisions are important to a player who’s willing to spend their next four years on a team. But before all these decisions were made, sports brands have had to create a name for themselves. “By building a readily identifiable brand of football that draws 18-year-old athletes like moths to light reflected off a “liquid metal” helmet.” This statement from the Sports Illustrated article speaks volumes to how powerful a design can be regarding a team. Oregon is known for their loud uniforms and striking advertisements, which can entice many young footballers wanting to be apart of such a team. Not only does University of Alabama have incredible marketing but the following it has is seen nowhere else. The fans keep coming back each year to watch Alabama win over and over again, but what makes them come back each time?
Consistency.
What I’m hoping to get more in depth with is the reasons for why fans such as Alabama keep coming back or why the “liquid metal” helmets reel recruits in. Part of this I believe to be physiological. However, I think most of it comes from brand identity and the true power it has over society, especially a fan base.